About Jim
As a director of Ozarks New Energy, Inc., Jim is well qualified to serve as ONE’s designated technical editor and the keeper of its Energy Tech Talk blog.
He currently is owner of Oakridge Consulting, LLC, serving national and international clients in the renewable energy industry. He has more than 42 years of technical and management experience with the U.S. Army, Procter & Gamble Co.; BRABMIJ, Inc.; and Oakridge Consulting LLC. Responsibilities have included direct line management of manufacturing and quality assurance groups, engineering design and management of multimillion-dollar capital projects and technology leadership in environmental controls and chemical processing.
He was born and raised in Colorado where his father was the manager of the Mountain States Telephone & Telegraph Co. office for the “Four Corner” region of Colorado, including Mesa Verde National Park, part of Canyon of the Ancients National Park, Telluride, Mancos and Dolores, Dove Creek, Cortez and the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Reservation. Jim graduated with honors from Grand Junction High School, where he was the Outstanding Graduation Senior Boy in the 480-member Class of 1964.
He graduated with honors from the Colorado School of Mines with a professional degree in engineering chemistry. He was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, serving in Vietnam and decorated with a Bronze Star for achievement.
Jim and his wife, Barbara, have three children and two grandchildren and own a small farm near Humansville, Missouri. They are members of the Humansville United Methodist Church, and he is president of the Humansville Community Betterment Association. Jim continues to serve as the “resident chemist” of the Polk County Emergency Management Commission. He is a FEMA “Level 9” trained emergency responder and has been deployed several times to assist victims of national disasters.
Here’s a summary of Jim’s expertise in environmental management, analytical chemistry, innovative chemical engineering and technology leadership:
· Consulting associate with OMNI Tech International.
· Consulting associate with MARC IV Consulting LLC. Developed comprehensive data searches on all biodiesel manufacturing technologies available worldwide. Provided technical assessments on process reliability, process safety, environmental compliance and product quality of each technology submitted.
· President of BRABMIJ, Inc. Owned and operated Hickory Grove Resort on Lake Pomme de Terre, Missouri. Chair of the Pomme de Terre Lake Area Chamber of Commerce Marketing Committee.
· Developed product specifications and analytical testing protocols for the National Biodiesel Board, Jefferson City, Missouri. Administered analytical testing, qualification and statistical validation program to provide commercially available QA testing facilities for biodiesel.
· Designed biodiesel manufacturing process for Ag Processing (AGP), Omaha, Nebraska. Produced training and safety programs for operational and quality assurance technicians. Assisted AGP personnel with process startup and certification at their facility in Sgt. Bluff, Iowa, the first commercial biodiesel operation in the U.S.
· Designed, built and operated chemical process prototype for reformulation of a key dish
care co-surfactant. A $7MM process was installed at P&G’s Kansas City plant based
on this prototype design.
· Co-chaired P&G Chemical Division’s Alcohol Technology Team. Coordinated activities of corporate engineering, manufacturing, and staff scientists with Stanford Research Institute. Developed improvements in process chemistry and chemical engineering technology in the manufacturing of methyl esters and fatty alcohols.
· Designated as P&G Chemical Division’s “Master of Environmental Technology.” Set environmental control and design standards for P&G’s chemical plants in Kansas City, Sacramento, Cincinnati and Quala Lampur (Malaysia).
· Quality assurance manager for Kansas City methyl ester/fatty alcohol business during $20MM capacity increase project. Developed QA system to meet ISO 9000 certification and National Formulary documentation requirements.
· Leader of “grass roots” pro-active environmental improvement team at P&G’s Kansas City plant. Justified $14MM capital funded project for wastewater and VOC emission controls. P&G’s Kansas City Plant used as the “industrial model to follow” in EPA Region 7.
· Managed P&G’s liquid detergent making operations during $20MM capacity increase and Dawn product roll out. Assisted with engineering design and programming of the first Honeywell TDC process control system, P&G’s soap division. Managed the donation of 30,000 gallons of “off color” DAWN to help clean birds and animals following a major oil spill in the Aleutian Islands.
· Company “B” Commander, 577 Engineer Battalion. 35th Engineering Group, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, South Vietnam. Designed and built “Class A” highway in central highlands of South Vietnam.
· Project Engineering Officer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Pacific Ocean Division, Honolulu District. Administered multiple federal contracts and supervised federal employees and civilian contractors on north half of Oahu. Classified and public works projects totaled over $13MM.