BIOMASS update IBCE UPDATE F inishing touches are being put on the upcoming Inter-national Bioenergy Conference and Exhibition in Prince George, B.C. this June. The event unofficially begins with an exclusive small group pre-conference tour (maximum 16 participants) that will take delegates on a tour of the southern half of British Columbia, onto har-vesting sites, and into pellet mills, power plants, sawmills and cultural activities. Day one of the conference offers a variety of options, including facilitated business-to-business meetings, a pellet safety workshop and a codes and standards workshop. The day is capped off with the conference’s opening reception at Canada’s Green University, University of Northern B.C. The conference program is starting to take shape. In ad-dition to keynote speaker Jeff Rubin, author and renowned speaker on energy and cli-mate change, the conference features Don Roberts, former head of CIBC World Markets’ Renewable Energy and Clean Technology Team, and current CEO of Nawitka Capital Advisors. O’Connor is joined on the opening panel by Dr. William Strauss, president of FutureMetrics, and a leading expert in pellet and biomass markets in North America. Another feature panel will look frankly at the fibre picture in B.C. A fibre working group, involving primary and secondary users as well as the provincial government, has been working on strategies to increase access to fibre across the industry. Members of the working group, including Pinnacle Renewable Energy CEO Rob McCurdy, Coun-cil of Forest Industries’ VP Doug Routledge, and Forests Ministry ADM Dave Peterson, Don Roberts will discuss the successes and challenges they’ve faced. For more information and a developing list of featured speakers, go to www.bioener-gyconference.org. NOGAJ NEW COO AT MARTIN ENGINEERING Robert Nogaj has been named chief oper-ating officer (COO) of Martin Engineering – a global leader in bulk material handling solutions. Nogaj will be responsible for all facets of the company’s business, includ-ing research and development, manufac-turing, sales, marketing and finance. He has 22 years of experience in bulk materi-als handling, including previously serving as Martin Engineering’s vice-president of operations from 2001 to 2015. “Our mission for the coming years will be to keep streamlining our business for continued growth, building on the international expansion that has led us to become a truly global company able to supply and service customers virtually anywhere in the world,” Nogaj said. “We are developing a wide range of new products and strategies to address the industry’s most difficult issues and compete in the challenging markets that are forecast for 2016 and beyond.” Nogaj added that Martin Engineering continues to expand its focus into new regions and target industries to assure the company’s profitable growth and long-term stability. Nogaj is a hands-on executive with broad expertise in all aspects of business. Fluent in Polish with linguistic skills in German, Russian and other Slavic languages, he has extensive overseas experience. Nogaj holds a B.Sc. in construction and an M.B.A. from Bradley University in Peoria, Ill. Schutte-Buffalo opens new test lab Buffalo, N.Y.-based manufacturer of size reduction equipment Schutte-Buffalo recently opened a new test-ing facility. The lab, featuring a Dual Shaft Industrial Shredder, Pneumatic Discharge Hammer Mill, and Laboratory Scale Gravity Discharge Hammer Mill is able to deter-mine the size reduction capabilities of a wide array of materials incorporated in the industries of agricultural products, bulk solids, recycling, and wood processing. This testing is offered as a complimentary service to existing and potential Schutte-Buffalo customers. Upon completion, the customer will receive photos of the processed material, a sieve analysis, explanation of the feasibility of meeting their production goals, and a detailed proposal for the size reduction equipment rec-ommended for achieving those goals. In addition, cus-tomers are welcome to witness the testing at the facility first-hand. Complete instructions for this service can be found online at the Size Reduction Testing Service sec-tion of the company’s website. Have news to share that has an impact on the Canadian biomass, bioenergy, biofuel or bioproducts industry? Email your industry news to editor Andrew Macklin at [email protected]. Be sure to visit our website for the latest industry news at: www.canadianbiomassmagazine.ca MARCH/APRIL 2016 6 Canadian BIOMASS
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