|
Ben Ponder || Managing Director Ben leads the horizontally-structured organization and is responsible for crafting the vision, generating the necessary resources, and ensuring the operational excellence of Renuel. In November 2007, Ben completed a PhD in Rhetoric and Public Culture at Northwestern University, where he was a Presidential Fellow, the most prestigious award given by the university to graduate students. Ben’s dissertation, “Independence Unfurled: Common Sense and the Constitution of the American Public” analyzes the political, cultural, and even scientific reasons why the American colonists decided to declare independence from Great Britain. Prior to returning to graduate school, Ben worked for SBC Communications (now AT&T), Mercari Technologies (an Arkansas-based supply chain software provider), and Wal-Mart. More recently, Ben has worked as an independent brand and message consultant in the healthcare, political, and government sectors. He worked as a Special Advisor to the Cook County Treasurer, leading the redesign of all Cook County property tax materials and also supervising the strategic partnership with JP Morgan/Chase to expand tax payment locations throughout Chicagoland. He has also served as Chief Strategy Officer of Ponder Health, a small regional chain of pharmacies in Arkansas.
In addition to his doctorate, Ben holds degrees in Communication and Architectural Studies from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and a graduate degree in Theology from Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia.
David Wei || Director of Strategy and Sustainability In his role as Director of Strategy, David is the navigational compass of Renuel, constantly monitoring company processes, economic models, and management decisions in light of core company principles. He integrates a diversity of organizational initiatives and communicates strategic objectives in understandable and actionable protocols. David possesses the rare ability to communicate both the technical and business aspects of Renuel with facility. As Director of Sustainability, David provides guidance for the entire company in the manifold areas of operating a “green”business. Under David’s leadership, Renuel’s business practices must constantly align with our objectives of profit growth, environmental stewardship, and community enhancement. David currently lives in Chicago, Illinois, where he is employed as a consultant in Accenture’s Global Energy and Resources practice group. David’s assignments at Accenture have included extensive fieldwork in database operations at BP’s Whiting (IN) Refinery and in process automation for Chevron Refining. Prior to joining Renuel, David worked at the Northwestern University Institute for Design Engineering and Application on a number of team-oriented engineering design projects including the NUberwalker, a body-weight supported treadmill training system awarded the 2006 daVinci Award by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. David earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a certificate in Engineering Design from Northwestern University.
Elton Conrady || Director of Integrated Technologies Elton is Renuel’s chief technologist, and he leads the company’s efforts to pioneer seamless correspondence between our front end, our back office, and our bottom line. He supervises the planning, installation, operation, maintenance, and upgrading of the company’s mechanical and information technologies. Elton specializes in the cross- platform system integration of our store-level computer systems, telecommunications networks, and customer data. He also directs the design of cutting-edge systems to reduce energy usage and to dramatically cut utility expenses for each store. Elton’s career has spanned diverse cultures, geographies, and organizations. For five years, he worked as a Senior Engineer at MCI in Richardson, Texas. As a member of the Global Access Technology Development group, he was responsible for researching and developing next-generation metropolitan Ethernet services (in laymen’s terms, connecting wide-ranging data networks at very fast speeds). Following his time at MCI, Elton moved to Split, Croatia, where he worked as a Campus Minister at the University of Split. While in Eastern Europe, Elton also coached a semi- professional men’s basketball team, the Dalmatia Lions, and he managed a local coffee shop, the Global Café. While in Croatia, Elton became interested in alternative fuel technologies such as propane and hydrogen fuel cells, and he served as a consultant to a Croatian renewable energy start-up. In June 2007, Elton and his family moved to North Little Rock to join the Renuel Team full-time. Elton received a BS in Physics from Hendrix College and an MS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
Kerim Zagra || Director of Supply Chain Optimization Kerim is Renuel’s in-house renewable fuels expert, keeping track of all aspects of the industry: from the technical properties of renewable fuels to current Arkansas sales data to up-to-date supply availability and distribution networks. He closely monitors academic and industry literature on the research and development of renewable fuels to augment Renuel’sstrategic ability to anticipate and respond to industry developments. As Director of Supply Chain Optimization, Kerim is responsible for maximizing the efficiency and profitability of the Renuel product supply chain. He models and tracks supply and demand trends, analyzes fuel sales data, and optimizes the fuel transportation and inventory management process. Kerim currently lives in Houston, Texas, where he works for Bechtel Corporation in its Project Management division, specializing in Oil, Gas, and Chemicals. Trained in Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences (IEMS) and Economics at Northwestern University, Kerim’sprior experience includes working at InterModulArchitectural Signage, in Istanbul, Turkey, where he gained early experience in research and statistical data analysis.
|
