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Arnold R. Klann - Chairman / President
/ CEO
Thirty years of experience in corporate management,
project finance, engineering, design, construction,
start-up, environmental permitting, and real
estate acquisition. Mr. Klann is the Chief
Executive Officer for BlueFire Ethanol and
Arkenol. As cofounder of both companies, he
has been responsible for the successful development
or acquisition of over 610 megawatts of natural
gas-fired cogeneration facilities, and been
the driving force behind the research and
development effort leading to the commercialization
of the Arkenol technology. Prior to founding
ARK Energy, he successfully launched three
businesses and managed complex teams for project
development and operation. Areas of technical
expertise include cogeneration development
using natural gas-fired and solid fuels technologies,
ocean thermal energy conversion, and offshore
oil exploration design and operations.
As Vice President of Engineering and Product
Development for GWF Power Systems Company,
led technical commercialization, development
and permitting activities for eight petroleum
coke and coal-fired power plants. Specializes
in frontier technology development. A.A. (electrical
engineering) 1972, Lakeland College.
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John E. Cuzens - Chief Technology
Officer / Senior VP
Mr. Cuzens is the Chief Technology Officer for
BlueFire Ethanol and Arkenol, Inc. He has been
with ARK Energy and Arkenol for six years and
is the co-inventor on seven of Arkenol's eight
U.S. foundation patents for the conversion of
cellulosic materials into fermentable sugar
products using a modified strong acid hydrolysis
process. His career resume records the successful
completion of tens of projects valued cumulatively
at more than a billion dollars. He has more
than twenty years of project management experience
punctuated frequently with engineering or R&D
management assignments. Mr. Cuzens has served
a Director of Projects for Wahlco Inc. and Manager
of Engineering and Project Management for Applied
Utility Systems, both engineering and fabrication
companies producing environmental mitigation
systems. He also served as Director of engineering
and manufacturing for Hydrogen Burner Technology,
a leader in partial oxidation production of
hydrogen for process and fuel cell technologies.
He was the lead Project Manager for Ultrasystems
Engineers and Constructors in the process and
biochemical division leading multimillion dollar
R&D pilot plant construction projects for
Fischer Tropsch and landfill gas benefaction
facilities as well as project liaison for ethanol
from grain and cheese whey facilities. His experience
spans the power production, petrochemical, biotech
and fuel cell industries. Mr. Cuzens has a B.S.
Chemical Engineering degree from the University
of California at Berkeley. He is further a State
of California, Registered Professional Mechanical
Engineer, 1980, License No. 20891 and State
of California, Contractors "A" License
Responsible Managing Employee for ARK Energy,
Inc. No.A700016. |
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Christopher D. Scott - Chief Financial
Officer
Mr. Scott joined the BlueFire team as Chief
Financial Officer on March 16, 2007. He is a
seasoned executive with 10 years of financial
and operational experience. Mr. Scott was most
recently the CFO/CCO and FinOp of Westcap Securities,
Inc, an NASD Member Broker/Dealer and Investment
Bank headquartered in Irvine, CA. Mr. Scott
brings to BlueFire over a decade of Financial
Market Industry experience in auditing, corporate
governance, private and public capital formation
and structure, and Securities Law Compliance.
Mr. Scott currently holds the Series 7, 63,
24, 4, 27, 55, and Series 53 NASD licenses.
Prior to Westcap Securities Mr. Scott was a
General Securities and Registered Options Principal
at First Allied Securities Inc from 1997 to
2002. Mr. Scott earned his Bachelors Degree
in Business Administration, with a concentration
in Finance, from CSU, Fullerton. |
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Necy Sumait - Senior VP / Director
Ms. Sumait is Senior Vice President for BlueFire
Ethanol and for Arkenol, Inc. She has extensive
background in the development of energy projects
from inception through financial closing, commissioning,
and operations. She has broad experience in
siting, regulatory compliance, governmental
and community relations and legislative affairs.
Ms. Sumait has played major roles in the successful
development of several solar and natural gas
power plant projects and has been an active
participant in the state and national efforts
to encourage the commercialization of biomass
to renewable fuels technologies. Ms. Sumait
obtained all of the federal, state and local
permits required for the only cellulose to ethanol
plant to have been permitted in California.
Prior to joining the ARK/Arkenol group, she
was Vice President of Project Development for
LUZ Development and Finance Corporation. While
at LUZ, Ms. Sumait led the efforts for the successful
permitting of nine solar thermal projects totaling
over 500 MW through the California Energy Commission.
Ms. Sumait has a MBA in Technological Management
from Illinois Institute of Technology and a
B.S. in Biology from De Paul University. She
currently serves on the Executive Board for
the California Biomass Collaborative. |
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Chris Nichols - Director
Chris Nichols is the Chairman and President/CEO
of Advanced Growing Systems, Inc. He brings
substantial experience in business growth and
marketing. He previously headed Westcap Securities
Private Client Group as the Senior Vice President
in charge of sales and marketing. He brings
10 plus years of strategic investment/public
market experience beginning at Dean Witter Reynolds
in 1994. He has a broad range of knowledge from
sophisticated derivative trading to offering
Separate Account services to High Net Worth
Individuals. He holds all applicable licenses
including a Series 24 and Series 7. Mr. Nichols
is a graduate of California State University
in Fullerton with a B.A. degree in Marketing. |
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William Davis - Project Management
Mr. Davis is Vice President of Project Management
for BlueFire Ethanol, Inc. Over his 30 years
of experience, he has served as advisor to the
Governor of California for energy conservation
and renewable energy policy; additionally he
has worked for several fortune 500 hundred companies
managing their energy development activities.
While at the Office of Planning and Research,
he spearheaded the concept of cogeneration at
California State facilities. While there he
pioneered the concept of the Standard Offer
contract, which stimulated the IPP industry
in California. Mr. Davis has been a senior executive
of development for companies including Texas
Utilities, Enserch Energy, Oxbow Power, Pacific
Power and Light, and Diamond Generating (a Mitsubishi
subsidiary). Mr. Davis has been responsible
for the successful development of over 2,000
megawatts of generation throughout the world.
He has been responsible for development activities
that span the power arena from solar energy
to fossil fuel. Mr. Davis is a graduate of the
California State University at San Luis Obispo
with a Bachelor and Masters in Architecture.
He is a registered Architect in three states. |
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Victor Doolan - Director
Mr. Doolan, 66, served for approximately three
years as president of Volvo Cars North America
until his retirement in March 2005. Prior to
joining Volvo, Mr. Doolan served as the Executive
Director of the Premier Automotive Group, the
luxury division of Ford Motor Company from July
1999 to June 2002. Mr. Doolan also enjoyed a
23-year career with BMW, culminating with his
service as President of BMW of North America
from September 1993 to July 1999. Mr. Doolan
has worked in the automotive industry for approximately
36 years. Mr. Doolan currently serves as a director
for Sonic Automotive. Mr. Doolan's term as a
director of Sonic will expire at the 2008 annual
stockholders meeting. |
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Joseph Emas - Director
Joseph I. Emas, 52, is licensed to practice
law in Florida, New Jersey and New York. Since
2001, Mr. Emas has been the senior partner of
Joseph I. Emas, P.A. Mr. Emas specializes in
securities regulation, corporate finance, mergers
and acquisitions and corporate law. Mr. Emas
received his Honors BA at University of Toronto,
Bachelor of Administrative Studies, with distinction,
at York University in Toronto, his JD, cum laude
from Nova Southeastern Shepard Broad Law School
and his LL.M. in Securities Regulation at Georgetown
University Law Center. Mr. Emas was an Adjunct
Professor of Law at Nova Southeastern Shepard
Broad Law School. Mr. Emas received the William
Smith Award, Pro Bono Advocate for Children
in 2000 and the 2006 Child Advocacy Award in
Florida and is the author of “Update of
Juvenile Jurisdiction Florida Practice in Juvenile
Law.” Mr. Emas was been a member of the
Juvenile Court Rules Committee for the State
of Florida from 1999 through 2006, and currently
sits on the Florida Child Advocacy Committee.
Mr. Emas is a director of several public companies
which trade on both the OTC.BB and Amex. |
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