RFA Ethanol Podcast

THE Big Event at the RNC

Cindy Zimmerman

AgStarThere is no question that AgNite is THE “go-to” event in the Twin Cities this second evening of the Republican National Convention. Organizers were expecting 3-4,000 and that expectation has been surpassed. As someone said, “What if you threw a party and everyone showed up?” It sure seems like that has happened here.

One of the people responsible for making this event possible is Paul DeBriyn, President and CEO of AgStar Financial Services, one of AgNite’s major sponsors. Paul was chairman of the Minnesota Agri-Growth Council when the idea for AgNite was born. “The last convention we had here was 1892,” Paul said. “So this is a very unique event for us and it was a very quick decision for AgStar to make the decision to help sponsor this celebration of Minnesota’s food, fiber and biofuels industry.”

Paul DeBriynThe event is being held in the historic downtown Minneapolis Depot, which is packed with people. “My biggest fear was that there wouldn’t be anybody here,” Paul said. “That didn’t happen.”

He is shown here being interviewed by Don Wick of Red River Farm Network. You can listen to my interview with Paul here: agnite-08-debriyn.mp3

Be sure to check out the AgNite Photo Album to get a real idea of just how many people are here at this event. It’s amazing!

AgWired coverage of AgNite is sponsored by: and

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