This year’s Iowa Corn Indy 250 is over and as usual, ethanol won. Actually, Dan Wheldon, Target Chip Ganassi Racing won the race. You can see plenty of victory lane pictures in my photo album.
However, I was rooting for Team Ethanol. They ran as high as 3rd place but according to driver, Ryan Hunter-Reay, they lost a gamble on fuel strategy. He ran a strong race all day and really wanted to finish on the podium in front of so many fans of ethanol but it wasn’t to be. He finished 8th though and maybe he’ll get some breaks to go his way next time.
I’m out of here and heading home before getting on the road again tomorrow for the “Transition To a Bio Economy” conference in Berkeley, CA. See you from there.
Don’t forget to check out my photo album from all the activities of the past few days.
After today’s ethanol press conference the media were treated to rides out on the track in the Iowa Speedway Pace Car. I got to do one at Indy a couple years ago in a truck so this was different.
Our driver was Davey Hamilton.
Even though we only went about 95 mph, the curves were tough to deal with. As hard as I was pressing up against the door I was very glad to have my seat belt on.
We had an inside look at ethanol press conference here at Iowa Speedway this morning. Participating were (l-r), Toni Nuernberg, EPIC, Craig Floss, Iowa Corn Growers Association, Mike Sobetski, LifeLine Foods and Troy Hobbs, Monsanto. They helped answer questions journalists here had about the fuel that’s burning in these IndyCars.
You can see individual posts with each of them on our Domestic Fuel site. But if you’d like to listen in or download the audio for your own use, here’s the links:
You can listen to Toni’s comments here:
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The first practice session for the Iowa Corn Indy 250 is just about to conclude and Team Ethanol’s #17 car is doing very well. I’ve got another interview scheduled with him in about 45 minutes.
Ryan Hunter-Reay clocked a practice lap at 181.676 mph and is currently 7th fastest. The track was heating up this afternoon as we have a sunny day, something people here in Iowa are very happy to see. There’s another practice session this afternoon and they’ll be back out tomorrow.
We’re hoping to see Ryan crossing that finish line first on Sunday!
I finally got to meet the Team Ethanol driver, Ryan Hunter-Reay. Ryan was on hand at the Kum & Go pump promotion and posed here with the Highway Patrolmen who helped us with security and traffic and other drivers. He’s the tall guy on the left. Cindy and Laura have already had a chance to meet him. This is my first Indy race of the year though.
Ryan says the Iowa race is very important, especially due to the connection to the corn growers here in the state. He says he’s learned so much from working with people in the ethanol industry, especially how it’s a real part of the solution to our energy crisis.
You can listen to my interview with Ryan here:
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Pioneer Hi-Bred is sponsoring the Iowa Corn Indy 250 again this year and I spoke to Russ Sanders, Marketing Director, about how the company is involved. He’s pictured here (left) with Team Ethanol driver, Ryan Hunter-Reay and EPIC Director of Communications, Joanna Schroeder.
Russ says that the company sees a great opportunity in the biofuels arena and their participation in this race provides them with a great opportunity to get the message out about the positive benefits of a fuel like ethanol.
You can listen to my interview with Russ here:
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Consumers in Ankeny, IA were treated to a little relief at the gas pump today when the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council teamed up with Kum & Go for a pre-race ethanol promotion.
Regular (E10) was selling for $2.50/gallon and E85 was $1.85. I filled up my flex fuel van before I left.
Four of the IndyCar drivers were on hand to help out including Team Ethanol driver, Ryan Hunter-Reay, pictured here, along with Ed Carpenter who is shaking hands with a lady who asked for their autographs.
I’ll have interviews and more pictures to come. We just got finished with the promotion and are taking a break to get something to eat.
While I’m on the subject of the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council, I realized that I’ve neglected to mention their newly designed member website.
I think it’s a great example of how a “blog” can be your primary website. EPIC staff, (occasionally, Cindy and myself), easily and frequently update the website with fresh information that their members want and need to know. Members can subscribe to it and there are plenty of pages of information that are also updated easily and frequently. It’s another ZimmComm New Media blog project that we’re pretty proud of. Elizabeth Hilpipre, EPIC staff, is becoming a master blogger and loves her new iMac btw.
It looks like the flooding in Iowa has not affected things at the Iowa Speedway where I’m headed this afternoon for pre-race activities for this weekend’s Iowa Corn Indy 250.
Iowa’s flooding disaster is not directly affecting scheduled events for the IndyCar Series weekend, June 20-22, at Iowa Speedway. The facility has immediate access to I-80 and is located on elevated ground near an adjacent airport. Racing fans who plan to attend the Iowa Corn Indy 250, especially those out-of-state, are encouraged to proceed with plans to attend the event.
At today’s Annual Meeting EPIC unveiled Edgar the E Man. He’s the official mascot of EPIC and available to members for appearances at events. I got Reece Nanfito, EPIC Director of Marketing to take my picture with Edgar.
The Kansas and South Dakota Corn Growers submitted the winning names which have been combined to become his official name. EPIC held a contest with members to come up with his name. The winners will get Edgar to appear at no charge to one of their events.
To hear more about the story of Edgar, I interviewed EPIC Executive Director, Toni Neurnberg. She describes the whole purpose behind the mascot initiative:
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Team Ethanol is at it again. This time at the Kansas Speedway. The Roadrunner Turbo Indy 300 is underway and, prior to the race, Team Ethanol Driver Ryan Hunter-Reay talked about wanting to make this “home” race a top finishing race.
Team Ethanol is hoping to make a big impact on and off the track though. The Ethanol Promotion and Information Council held a press conference earlier today and addressed mainstream media’s recent attention to negative criticism about ethanol. And, while Ryan wants to set a record this race, EPIC and other leading representatives in the ethanol business want to use this race as an opportunity to set the record straight on ethanol and ethanol-blended fuel. You can find coverage of the race and of EPIC’s response to mainstream criticism at DomesticFuel.com. Click here to find audio of EPIC’s press conference.
The Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) has a new executive director. She’s Toni Nuernberg, who comes to EPIC from ACA International in Minneapolis where she worked for 29 years, the last 12 as chief operating officer of ACA International Holding Company Inc. and its for-profit subsidiaries.
Nuernberg says when she decided to make a career move she was looking for an exciting new industry with lots of potential. “Clearly the ethanol industry is that and so much more,” she says. “The thing that struck me about it was that every person that I talked with about this position from the CEOs of the member organizations to the staff was their passion and the excitement that they feel about this industry.”
You can find out about her background, her goals and ideas for moving EPIC and the ethanol industry to a new level in their latest Fill Up Feel Good podcast, a program ZimmComm produces.
You can listen to it here:
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This is shaping up to be an EPIC contest. Actually it is an EPIC contest. Our friends at the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council just started a video contest as a way to help educate consumers about America’s energy options. It’s called the “Fuel the Change” video contest. If you’re interested then you better start shooting and editing today.
Entrants can submit a :30 second video to www.fuelthechange.com. The producer of the winning video will receive a $10,000 cash prize and get the opportunity to have the commercial aired during the 2008 Indianapolis 500 on ABC.
Entries will be judged in several ways. Beginning on February 11, voters will be able to rate the videos posted to the website. In addition, a panel of judges will view the videos and select winners based on consumer votes, creativity, originality, relevance, broadcast suitability, and adherence to contest rules.
The contest runs from January 28, 2008 through April 21, 2008. Winners will be selected on May 7, 2008. The winning entry could air during the 2008 Indianapolis 500 on May 25.
In addition to the first place video prize, a “People’s Choice” award will be given, the winner receiving $5,000 and three “Sponsor’s Choice” award will be given, the winners receiving $1,250 each. Registered users of the site who vote each day are also entered into a drawing to win weekly prizes including $500 gas cards.
We keep hearing about cellulosic ethanol and how close some companies are to actually producing it. Well for KL Process Design Group that day is here. Today they made a major announcement in Sebring, FL (which we’re helping get out to farm media) in conjunction with the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council and the American LeMans Series. Pictured are (l-r) Reece Nanfito, EPIC and Tom Slunecka, KL Process Design Group.
In a technological breakthrough for both renewable fuels and racing, cellulosic ethanol will be used for the first time in motor sports this year, paving the way for the biomass fuel to be used commercially.
KL Process Design Group of South Dakota will supply the American Le Mans Series with cellulosic E85 racing ethanol for the 2008 season. The fuel, produced from waste wood, will be used for the first time during the season opener — Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 15. Corvette Racing will be the first team to use the cellulosic-based flex-fuel ethanol in competition.
You can hear a sound bite from their press conference (Tom Slunecka) here:
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KL Process Design Group announced the production of cellulosic ethanol at their first plant in a separate release today as well.
In a development that could dramatically advance the renewable fuels industry, cellulosic ethanol is now in production at the first small scale waste wood commercial facility operating in the U.S. Located just 1 mile South of Upton, Wyoming, the plant was engineered, constructed and is operated by KL Process Design Group (KL). This is the result of six years of development efforts between KL and the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.
As you know, the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council is a client of ZimmComm’s and sponsors our coverage of various industry related events throughout the year. At the Cellulosic Ethanol Summit I sat down with Executive Director, Tom Slunecka (pictured second from left with the leadership of KL Process Design Group). I’ve been waiting to do this since he announced that he’s heading on to a new opportunity with KL Process Design Group. Tom will basically be helping KL move into the cellulosic ethanol business. They happen to currently have the only working cellulosic plant in the country!
Tom is the man who has been the voice of EPIC since the beginning a couple of years ago when he, along with founding members, ICM, POET and Fagen had the vision to start a promotional organization to brand their product and educate consumers in a big way. I remember when Tom walked into the media room at the Commodity Classic with some invitations to attend a press conference in Washington, DC with an IRL car on display. I think I was the only one to take him up on that offer at the time and we’ve been working with EPIC ever since.
I’d say we’ll miss Tom (I’m sure his staff will) but I know we’ll still be working with him as he ventures into the cellulosic side of the industry. So I guess you can view this as my exit interview with Tom from EPIC to a new chapter in his career. In my interview with Tom you’ll hear him say that EPIC is on very firm footing from a membership and financial standpoint and that there’s a full staff in place to move it forward aggressively in the coming year. I agree and I’m sure you’ll have plenty of opportunity to keep up with EPIC right here as we continue our support for the organization and the industry. We’re excited to find out who will replace Tom once the board completes their Executive Director search.
You can listen to my interview with Tom here:
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Consumers enjoyed discounted fuel and free fountain drinks and coffee at the Sam’s Mart in Atlanta, GA this afternoon. The Ethanol Promotion and Information Council sponsored an ethanol pump promotion where consumers could fuel up with E10 fuel for 50 cents less than the going rate.
The promotion officially kicked off the 2007 Petit Le Mans race weekend for EPIC. American Le Mans Series drivers Tom Milner and Peter Dumbreck manned the pumps, handed out autographs and divulged the benefits of ethanol fuel to consumers. E10, a blend of 10 percent ethanol and 90 percent gasoline, is “the official ethanol-enriched fuel” of the ALMS. This is the first year an endurance-based racing series has used a street legal renewable fuel.
The Sam’s Mart at New Northside Drive in Atlanta, GA pumped more than 1500 gallons of discounted E10 fuel for customers between 11:30 a.m and 1:30 p.m. Consumers were filling their tanks at a rate of $2.25 per gallon. This morning the fuel was selling for $2.75.
Racing fans also got to check out Peter’s #31 Ferrari F430GT, the official ALMS car for Petersen Motorsports/White Lighting Racing. Click here to check out the Ferrari’s deep, throaty throttle:
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In just the past year, ethanol production has increased over 50%, given several segments of the ag economy a much needed boost, and increased household income by $6 billion.
The combined Nov/Dec issue of AgriMarketing magazine will feature a special supplement about ethanol and its impact on North American agriculture and agribusiness.
Well, the 2007 IndyCar series is over and as we’ve been saying all season, “ethanol won.” I hope you had a chance to watch some of Laura’s coverage over on Domestic Fuel. She did a great job posting 31 times with most posts containing interviews. She’s also got 179 photos online in her photo album. Thanks to the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council for once again sponsoring our event coverage.
Obviously she was in victory lane after the race too. Here’s her take on the winner:
Just one word is fitting for Canadian Club Driver Dario Franchitti: Champion. Dario cinched the the 2007 Peak Antifreeze Indy 300 after Scott Dixon fell behind the Scottish driver in the last few hundred feet of the race after racing with Dario neck and neck. The win also secured Dario the 2007 IndyCar Series Title. The Andretti Green Racing teammate also won the Indy 500, the Iowa Indy 250 and the Richmond Indy Challenge, where he set both a track record and an IRL record. Rumor has it Dario will be switching to stock cars next season. A report on Yahoo.com confirms that sources say Canadian Club will replace Coors Light as the sponsor for Ganassi’s No. 40 Dodge in NASCAR and Dario will make the switch with Canadian Club. After winning the Championship Sunday, Dario consistently dodged questions about the move.
Listen to a clip of Dario’s comments at Victory Lane here:
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Listen to Dario’s comments about the race here:
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Those of you who’ve been keeping up to speed with the Indy Racing League know that the league is rounding out its 2007 season at the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, IL this weekend. I’m here at the track covering the close of a landmark year for Team Ethanol and the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council. All IndyCars have been running on 100% ethanol fuel throughout the season. It’ll be interesting to see how the league, Epic and the IndyCar drivers finish up the the first fully-powered ethanol season.
If you want to keep track of my coverage you can find it on domesticfuel.com.
Thursday EPIC held another ethanol pump promotion to educate consumers about E10 and E85 ethanol fuel blends. Team Ethanol’s new IndyCar Driver Ryan Hunter-Reay greeted consumers at Gas City in Joliet and doled out autographs and even a couple of race day tickets.
You can listen to my interview with Ryan here:
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“Marketing at Top Speed” was the lesson presented to agrimarketers at the NAMA Boot Camp Thursday in Kansas City by Ethanol Promotion and Information Council Executive Director Tom Slunecka. He educated the participants to become “ethanol evangelists” because of the important role ethanol is playing today in the entire agricultural industry.
EPIC is one of ZimmComm’s dearest clients (we love all of our clients!) so we sponsored Tom’s presentation at Boot Camp. After his talk, Tom had about a dozen mini Team Ethanol Indy Car replicas to give away so I came up with a list of questions for the participants to answer and win one of the cars. Most of the questions were pretty easy - like what kind of car can run on 10 percent ethanol? (Answer: virtually any car made after 1980) The one that stumped most everyone until somebody looked it up in the handout materials was - about how many vehicles on the road today are “flex-fuel” or capable of running on up to 85 percent ethanol? The answer is 6 million.
This year’s Iowa Corn Indy 250 is over and as usual, ethanol won. Actually, Dan Wheldon, Target Chip Ganassi Racing won the race. You can see plenty of victory lane pictures in my photo album.
After today’s ethanol press conference the media were treated to rides out on the track in the Iowa Speedway Pace Car. I got to do one at Indy a couple years ago in a truck so this was different.
We had an inside look at ethanol press conference here at Iowa Speedway this morning. Participating were (l-r), Toni Nuernberg, 
The first practice session for the Iowa Corn Indy 250 is just about to conclude and Team Ethanol’s #17 car is doing very well. I’ve got another interview scheduled with him in about 45 minutes.
I finally got to meet the Team Ethanol driver, Ryan Hunter-Reay. Ryan was on hand at the Kum & Go pump promotion and posed here with the Highway Patrolmen who helped us with security and traffic and other drivers. He’s the tall guy on the left. Cindy and Laura have already had a chance to meet him. This is my first Indy race of the year though.
Consumers in Ankeny, IA were treated to a little relief at the gas pump today when the 
While I’m on the subject of the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council, I realized that I’ve neglected to mention their 
It looks like the flooding in Iowa has not affected things at the 
At today’s Annual Meeting 
Team Ethanol is at it again. This time at the Kansas Speedway. The 
The 
This is shaping up to be an EPIC contest. Actually it is an EPIC contest. Our friends at the 
We keep hearing about cellulosic ethanol and how close some companies are to actually producing it. Well for 
KL Process Design Group announced the production of cellulosic ethanol at their first plant in a separate release today as well.
As you know, the 
Consumers enjoyed discounted fuel and free fountain drinks and coffee at the Sam’s Mart in Atlanta, GA this afternoon. The 
In a near unanimous decision, ethanol has been chosen as the 2007 AgriMarketing Product of the Year by 
Well, the 2007 IndyCar series is over and as we’ve been saying all season, “ethanol won.” I hope you had a chance to watch some of Laura’s coverage over on 
Those of you who’ve been keeping up to speed with the 
“Marketing at Top Speed” was the lesson presented to agrimarketers at the NAMA Boot Camp Thursday in Kansas City by 
Cool Interactive Ideas in new media was the topic of a NAMA Boot Camp presentation by Erin Holte, Martin Williams.
