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Indiana company honored for innovation

Because of its innovation in the bioenergy industry, Ignite Racing Fuel has been honored with the 2011 Paul Dana Excellence in Bioenergy Leadership Award.  Indiana State Director of Agriculture Joe Kelsay presented the award during the Greater Indiana Clean Cities Awards Ceremony, Monday.  Ignite Racing Fuel’s Vice President Jay Berry says without Paul Dana’s hard work getting ethanol into the Indy Racing League their company (Ignite Racing Fuel) wouldn’t be here.  “And that,” Berry says, “means a lot.”

“It’s been a tough fight for us,” he says.  “A few years ago we went into several racing conventions and no one would talk to us – ethanol was kind of the red-headed step child for fuels.” But, Berry says they’ve been able to get ethanol in enough people’s hands that they can see its performance.  For that, he says they are thankful. 

Berry tells Brownfield this award provides an additional avenue to help spread the word about ethanol and the future it has in store.  Things have changed a lot for the industry.  When ethanol first started, corn would come in and you would just have the ethanol and the distillers grains.  Now, Berry says, “you have corn oil, CO2 and even other different byproducts that plants are working on and we can’t even discuss yet.  Watching the industry grow and become more efficient is really exciting.”

AUDIO: Jay Berry, Ignite Racing Fuel (3:22mp3)

Ignite Racing Fuels is located in Carmel, Indiana.

The Paul Dana Award recognizes those who have exemplified leadership and innovation in the bioenergy industry.  Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels and Lt. Governor Becky Skillman created  the award to honor the memory of Indy Racing League driver Paul Dana, a strong supporter of Indiana’s growing biofuels industry who was killed in a 2006 racing accident.

AUDIO: Greg Dana, Paul Dana’s brother (1:03mp3)