Global Ethanol Summit – Washington DC

A few months ago, I had the honor of photographing the Global Ethanol Summit at the Captial Hilton in Washington, DC.

The Summit was an invitation-only meeting for Minister level officials and senior level industry leaders, ethanol producers, and refiners across global ethanol markets. It was an engaging event with, with approximately 350 attendees, about the benefits of creating or expanding ethanol policies with a role for trade. Expanding on previous regiounal events, this year’s Summit builds on current momentum of increased global ethanol trade.

Orchestrated by the US Grains Council (USGC), the event was held over the course of two days, and packed with informative general sessions, leading keynote speakers, networking opportunities, and dedicated trade time. The Global Ethanol Summit was a great opportunity for attendees to hear from thought-leaders on the future of global ethanol use and to build partnerships with industry professionals.

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USGC 17th Internationall Marketing Conference – Day 3

Last week I had the pleasure of Photographing the US Grains Council’s 17th International Marketing Conference at the Hilton Downtown Tampa, Florida. It also happened to be the Council’s 60th Annual Membership Meeting, which made it extra special!

In keeping with Chairman Darren Armstrong’s theme of “Make Something Happen”, members had opportunities to visit directly with the Council’s staff from around the globe, build relationships with them, and deepen their understanding of the critical efforts they undertake for the US grains industry. In addition, Advisory Teams held in-depth meetings, offering the chance to provide recommendations to develop markets, enable trade and improve lives. Plus of course there was an incredible lineup of fantastic speakers, experts, and panels during the general session.

After three long but fulfilling days together, everyone left the meeting with a renewed dedication to the work at hand of promoting coarse grains and ethanol exports for US farmers. And I left with a sense of accomplishment at having faced the many challenges of dark conference rooms and grueling 12-hour days loaded down with camera gear, to come away with a collection of images that truly captured the spirit of the event!

Here are a few favorites from Day 3…

USGC 17th Internationall Marketing Conference – Day 2

Last week I had the pleasure of Photographing the US Grains Council’s 17th International Marketing Conference at the Hilton Downtown Tampa, Florida. It also happened to be the Council’s 60th Annual Membership Meeting, which made it extra special!

In keeping with Chairman Darren Armstrong’s theme of “Make Something Happen”, members had opportunities to visit directly with the Council’s staff from around the globe, build relationships with them, and deepen their understanding of the critical efforts they undertake for the US grains industry. In addition, Advisory Teams held in-depth meetings, offering the chance to provide recommendations to develop markets, enable trade and improve lives. Plus of course there was an incredible lineup of fantastic speakers, experts, and panels during the general session.

After three long but fulfilling days together, everyone left the meeting with a renewed dedication to the work at hand of promoting coarse grains and ethanol exports for US farmers. And I left with a sense of accomplishment at having faced the many challenges of dark conference rooms and grueling 12-hour days loaded down with camera gear, to come away with a collection of images that truly captured the spirit of the event!

Here are a few favorites from Day 2…

USGC 17th Internationall Marketing Conference – Day 1

Last week I had the pleasure of Photographing the US Grains Council’s 17th International Marketing Conference at the Hilton Downtown Tampa, Florida. It also happened to be the Council’s 60th Annual Membership Meeting, which made it extra special!

In keeping with Chairman Darren Armstrong’s theme of “Make Something Happen”, members had opportunities to visit directly with the Council’s staff from around the globe, build relationships with them, and deepen their understanding of the critical efforts they undertake for the US grains industry. In addition, Advisory Teams held in-depth meetings, offering the chance to provide recommendations to develop markets, enable trade and improve lives. Plus of course there was an incredible lineup of fantastic speakers, experts, and panels during the general session.

After three long but fulfilling days together, everyone left the meeting with a renewed dedication to the work at hand of promoting coarse grains and ethanol exports for US farmers. And I left with a sense of accomplishment at having faced the many challenges of dark conference rooms and grueling 12-hour days loaded down with camera gear, to come away with a collection of images that truly captured the spirit of the event!

Here are a few favorites from Day 1…

USGC Board of Delegates Meeting – Day 3

Day 3 of the 2019 US Grains Council Board of Delegates Meeting was full of excitement and anticipation for the year ahead!

The morning started off with the Board of Delegates Meeting, which included excellent presentations from the various team leaders, voting in new officers, and of course the changing of the guard as Darren Armstrong from North Carolina accepted the reigns from Jim Stitzlein as the new Chairman of the Board. Afterwards I had the pleasure of photographing the new Board of Directors, as well as new headshots for everyone. That afternoon we had an excellent tour of the facilities and operations of Consolidated Grain and Barge Co. Once we were back at the Hyatt Regency, I had just enough time to run down to Smale Riverfront Park and get some aerial drone photos of the Ohio River, the historic John A Roebling bridge, the Great American Ballpark, and the Cincinnati skyline.

Another successful US Grains Council conference is in the books! As usual, I had so much fun working with their amazing staff, and capturing all the exciting moments of this annual event!!!

USGC Board of Delegates Meeting – Day 2

Day 2 of the 2019 US Grains Council Board of Delegates Meeting was absolutely fabulous!

We kicked off with working breakfasts as each Sector met for meetings and discussions. The various sectors of the organization include Agribusiness, Barley, Corn, General Farm, and Sorghum. Next we had some exceptional presentations by keynote speakers Scott Sindelar, Kurt Shultz, Mike Dwyer, and Brian Healy during the General Session. During lunch we saw several distinguished Awards of Service presented, including one for 50 years of service! We also managed to wrangle a group photo with no fewer than 13 past chairmen…a record number! We had two breakout sessions after lunch, led by Bill Bryant and Andrea Durkin, respectively. And for the big off-site dinner event, we took in a Cincinnati Reds baseball game! The restaurant overlooking 3rd bass had been reserved exclussively for our group to mingle, network, and of course enjoy the game.

It was a long but super fun day of shooting!!!

USGC Board of Delegates Meeting – Day 1

Day 1 of the 2019 US Grains Council Board of Delegates Meeting was a huge success!

The day started off with a welcome from the new president and CEO, Ryan LeGrand…continued with keynote presentations from Ron Dulin and Ken Smithmier…then broke out into special Advisory Team meetings…and finally wrapped up with a fabulous Welcome Reception.

Taking place at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Cincinnati, this annual conference is off to a great start! I am truly honored to be photographing it again!!!

Export Exchange 2018

Earlier this week, nearly 200 international buyers and end-users descended upon Minneapolis, Minnesota for the Export Exchange. Over the 3 day conference, attendees were able to meet and build relationships with more than 300 domestic suppliers, while also benefiting from educational sessions and networking opportunities.

The event was co-sponsored by the US Grains Council, the Renewable Fuels Association, and Growth Energy. Notable keynote speakers included:
– Roger Watchorn of Cargill Agriculture Supply Chain North America (CASCNA)
– Dr. Robert Johansson, Chief Economist at the Department of Agriculture (USDA)
– Florentino Lopez, executive director of the United Sorghum Checkoff Program
– Mark Slupek from the Office of Trade Programs (OTP) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
– Dr. Kurt Rosentrater, executive director of the Distillers Grains Technology Council
– Dr. Daniel Whitley from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)
– Daniel R. Pearson, principal of Pearson International Trade Services, LLC

It was an honor to be invited back as the official photographer of this amazing conference for the second time in a row!

US Grains Council at the Denver Zoo

Last week I had the pleasure of photographing the 58th Annual Board of Delegates Meeting for the US Grains Council in Denver. To celebrate a successful and productive meeting, we had a wonderful and entertaining gala at the Denver Zoo!!!

New Orleans Aerials

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of photographing an EXCITING assignment in New Orleans! For security reasons, I can’t share those photos. But I did manage to get a few fantastic aerial views of the city during some down time.

The Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France, also called St. Louis Cathedral, is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans and is the oldest cathedral in what would become the United States. The first church on the site was built in 1718; the third, built in 1789, was raised to cathedral rank in 1793. The cathedral was expanded and largely rebuilt in 1850, with little of the 1789 structure remaining.

The second is a view of the Mississippi River and downtown New Orleans over Woldenberg Park. Woldenberg Park was created in the late 1980s/early 1990s on land that had been occupied by old wharves and warehouses along the Mississippi Riverfront, in the upper French Quarter. It is named after philanthropist Malcolm Woldenberg (1896–1982) who helped fund the building of it.

Both images captured with a DJI Mavic Pro.

US Grains Council 58th Annual Membership Meeting

Developing Markets. Enabling Trade. Improving Lives. These are the core values of the U.S. Grains Council.

The council’s 15th International Marketing Conference and 58th Annual Membership Meeting took place at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Houston, TX.  Chairman Deb Keller, writes:
“We believe this gathering will be an excellent opportunity for you to engage directly on the most critical issues facing our Friends and Frontiers. Our A-Teams will hold their yearly in-depth sessions to help set our global strategy, and you will have the opportunity to meet directly with the Council’s international directors. The sun never sets on the efforts of these advocates to develop critical markets, dismantle trade barriers and serve our customers overseas. We hope all of our members will interact with these invaluable experts on short-term marketing opportunities and long-term demand growth for U.S. feed grains and co-products like ethanol and DDGS.”

As an international destination event photographer, it’s my pleasure to capture and document amazing conferences and meetings around the globe. The US Grains Council is one of my absolute favorites to photograph each year! With an incredibly dedicated staff, an enthusiastic membership group, and a healthy message for the world…it’s always a joy to work with this great team.

US Grains Council at The Stampede

Developing Markets. Enabling Trade. Improving Lives. These are the core values of the U.S. Grains Council.

The Washington D.C. based organization develops export markets for U.S. barley, corn, sorghum and related products including distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and ethanol. With full-time presence in 13 key markets and representatives in an additional 15 locations, the Council operates programs in more than 50 countries and the European Union. The Council believes exports are vital to global economic development and to U.S. agriculture’s profitability.

Last month, I had the honor of photographing the USGC’s 58th Annual Membership Meeting in Houston, TX. After three days of hard work, keynote speakers, tough debates, and intense meetings, everyone got together for a fun event at The Stampede. The Stampede is a cavernous roadhouse event space featuring country & western concerts, a massive dance floor, pool tables, armadillo racing, and even a mechanical bull ring for the brave-of-heart!

Everyone had a great time, a well-deserved reward after an intense few days!