Renewable Energy Group is a

biodiesel Biodiesel is a form of diesel fuel derived from plants or animals and consisting of long-chain fatty acid esters. It is typically made by chemically reacting lipids such as animal fat ( tallow), soybean oil, or some other vegetable oil ...

production company headquartered in Ames, Iowa. The company operates 12 biorefineries and a feedstock processing facility. , the company is a

Fortune 1000 The Fortune 1000 are the 1,000 largest American companies ranked by revenues, as compiled by the American business magazine ''Fortune''. It only includes companies which are incorporated or authorized to do business in the United States, and for ...

corporation.

History

Renewable Energy Group began in 1996 as the biodiesel division of West Central Cooperative with the construction of a plant in

Ralston, Iowa Ralston is a city in Carroll and Greene counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 81 at the time of the 2020 census. History Ralston was incorporated in 1900. It was named for William Chapman Ralston, a California banker. Geography ...

. In 2006, the company separated from West Central and moved its headquarters to Ames. In 2013, the company acquired

Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

-based biofuels company Syntroleum Corporation amid that company's struggles for profitability. In 2015 it acquired the assets of Grays Harbor, Washington-based biodiesel company

Imperium Renewables Imperium Renewables, Inc. was a renewable energy company based in Seattle, Washington. It is the parent company for Seattle Biodiesel and Imperium Hawaii in Oahu. The company was founded in 2004 by John Plaza. The company experienced financial hard ...

. On February 28, 2022, the company announced they would be acquired by the California-based oil company Chevron Corporation. On June 13, the acquisition was completed.

Leadership

Upon separation from West Central, the initial CEO of the company was Jeff Stroburg, succeeded in 2011 by Daniel Oh. After Oh's abrupt and unexpected resignation in 2017, Reginald Howard became interim CEO, and was replaced in 2018 by Cynthia Warner.

Plant explosions

In June 2001, the predecessor company's InterWest facility in Ralston exploded, leaving one man in critical condition. The company's biofuels production facility in

Geismar, Louisiana Geismar is an unincorporated community in Ascension Parish, Louisiana, United States and is at the heart of Louisiana's chemical corridor. The community is part of the Baton Rouge metropolitan statistical area. Geismar is south of Prairieville ...

suffered from explosions in April and September 2015. As a result of this explosion, Renewable Energy Group was cited with three "willful" safety violations and was fined $70,000 by

OSHA OSHA or Osha may refer to: Work * Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a federal agency of the United States that regulates workplace safety and health * Occupational Safety and Health Act (United States) of 1970, a federal law in the Un ...

References

External links

* {{Authority control, state=expanded Companies based in Ames, Iowa Companies formerly listed on the Nasdaq Renewable resource companies established in 2006 American companies established in 2006 2006 establishments in Iowa Renewable energy companies of the United States Biodiesel producers Chevron Corporation 2022 mergers and acquisitions American corporate subsidiaries