Grainnet

Boulder, CO--Martha Schlicher, director of the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center, will join Renewable Agricultural Energy, Inc. (RAE) effective July 1, 2006.

In her new capacity for RAE, Schlicher will be responsible for overall operations and engineering of all RAE production facilities worldwide and will establish operational headquarters in St. Louis.

Schlicher will assume the role of vice president of engineering and operations for the privately-held company that plans to develop three ethanol plants in the U.S. by 2008 with two additional plants by 2010.

The company's first plant will be in Gothenburg, Nebraska. "Martha Schlicher is one of the most respected experts in the field of biofuels," said Mark Wong, RAE president and CEO.

"As director of the NCERC, she knows and understands the emerging biofuels market and the significant impact renewable fuel production has on rural America, the environment and U.S. energy security." From 1988 to 2002, Schlicher held a number of senior management positions spanning research to sales and marketing at Monsanto Company in St. Louis, including directing the $1 billion Midwest sales region, leading overall agricultural company strategy and new technologies, overseeing global transgenic and chemical registration and regulatory sciences, and leading merger activities for the agricultural company.

She holds a bachelor of science degree from Indiana University, a doctorate in organic chemistry from the University of Illinois and an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Northwestern University. RAE is a privately-held company with an initial focus on the development of community-integrated fuel ethanol production facilities with full capability for biorefinery development.

RAE's principals come from the agricultural biotechnology seed industry with worldwide operating experience.

The company's initial plans are to build multiple plants capable of producing 500 million gallons of fuel ethanol annually.

These plants will incorporate current state-of-the-art technologies for fuel ethanol and animal feed production. The central and eastern corn belt of the U.S. are of high interest to RAE as locations for future ethanol plants. For more information, call Vonnie Estes, Vice President of Business Development, 858-342-3967.

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