ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - October 1, 2012 - Gevo, Inc. (NASDAQ: GEVO), a leading renewable chemicals and advanced biofuels company, is pleased to announce Executive Vice President and General Counsel Brett Lund has been named one of Colorado's 25 Most Influential Young Professionals by ColoradoBiz Magazine. Lund, 37, was recognized for his ability to lead multimillion-dollar business deals, his dedication to entrepreneurship and innovation, and his focus on community service.
"It is truly an honor to be chosen as one of the 25 Most Influential Young Professionals, alongside so many stellar peers," Lund said. "It is gratifying to know that we are making a difference through our hard work. This honor also speaks highly of Gevo's culture, which encourages innovation and team work and has offered me numerous opportunities to excel."
Among his accomplishments during his five years at Gevo, Lund was instrumental in the company's $123 million Initial Public Offering (IPO), $107 million Secondary Public Offering, and numerous private financings from investors, including Richard Branson's Virgin Green Fund, Vinod Khosla's Khosla Ventures, Burrill Life Sciences Capital Fund, Malaysian Life Sciences Capital Fund Ltd., Total Energy Ventures International, and LANXESS Corporation. He also led a multi-million dollar collaboration with the Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) in which Gevo and Coca-Cola will jointly develop and commercialize the world's first fully renewable plastic beverage bottles.
Lund has also built Gevo's patent portfolio to over 450 patents and applications, and he is leading Gevo's efforts opposed to two of the largest companies in the world (BP & DuPont) in high stakes patent litigation. Lund scored a huge victory when the court's first ruling landed decisively in his favor.
Earlier this year, Lund was named "Best Corporate Counsel" by the Denver Business Journal for his intellectual property expertise and his ability to lead high-profile, strategic deals (http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/print-edition/2012/04/20/brett-lund-combines-business-savvy.html).
"I am delighted but not the least bit surprised that Brett is being honored with yet another award. His talent and skills are impressive for a person of any age," said Dr. Patrick Gruber, Gevo's CEO. "Brett is an integral part of Gevo's success. We could not have become a leader in the renewable chemicals and advanced biofuels industries without his contributions."
Prior to joining Gevo, Lund served as Chairman of the Legal, IP, and Licensing group for Syngenta Biotechnology, Inc's Biofuels Business (NYSE:SYT) where he managed IP, research collaborations, and strategic alliances. He has also served as Associate General Counsel for the Ford Motor Company's Wingcast subsidiary (NYSE:F), and he was a corporate attorney at Cooley LLP, where he specialized in intellectual property, IPO's, venture capital financing, M&A, securities and strategic alliances.
Lund is also very active in community service. He serves as a spokesperson for Douglas County Colorado's Success Stories, available at: http://www.douglas.co.us/business/success/Gevo.html. He has also served as a mentor and board member for start-up companies as well as an advisor and judge for entrepreneurial competitions.
Lund holds an M.B.A. from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business, a J.D. from Duke University's School of Law, and a Bachelor's degree from the University of California, San Diego. He is a Certified Licensing Professional by the Licensing Executives Society and admitted to practice law in multiple states.
ColoradoBiz Magazine honored the Top 25 Most Influential Young Professionals on Thursday, September 27, 2012, at Mile High Station in Denver, Colorado.
To review the entire article as posted in the ColoradoBiz magazine, go to: http://www.cobizmag.com/articles/genxyz-colorados-25-most-influential-young-professionals?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ColoradoBiz&utm_content
About Gevo
Gevo's patent-protected, capital-light business model converts existing ethanol plants into biorefineries to make isobutanol. This versatile chemical can be directly integrated into existing chemical and fuel products to deliver environmental and economic benefits. Gevo is now producing isobutanol at its first commercial facility in Luverne, Minn., and has a marquee list of partners including Coca-Cola, Sasol, and LANXESS, among others. Gevo is committed to a sustainable biobased economy that meets society's needs for plentiful food and clean air and water. For more information, visit www.gevo.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include statements that are not purely statements of historical fact, and can sometimes be identified by our use of terms such as "intend," "expect," "plan," "estimate," "future," "strive" and similar words. These forward-looking statements are made on the basis of the current beliefs, expectations and assumptions of the management of Gevo and are subject to significant risks and uncertainty. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. All such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and the company undertakes no obligation to update or revise these statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Although the company believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements involve many risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from what may be expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements. For a further discussion of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to the business of Gevo in general, see the risk disclosures in the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Gevo for the year ended December 31, 2011, as amended, and in subsequent reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K and other filings made with the SEC by Gevo.
###
Media Contacts:
Steve Halsey
Gibbs & Soell for Gevo
T: (212) 697-2600
Chelsea DeLong
Gevo, Inc.
T: (303) 858-8358
This announcement is distributed by Thomson Reuters on behalf of Thomson Reuters clients. The owner of this announcement warrants that: (i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and other applicable laws; and (ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein. Source: Gevo, Inc. via Thomson Reuters ONE
HUG#1645442
