TEAM

Red Rock Biofuels is uniquely positioned with the right engineering, technologies, management, and commercial partners to deliver sustainable biofuel at an attractive cost.

We are pouring our blood, sweat and tears into our mission to revolutionize the biofuels industry and solve huge challenges for multiple sectors of the economy.

Red Rock Biofuels Team – Ground Breaking 2018

Photo courtesy of Shannon Hogue

Meet the Red Rock Team

Terry Kulesa

Co-founder and CEO

Terry Kulesa is a co-founder and CEO of Red Rock Biofuels. Terry handles business development, team management and construction and operations. His previous experience included the design, construction and operation of five ethanol plants totaling over $500 million of construction and over $500 million of annual revenues. Terry has over 20 years experience in managing biofuel operations. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Ag-Biosciences (Dairy Manufacturing) from South Dakota State University and an MBA from the University of Minnesota.

Jeff Manternach

Co-founder and CFO

Jeff Manternach is a co-founder and CFO of Red Rock Biofuels. Jeff handles business development, financial modeling, industry valuations and project development services. Prior to Red Rock Biofuels, Jeff lead debt capital raises of $400+ million, including a $325 million project finance deal. Jeff received his MBA and an MS in Natural Resources from the University of Michigan and his BA in Economics and Physical Anthropology from Haverford College.

Joe Winkler

Director of Operations/Senior Project Manager

Joe Winckler is Director of Operations/Senior Project Manager of Red Rock Biofuels. Joe leads onsite construction management, plant evaluation, plant repair and plant operations. He was previously responsible for development, construction and operations of five ethanol production plants totaling $500+ million of construction cost and $500+ million of annual revenues. Joe has over 25 years experience managing biofuels operations and is a graduate of the Graduate US Army Non-Commissioned Officers Academy (Korea) and the Graduate Process Safety Management School (Louisville, KY).

Jim Moore

Director of Engineering/Senior Project Manager

Jim Moore is Director of Engineering/Senior Project Manager of Red Rock Biofuels. Jim’s professional career spans over 30 years of construction, engineering & operations management with an emphasis on design/build projects for the process and manufacturing industries. He possesses a demonstrated record of success in managing the P&L for projects and multi-plant programs of over US$500M in capital value and teams up to 110 design engineering and 500 construction personnel for in house and client account design build projects in multiple industries. Jim also has extensive experience in renewable energy technology, and served as Senior Project Executive for a major US ethanol technology provider as well as Director of Engineering and Construction where he managed design/build efforts on four greenfield ethanol plants. Jim has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University.

Larry Slaughter

Director of Construction

Larry Slaughter is Director of Construction for Red Rock Biofuels. Larry leads the on-site Construction Management Team. Larry has 40 plus years of experience with the engineering, procurement and construction of new plants and upgrades to industrial facilities from 100 mil to 1 bil. TIC. Specific industries range from Biofuels, Oil & Gas, Nuclear, and Large Scale Industrial and Commercial insured losses. Larry has CM certifications from multiple Universities, with a special emphasis on large modularized projects.

Mary Dinh

Project Manager

Mary Dinh is Project Manager at Red Rock Biofuels. Mary’s work experience encompasses both engineering and project management. Prior to Red Rock Biofuels, Mary was a Development Engineer at UC Santa Barbara’s Mechanical Engineering Dept., where she was responsible for the design, development, and management of undergraduate lab courses and advising student design projects. While at UCSB, she founded the student chapter of Engineers Without Borders-USA and led teams of students and professionals in design and implementation of appropriate technologies in rural Peru for 8 years, including clean water systems and clean cookstoves. Mary has a BS. and MS. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University and UC Berkeley, respectively, and an MBA from Colorado State University's Global Social & Sustainable Enterprise (GSSE) program.

Sue Primsky

Controller

Sue Primsky is Red Rock Biofuels’ Controller. Sue has worked in various financial and accounting capacities in both headquarters and plant operations. She was a Financial Analyst for the CFO at the Diocese of Bridgeport (CT) responsible for managing the accounting and allocation of self-insurance programs. Prior to joining the Diocese, Sue was the Sr. Accountant for the Corporate Controller of Roller Bearing Company of America (RBC). Sue started her career in Accounting and Finance with the IBM Corporation where she spent 11 years in multiple locations and divisions. Sue has an MBA in Financial Management from Pace University, New York and a BS in Accounting and Economics from the State University of New York.

Kelsey Hodges

Human Resources Manager

Kelsey Hodges is the Human Resources Manager for Red Rock Biofuels. She has over 8 years of Human Resources experience, with 5 years spent in the construction and industrial power industries. She has previously worked as the Assistant Human Resources Director for an IT company. She holds her PHR (Professional in Human Resources) certification and has her BS in Psychology from Colorado State University.

Mark Edstrom

Director of Accounting

Mark Edstrom is the Director of Accounting for Red Rock Biofuels and leads the accounting and reporting functions. Mark has over 30 years of leadership experience at various public companies in the electric generation, ethanol, financial services and manufacturing industries. During this time, Mark established and led the finance function for a US$400M cogeneration construction project in Europe and led the corporate accounting function for a global manufacturer. He began his career at KPMG LLP and has extensive experience leading the SEC reporting processes for public companies. Mark has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of North Dakota. He is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Canadian Chartered Accountant.

Lillie French

Associate

Lillie French started as an Associate at Red Rock Biofuels in May 2020. Lillie recently graduated Magna Cum Laude from Boise State University with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies that includes environmental studies, applied mathematics, and sustainability. She completed her four years of college while playing D1 soccer. Lillie played her first two years at the University of Hawaii in Manoa. She finished her last two years at Boise State where she won two Mountain West Conference titles and the Mountain West Conference Tournament in 2019 leading them to a first round game in the NCAA tournament.

Pedro Palting

Corporate Operations Manager, IR1 Group

Pedro Palting is the Corporate Operations Manager for IR1 Group. Pedro is responsible for hiring, start-up and ongoing plant operations for the Lakeview, OR site. He previously worked in petroleum refining and the energy sector for 10 years. Pedro has experience in various petroleum engineering roles, refinery economist and operations management. He has previously served as a helicopter hydraulics mechanic in the United States Marine Corps and has a Chemical Engineering degree from UC Berkeley.

Matt Brawley

Senior Financial Analyst

Matt Brawley is Red Rock Biofuels’ Senior Financial Analyst. Matt started his career at Papa Murphy’s as a Financial Analyst and was promoted throughout his tenure to Senior Financial Analyst, Budgeting and Finance Systems Manager, and Senior Manager of FP&A. At Papa Murphy’s, Matt was responsible for budgeting and forecasting, management reporting, financial modeling, and business partnering. Matt was heavily involved in the S-1 process for Papa Murphy’s becoming a public company in 2014 and he was responsible for the MD&A sections of the 10-Q each quarter and the 10-Q each year, as well as the Board presentations. Matt has an MBA and a BS in Business Administration (Concentration in Finance) from the University of Oregon. Matt is also a Certified Management Accountant (CMA).

Joaquin Morales

Plant Manager

Joaquin Morales is the Plant Manager for Red Rock Biofuels in Lakeview, OR. He leads the operational departments of the plant which include EH&S, Laboratory, Logistics, Operations and Maintenance. With 20 years of experience playing different roles in Operations and Supply Chain, Joaquin has previously worked in (4) greenfield plant startups for different industries such as Manufacturing, Automotive and Renewable Energies. Joaquin has a Mechanical Engineering degree from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM) located in Monterrey, Mexico.

Kaylie Thrash

Lab Manager

Kaylie Thrash is the Lab Manager for Red Rock Biofuels in Lakeview, OR. She is responsible for ensuring all outgoing fuel is to regulatory and customer specification and that quality standards throughout the plant are maintained. Previously, Kaylie worked in Quality at a food manufacturing facility in Lincoln, NE. She has her BS in Microbiology from the University of Wyoming.

Dominic Bertholdi

Environmental, Health and Safety Manager

Dominic Bertholdi is the Environmental, Health and Safety Manager in Lakeview, OR. He previously worked in the oil, gas, power and chemical industry for the past 20 years. Dominic’s experience comes in the environmental, health and safety field supporting capital construction, turnaround outages and daily maintenance for many clients around the US.