Biomass ’09: Developing a biomass feedstock business

Biomass Magazine | July 2009
By Lisa Gibson
Posted July 15, 2009, at 12:21 p.m. CST

A biomass feedstock supply business faces all the same issues and hurdles as any other firm. The venture, however, must develop relationships, metrics and approaches to delivering a product that has unique characteristics and challenges, rapidly expanding demand and an increasing amount of scrutiny and skepticism from many stakeholder groups.

Timothy Baye, a professor of business development at the University of Wisconsin in Madison and a bioenergy and bio-economy specialist, discussed the steps, hurdles and challenges of developing a biomass feedstock supply business at EERC’s Biomass ’09: Power, Fuels and Chemicals Workshop in Grand Forks, N.D. Like other businesses, feedstock suppliers will have competition and credit-worthy customers and will deal with regulations and technology, have adequate financial, technical and human resources, and develop a business model that enables long-term, sustainable profitability.

Read the full story