Corporate Leadership
Greg Thompson
Greg Thompson
He previously served as CEO of White Energy, which originally owned and operated PureField Ingredients’ manufacturing facilities in Russell, Kansas. When those assets were sold to a private equity investment firm in April 2019 and PureField Ingredients was established, Thompson was the logical choice to retain leadership responsibilities.
Thompson began his career at BASF and later assumed leadership roles with a number of successful start-up companies, including Verdesian Life Sciences, where as President and Chief Operating Officer he worked closely with private equity investment firms to grow revenues and build value.
He is a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University and has completed executive leadership courses at Harvard University, Columbia University and other leading academic institutions. He lives in North Carolina with his wife and two sons.
Gareth Jones
Gareth Jones
He is an internationally experienced CFO who has spent the past 20 years creating value for public and private equity portfolio companies in the United States, Europe and Asia. He previously served as CFO at Performance Fibers and as a controller for United Rentals and Invensys.
A graduate of Cardiff University in the United Kingdom, Jones began his career at PriceWaterhouseCoopers. He lives in North Carolina with his wife and two daughters.
Food Ingredients
Biofuels
John Keaveney
John Keaveney
John is responsible for the overall product strategy for vital wheat gluten products sold under the Heartland brand. He is focused on expanding PureField Ingredients’ current product offerings and strengthening relationships with customers that include many of the most iconic brands in the food and beverage industry.
He previously served as vice president of Ingredion Inc., a FORTUNE 500 company that manufactures specialty ingredients. He launched more than 20 new products at Ingredion, identified new strategic alliances and created new sales channels.
John received his undergraduate degree at Worcester University in Massachusetts and an MBA from Quinnipiac University in Connecticut.
Doug Funk
Doug Funk
Doug is a Kansas native who has been working at the food ingredients facility in Russell for more than 20 years. As manager, he plays an integral role in ensuring that PureField Ingredients produces safe, reliable and high-quality gluten for distribution to consumer food and pet food manufacturers.
Mike Ernst
Mike Ernst
A Kansas native, Mike has been working at the ethanol facility since it began operation. He literally helped build the plant and has managed its operations for more than a decade. Under his leadership, ethanol production has steadily increased to more than 50 million gallons a year.
Board of Directors
- Mark Zurcher, Chairman
- David Geenberg
- Ari Barzideh
- Greg Thompson
- Christoph Majeske
- Ken Schwartz