Our People
At Pacific BioEnergy, it's our people who make us stand out. Leaders in the industry, our manufacturing team has the technical expertise to produce the highest quality wood pellet fuel, and our logistics group brings excellence in handling, storage, and transportation, to ensure our customers get the product they need, when they need it. We also benefit from the clear vision of our senior management team, who effectively leverage their depth of experience in forestry, manufacturing, logistics, and the wood pellet industry, to guide our company, while drawing on the wide business expertise of our board of directors and advisors. Our management, directors and advisors are significantly invested in the business.
Senior Management Team
Donald Steele, Chairman and CEO, has been actively involved in directing and managing Pacific BioEnergy since 2002. With over 30 years of entrepreneurial investment and business building, he brings a broad range of skills and experience to the organization. Don holds a BSc (Biochemistry) from the University of British Columbia, an MBA (Honours) from the University of Western Ontario and a BFA (Visual Arts) from Emily Carr University.
Wayne Young, President, became involved with Pacific BioEnergy in 2004 through Mercantile Bancorp Limited and took on the position of President in 2006. Wayne brings more than 20 years of senior management experience gained from finance, sales and general management roles in consumer goods and merchant investing organizations, including Pepsi-Cola Canada and Mercantile Bancorp Limited. He holds BA and MAcc degrees from the University of Waterloo and is a Chartered Accountant.
Brad Bennett, Vice President Operations, joined Pacific BioEnergy in 2009. He has over 20 years of experience in the forest industry and, until 2008, was General Manager (Specialty Plywood & B.C. Timberlands) at Ainsworth Lumber Co. Ltd. Brad is experienced in developing and managing First Nations relationships and was Director of five First Nations joint venture organizations. He holds a BSc from the University of British Columbia and is a Registered Professional Forester.
Board of Directors and Advisors
Donald Steele, Chairman.
Mitchell Taylor has over 40 years of executive level experience. In addition to serving as a director of Pacific BioEnergy, he is currently managing director of Pacific Sign Group Inc. and Tristar Industries Ltd. Previously, Mitch was CEO of Pacific Spas Inc., from 2006 to 2009; President and CEO of Bellingham Marine Industries, from 1995 to 2006; VP Marketing & Sales of Cascadia Brands, from 1989 to 1993; and President and CEO of Granville Island Brewing Company, from 1980 to 1989. Mitch holds a BSc from the University of Manitoba. He joined our board of directors in June 2009.
David Thompson became a member of Pacific BioEnergy’s advisory board in 2007 and joined the Board of Directors in 2011. Until his retirement in 2005, David was Deputy Chairman and CEO of Teck Cominco Ltd., a position he held since the 2001 merger of Teck Corporation and Cominco Ltd. Prior to this posting, he held a variety of senior management positions, including President and CEO of Cominco Ltd. from 1995 to 2001. David is a director of GCT Global Container Terminals Inc. and Chair of the BC Health Services Purchasing Organization, former Chair of Vancouver Coastal Health, and a member of the BC Progress Board. He previously served as Co-Chair of the BC Competition Council.
Paul Lee joined Pacific BioEnergy’s advisory board in 2008 and joined the Board of Directors in 2011, bringing more than 20 years experience in the high technology sector. Paul is Co-founder and Managing Partner of Vanedge Capital Partners, a venture capital company focused on the digital and interactive industry. Prior to this, he was President of Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), where he was responsible for its worldwide development studios. Paul was founding co-chair and remains a director of the Premier’s Technology Council for British Columbia and chaired the BC Technology Industries Association (BCTIA) from 1998 to 2001. Paul serves as a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council for the Sauder School of Business at UBC, the Minister’s Steering Committee for the Vancouver International Financial Institutions Sector, the Board of Directors for the Vancouver Board of Trade and was recently appointed to the Asia Pacific Economic Council’s Business Advisory Council for Canada. Paul is also Chair of the Board of Directors of DigiBC, Neoedge Networks and D-Wave Systems.
Don Gould has served on Pacific BioEnergy’s advisory board since 2004. Don has over 30 years of management experience in the forest industry in Prince George, including several years as President of The Pas Lumber Company. He was appointed a director of the Prince George Airport Authority in 2004, is a former member of the Board of Directors of the B.C. Council of Forest Industries, and has held leadership positions in numerous industry and community organizations.
Erik Dysthe joined Pacific BioEnergy’s advisory board in 2006. Erik brings over two decades of executive level experience in the technology industry, and more than 10 years of international sales management experience in the petrochemical industry. He was most recently Chairman, President and CEO of MDSI Mobile Data Solutions Inc., a company he founded in 1992. Erik holds a BComm in Business Administration from Concordia University.
Cris Mul became a member of Pacific BioEnergy’s advisory board in 2009. Cris has over 15 years of international sales experience, including 10 years in bio-energy industry and is a partner and member of the board of directors of Van Leer Energy BV in Amsterdam (NL). Until 2002, he worked as a business developer with Royal Eduard van Leer BV, a trading house in forestry products. Cris holds a MSc in Mechanical Engineering from the Technical University of Delft.