Under Section 5.3(m) of the Member Control Agreement of Heron Lake Bioenergy, LLC (the “Company”), a Member that holds the right to appoint one or more Governors pursuant to Section 5.3(a)(iv) of the Member Control Agreement is entitled to appoint one alternate Governor for each Governor such Member is entitled to appoint. On March 19, 2020, Granite Falls Energy determined to remove Sherry Jean Larson and Bruce LaVigne as its alternate appointees to the Board of Governors of the Company. Effective that same day, Granite Falls Energy designated Martin Seifert and Robin Spaude as its alternate appointees to the Company’s Board of Governors. Martin Seifert - Age 47 - Alternate Appointed Governor. Since December 2014, Mr. Seifert has been employed as a lobbyist with the firm of Flaherty and Hood, P.A. in St. Paul, Minnesota. Robin Spaude - Age 70 - Alternate Appointed Governor. Mr. Spaude served as a full-time employee of Granite Falls Energy beginning in July 2005, serving as the Maintenance Manager from July 2005 to September 2006. From September 2006 to March 2019, Mr. Spaude served as the Company’s Plant Manager. As Plant Manager, Mr. Spaude was responsible for daily operations management, as well as execution of numerous project budgets and their implementation, which expanded the plant’s operations. The remaining Project Viking governor appointees who currently sit on the Company’s Board of Governors, are: Dean Buesing, Paul Enstad, Marten Goulet, Kenton Johnson, and Rodney Wilkison. Each of the appointed governors and appointed alternate governors serve indefinitely at the pleasure of Granite Falls Energy (so long as Granite Falls Energy and its affiliates continue to hold a sufficient number of Units to maintain the applicable appointment right) until a successor is appointed, or until the earlier death, resignation or removal of the appointed governor.
Heron Lake BioEnergy, LLC owns and operates an ethanol plant near Heron Lake, Minnesota with a permitted capacity of approximately 72.3 million gallons per year of undenatured ethanol on a twelve-month rolling sum basis. In addition, Heron Lake BioEnergy, LLC produces and sells distillersâ grains with solubles and corn oil as co-products of ethanol production. The Companyâs segments include Ethanol Production and Natural Gas Pipeline. Heron Lake BioEnergy, LLCâs wholly owned subsidiary, HLBE Pipeline Company, LLC (HLBE Pipeline Company), is the sole owner of Agrinatural Gas, LLC (Agrinatural). Agrinatural, is a natural gas pipeline company that owns and operates the natural gas pipeline that provides natural gas to the Companyâs ethanol production facility and other customers through a connection with the natural gas pipeline facilities of Northern Border Pipeline Company in Cottonwood County, Minnesota.