Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis gave President Obama a big hug after his speech at the POET ethanol plant in Macon, Missouri on Wednesday.

“It’s a great honor to have the president of the United States come out to an ethanol plant and demonstrate again his long support for production of renewable fuels,” Buis said in an interview with Domestic Fuel at the event. “He again reiterated this nation continues to face economic challenges based on our addiction to foreign oil and we need to produce renewable fuels here in America and that’s a powerful message from the most powerful person in the world.”

Buis also talked about the recently introduced Growth Energy advertising campaign for ethanol and reaction they have received to it. “The feedback has been very positive,” he said, noting that ethanol needed some visibility on national television next to the other sources of energy that are advertised. “The old line is that if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu and we wanted to be at the table and get the positive message out there.”

Listen to the interview with Tom Buis here: