L-R: CVEC Board Chairman David Thompson, Jan Lundebrek, ACE CEO Brian Jennings
The strength of ACE is found within the collective grassroots, devoted individuals who often perform behind the scenes to advance the cause of ethanol. These “unsung heroes” of the U.S. ethanol industry and agriculture are recognized with the ACE Grassroots Award. Her enthusiastic leadership was instrumental in the formation of Chippewa Valley Agrafuels Cooperative (CVAC) and Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company (CVEC), one of the first ethanol plants in the state of Minnesota. Her extensive financial background helped ensure shares were sold to local farmers and loans were secured to build the plant. Her passion and commitment to rural America and the domestic ethanol industry has always been evident by your active participation in every ACE DC fly-in and during our conferences and board meetings.
Lundebrek became an ethanol pioneer back in the ’90s when she was a bank president and saw how farmers were struggling to make money growing corn, which led her to become one of the founding members of CVEC in 1996 where she continues to serve on the board. She has also served on the ACE board for many years, just stepping down this year to allow another CVEC board member Harmon Wilts to serve.
2023 ACE interview Jan Lundebrek, Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company 3:49