Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) President and CEO Geoff Cooper, an Army veteran, was honored this week by the Department of Defense Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve office “for contributing to national security and protecting liberty and freedom by supporting employee participation in America’s national guard and reserve force.”

Under Cooper’s leadership, RFA last year founded Veterans for Renewable Fuels to provide veteran employees in the ethanol industry opportunities to come together and support each other in their careers and personal lives. According to a Department of Energy report, the percentage of ethanol industry workers who are veterans is 15 percent, which is triple that of the national workforce and higher than the petroleum fuels and general energy workforce.

“When women and men in uniform leave the military and start searching for jobs, they want more than a paycheck,” says Cooper. “Thousands of veterans have found exactly what they’re looking for in the ethanol industry, and we are truly honored to have them in our midst.”