The Real Power of BlueFire
Arnold Klann Founder & CEO, BlueFire Ethanol
“UNLESS THE LORD BUILDS THE COMPANY, WE LABOR IN VAIN WHO BUILD IT”
Psalms 127:1
As CEO of BlueFire Ethanol, I spend most of my time guiding and promoting the company to its final destiny of being the solution to man’s pollution and supplying the best transportation energy for the world. I talk to stakeholders all over the globe, from strategic partners in Europe and Asia Pacific to engineers in Omaha, about how to produce the lowest cost fuels and maximize carbon credits in the market. I talk to investors about the political and economic environment around alternative fuels and why our approach is the best investment. I talk to shareholders about how BlueFire is uniquely positioned to become the world leader in Biofuels production, and explain the strategic direction of the company and the return on investment they can expect as a result of my leadership. These are the types of discussions that fill the day of the typical CEO.
There is another discussion I have daily that is not typical of CEOs. I seize every opportunity to talk about the REAL POWER of BlueFire.
What do I mean by REAL POWER? What do the words stand for? How does this concept influence my leadership of the company?
REAL POWER is my stand for the following beliefs…
The company vision was supplied by God. My decisions and actions must be guided by God. All of the glory goes to God.
THE COMPANY VISION WAS SUPPLIED BY GOD
In September, 1989, I received a vision and a mandate:
MANAGE THE ENERGY RESOURCES OF THE EARTH ACCORDING TO GOD’S DESIGN.
Take a moment to imagine what God’s intended design for energy resources would be. If we would just follow God’s mandate to use the resources properly, it would lead to peace and prosperity.
Today we are running out of low cost petroleum, it is a finite resource. Because most oil is produced in areas of the world that are politically unstable at best and dangerous at worst, the USA spends billions of dollars a year protecting supply with its military. Because the world is growing economically, the demand for more oil is outstripping supply so competition is increasing and non-indigenous oil producing nations are spending more of their GDP on energy. This is destroying the ability of nations to grow and for their populations to feed themselves.
Yet most countries that don’t produce oil are agrarian based. By redirecting the agricultural model in these countries by increasing food production and creating an energy resource crop to offset their oil imports, it keeps more of the countries GDP in-country for economic development.
The key to economic growth is to create a consumer base. This can only be accomplished when the population has money to buy consumables beyond food. That requires jobs and industry.
BlueFire does all these things by first creating a supply chain for feedstock to its production plants by enabling farmers to grow energy crops that also produce food and can be used for export beyond internal consumption. Second, by producing a compatible transportation fuel for the country from the feedstock, it offsets capital that flows out of the country to buy oil thereby keeping the money in country for industrial development. Third, BlueFire can produce chemicals beyond fuels that would create the feedstock for the next industry like bio-disposable plastics, or food additives like citric acid. In the Garden of Eden, it was all about agrarian growth, let’s go back to God’s model.
At BlueFire, we believe that the company’s purpose is to create the opportunities for change that can make a difference in the lives and economies of nations through the deployment of technologies that can be low tech yet at the same time create new opportunities for the indigenous population. By giving farmers and the lowest economic level of the population the opportunity to earn more money and increase personal productivity leads to the increase for the whole nation. BlueFire changes the paradigm from a petro based econometric model to an agrarian based econometric model and the possibilities for the nation are endless, just like God had originally intended. The countries are no longer held hostage to oil.
BlueFire’s near-term mission is to free the U.S. from the turmoil and crisis of being held hostage by oil producing nations. Our long-term mission is to improve the living conditions of impoverished people in the developing world. I have participated in mission trips and have ministered to families living in waste dumps in places like Tepic, Nargarit, Mexico, the Philippines, Indonesia and elsewhere. As a pastor and graduate of Cottonwood Leadership College, I see the vision and have the heart to help and change the conditions of the people society values the least. BlueFire’s technology deployment will immediately improve their living conditions through employment, and at the same time we will create a sustainable econometric model to lift them out of the dumps–literally–and help them break free of economic bondage and the spiritual oppression that comes with it.
MY DECISIONS AND ACTIONS ARE GUIDED BY GOD
My primary job is to ensure that the investment made in the company is put to the best possible use to grow the company and manage its success. This includes the investment of hard work and creativity from the team of people that work for the company, the investment of prayer from those who believe in us and are committed to our success, and the investment of those who finance the company. This is a huge responsibility.
To prepare myself for this responsibility, I completed the program at Cottonwood Christian Leadership College. This training prepared me to make decisions based on Biblical principles and minister to those who seek to establish a closer relationship with God.
ALL THE GLORY GOES TO GOD
Our team is very experienced and has been successful in commercializing technologies and running companies in the past, but it is God that uses us and gives this company success. As senior management and employees of BlueFire, we see ourselves as God’s agents here on earth to implement His vision and achieve His growth plan. God is the true builder of this company, and our security, growth and success are because of Him.