Mr. Pete Nelson

Peter Nelson is a principal in BioDimensions which provides services and makes investments in startup companies developing new green technology, a field he has been involved in since 1996. He is an advisor to companies including Arkansas-based Infinite Enzymes and Ontario-based Stemergy which are both working to introduce new agricultural-based opportunities. Mr. Nelson was one of six initial steering committee members for the Southeast Sun Grant Initiative based at University of Tennessee which has received over $40 million in Federal funding for university research. Mr. Nelson was one of three original founders of the Biobased Manufacturers Association (BMA) which helped influence key components of Title IX of the 2002 Farm Bill related to biobased products and renewable energy. He has been invited to participate on key steering committees and think tanks in the Southeast U.S. and wrote the “Tennessee Biobased Products for Farmers and Rural Development Act of 2000.” Mr. Nelson has worked extensively with Tennessee State University, an 1890 Land Grant University, to develop opportunities for minority students to participate in new agricultural-based technologies. These programs have been successfully funded by DOE and USDA. Mr. Nelson is also a published writer and a frequent speaker at conferences related to biobased products and renewables. He is currently a founding board member for the West Tennessee Clean Cities Coalition and a member of the Communications Committee for ACORE’s Biomass Coordination Council. Among other projects, he is working on deploying new farming methods in Sub-Saharan Africa, including Sudan where he has worked for two short terms. Mr. Nelson is a graduate of University of Memphis.