cmdtyExchange Virtual Grain Summit

Eero Pikat

President at Barchart

Eero A. Pikat has been President of Barchart since 2001. Eero also previously served as CTO and started with Barchart in 1998 as head of development. At heart, Eero is a software developer and architect. He has spent close to 20 years architecting software and hardware solutions for the financial industry. Eero has a Master of Computer Science degree from Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Chicago.

Keith Petersen

Head of Strategy at Barchart

Keith has been Head of Strategy at Barchart since September 2017. Keith’s experience includes stops at Bank of America, IMC Financial Markets, CME Group. His background is in business development, M&A strategy, and product, with a focus on Equities, FX, and the physical commodities ecosystem. Keith has an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Michael Browne

Head of Sales of Commodity Sales at Barchart

Michael Browne has been Head of Commodity Sales at Barchart since June 2017. His previous roles include product management, product development and business unit leadership. Michael has an MBA in Finance from the University of St. Thomas, an M.S. in Information Services from Golden Gate University, and BS in Engineering from the University of Minnesota Institute of Technology.

Chris Harrison

CTO at Barchart

Chris Harrison has been CTO of Barchart since March 2018. Chris previously served as a Chief Product Officer and SVP of Engineering for various companies, including GlobalView, Drillinginfo, and FutureSource. Chris is responsible for Barchart's enterprise-wide technology offering, including data feeds, digital solutions, APIs, and software.

Mark Haraburda

CEO of Barchart

Mark Haraburda has been CEO of Barchart since May 2016. He previously served as Managing Director of Business Development & Sales at Barchart from 2007. Previous experience includes roles with the Chicago Board of Options Exchange (Cboe) and Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT). Mark has a Master of Financial Markets degree from Illinois Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Bradley University.

Brian Burke

Principal at John Stewart and Associates

Brian Burke brings 25 years of agricultural market experience across a broad spectrum of risk management platforms. Joining JSA in 2011, then later becoming a managing principal in the firm, Brian consults and advises managers of commodity risk across a wide variety of agricultural business. Prior to joining JSA, Brian managed all trading activities for an international biofuels firm with physical assets in the United States, Brazil and Europe. Responsibilities included all physical trading and risk positions in ethanol, grains, sugar, by-products, and transportation assets. Prior to this, Brian traded and managed various grain and oilseed operations with ADM for 11 years.

Alan Brugler

President of Brugler Marketing and Management LLC

Alan R. Brugler is the President of Brugler Marketing & Management, LLC, a Nebraska based marketing advisory and consulting service started in 2002. From 1992-2002 he was the Senior Analyst and then Director of Analysis and Product Research for Data Transmission Network (DTN). Prior to joining DTN, he was the Director of Market Information Services for the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation from 1978-1992. He has been writing market commentary and speaking to farm industry audiences on economics and marketing for more than 40 years.

Dan Basse

President of AgResource

Daniel Basse is President of AgResource Company. AgResource Co. is a domestic and international agricultural research firm located in Chicago. AgResource forecasts domestic and world agricultural price trends and provides information/research. Mr Basse is an economist that has been in the commodity business since 1979. Raised on a dairy/grain farm in Waukesha, Wisconsin, Mr Basse has a keen sense of production agriculture. Mr Basse graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He has worked with Professional Farmers of America, Brock Associates and the ag research division of GNP Commodities in Chicago. In 1987, Mr Basse founded AgResource Company to serve the market research needs of the world agricultural community. Mr Basse sits as a board member of the US Farm Foundation and holds global conferences on agriculture in Canada, Switzerland and Brazil.

Darin Newsom

President of Darin Newsom Analysis

Darin Newsom has 30 years experience analyzing commodity markets; covering grains and oilseeds, livestock, energies, metals, softs, etc and understanding the different characteristics of each. He has appeared on numerous financial television programs to talk markets, and is a regular analyst on the Iowa Public Television program Market to Market. He is a market columnist and technical analyst blogger, whose work has been featured on websites and in magazines for decades. Darin is well known internationally on the speaking tour, providing his unique analytical observations and years of experience on market outlook and how markets work by looking at trend, forward curves, and other market indicators.

Scott Richman

Chief Economist of the RFA

Scott Richman joined RFA as Chief Economist in August 2018. He oversees the development and execution of research and analysis initiatives to support the Association’s public policy, regulatory, and public relations objectives. Most recently, Scott served as Senior Vice President and Co-head of North America Consulting for Informa Agribusiness Consulting. In this role, he developed the ethanol and agricultural biotechnology practice areas and co-managed the 15-person consulting group. Scott has provided agribusiness research and intelligence to Informa’s clients for over 25 years, including RFA and other private and public bioenergy stakeholders. Scott earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from Vanderbilt University and his master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University, where he specialized in international business and was an Honorary International Fellow.

Mike Jerke

CEO of Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy

Mike Jerke is CEO of Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy, LLC in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He began his career with Archer Daniels Midland and worked with other agricultural-based commodity businesses before transitioning into the ethanol industry in 2001 as General Manager at QuadCounty Corn Processors (QCCP) in Galva, Iowa. After spending eight years with QCCP, Mike took on similar roles at Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company in Benson, Minnesota, Guardian Energy in Prior Lake, Minnesota, and Corn Plus in Winnebago, Minnesota. A believer in the need to be engaged in policy development and public education about our industry, Mike was a founding board member of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) and instrumental in the development of the Minnesota Biofuels Association. Mike is a board member of the Renewable Fuels Association, vice president of IRFA, and treasurer of the Renewable Fuels Foundation. Mike attributes his strong affinity for farmer owned/developed enterprises to influential instruction at Iowa State University and his firm conviction that farmers can collectively leverage their resources and ingenuity to achieve outcomes that are not as attainable on an individual basis.

Andy Huenefeld

Director, Price Risk Management at World-Kinect Energy Services

Mr. Huenefeld is responsible for helping World-Kinect Energy Services clients navigate the volatility of energy markets through the use of a variety of risk management tools. He acts as World-Kinect Energy Services' primary communicator of the many drivers that impact near-and long-term energy costs utilizing periodic reports, presentations, and conference calls tailored to the needs and objectives of each client. Throughout his time in the industry, Andy has had the opportunity to speak about various market-related topics at energy conferences across the country and is a frequent contributor to the Wall Street Journal. Before getting his start in energy, Andy had a background in financial services. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree with a concentration in finance from the University of Louisville.

Mark Novakovich

Market Engagement, Agriculture Americas at S&P Global Platts

Mark Novakovich spent over 12 years working in commodity markets before joining S&P Global Platts in 2018. His career has spanned positions in risk, trading, and brokerage, and he has worked in both energy and agricultural markets. He earned an M.Sc. in Transportation Management from the State University of New York—Maritime College, and has a particular interest in waterborne commodity flows. Mark understands the needs of commodity market participants, and in his current role, he advises clients on utilizing Platts index-based physical and financial contracts.