Executive Leadership Behind EnviroBeef
Don Smith, Ph.D.
CEO and Chief Technology Officer
Founder Don Smith earned his B.A. from Harvard and a Ph.D. in Economics from Brown. EnviroBeef is the culmination of Don’s career, in which he has explored and innovated in a variety of emerging areas in food and energy production.
Don has explored a variety of passions, but all have been related to making the world a better place. After teaching environmental economics at Southern Methodist University, he joined Sen. Gary Hart’s staff on energy, environment and budget in Washington, D.C.
Later, he entered the private-sector energy field, first becoming VP of Finance at GHK Gas Exploration allowing the retirement of coal plants to operate on cleaner natural gas until renewable power became cost effective. Thenhe founded Smith Cogeneration Inc., a unique venture that developed, financed, and operated the 120-megawatt PowerSmith Cogeneration Plant in Oklahoma City, raising power plant efficiency from 37% to 90%, modern 185-megawatt barge-mounted power plant in the Dominican Republic, and initiated cogeneration projects in India, China, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. In a parallel effort, Don founded Quoddy Bay LNG on Maine’s Passamaquoddy Reservation to bring natural gas to New England, retire polluting power plants and supply gas-fueled vehicles.
Don founded Smith Algae Biofuels to grow microalgae with CO2 from power plant exhaust as their food source, and to refine the algae oil into renewable biodiesel. Don founded DuckSmith Farms where with 19 years of genetic development in Angus cattle, he created a new bloodline of cattle, achieving success at maximizing marbling while minimizing other fats, making beef naturally healthier.
Several years ago, Don conceived of a way to make beef a more nutritious food — by raising cattle on a feed supplement containing the same heart-healthy omega-3’s that fish consume when eating certain microalgae. Omega3Beef was born,
Don wrote patent applications for the methods of feeding microalgae to cattle to produce high levels of omega-3s in cattle and beef. Patents were obtained in the US, Australia, Japan, Canada, Mexico, etc., and are in process in all countries of Europe, Brazil, etc.
Most recently, Don founded a company to market and sell an anti-methane seaweed to cattle to reduce cattle’s burping methane, which causes global climate change. Then Don combined that new company with the Omega3Beef company into the EnviroBeef Company to market the vision and value of EnviroBeef, which is from cattle which burp far less methane, and which contains medically significant levels of omega-3s DHA and EPA.
Email Don Smith at [email protected].
Brian O’Meara
Chief Marketing Officer
Brian O’Meara is a global research and marketing specialist whose studies and consulting have provided strategic direction and tactical solutions in the areas of brand strategy, new product development, communications optimization and market structure understanding.
While at Wirthlin and Harris, Brian was a leader in bringing values-based understanding to some of the largest brands in the consumer packaged goods industry (P&G brands, General Mills brands, and McDonald’s). At 3M, Brian developed a global new product assessment system, and provided management with a framework for developing innovative new products on a global scale.
Brian’s skills were built on more than 25 years in marketing research and marketing roles at Coca-Cola, Pillsbury and 3M. He has degrees in economics and mathematics from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Southern Methodist University.
During the past several years Brian has worked with brand and marketing specialists both in the beef industry and in the social media industry to develop EnviroBeef’s go-to-market strategy.
Dennis Young
Chief Operating Officer
Dennis Young has built and operated highly successful technology companies.
In 1999 he co-founded American Aerogel Corporation, a company developing revolutionary advanced materials and nanotechnology, and served as the company’s Chairman and CEO Prior to that, he founded and served as Principal of BroadBand West, a service provider in Aspen and Western Colorado.
Dennis founded and served for 17 years as Chairman and CEO of Young Systems Limited and Trak Systems, gaining a 65% U.S. market share at the time of the company’s 2001 sale. Earlier, he was one of the founders of SoundScan, a firm that revolutionized reporting of music sales in the United States. He was co-founder and Vice President of S Ski, Inc., the company that revolutionized alpine skiing worldwide with the invention and introduction of the sidecut or ‘parabolic’ ski. He also served as consultant to the Governors of Oregon and California.
During the past several years as CEO Dennis has managed the cattle feeding and beef testing of Omega3Beef which is now EnviroBeef. During this period the company developed protocols for feeding microalgae to cattle to produce levels of omega-3s DHA and EPA which were proved to eliminate the daily deficiency in the average diets in the US and some countries in Europe.
Karen Coe. Ph.D.
Head of Corporate Relations
Karen Coe heads our new company in Calgary, EnviroBeef Canada. Karen’s experience with mental health and omega-3 intake brought her into EnviroBeef, because of the link between high omega-3 intake and brain and mental health.
Karen Coe’s passion for optimal performance led her into the field of neuroscience and evidenced-based interventions for brain health. Dr. Coe is a Clinical Psychologist. She co-founded mental health clinics and consults on wide ranging mental health cases such as PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and depression. Dr. Coe envisions the future of mental health based on a foundation of healthy food and proper nutrition as the most reliable and powerful tools. She respects the evidence of the relationship between high omega-3 blood levels and reducing depression and endorses healthy foods as the future prescription for emotional wellness – the first-line treatment for global mental health.
Karen has been a practicing psychologist, has owned and operated a national executive search firm, and maintains relationships with many relevant potential business partners.
Karen is developing relationships with business partners and also with financiers to assure the rapid growth of the EnviroBeef Company, especially in Canada.
Todd Churchill
Supply and Industry Relationship Officer
Todd Churchill has vast experience both owning and operating a grass-fed beef company, with which he managed the grass feeding and quality of the cattle supply, and with which he developed and maintained relationships with thousands of retail sales companies.
Todd also has strengths in knowing the buyers’ wants and then supplying beef to niche market beef buyers. Todd will lead the marketing team to target early EnviroBeef sales to consumers who are already looking for beef which has less negative impact on the environment, and which is healthier for the consumer.
Brent Flickinger Ph.D.
Consultant, Regulation and Labeling
Brent Flickinger is an expert specialist in regulatory, scientific and nutritional matters concerning food and food additives. His background includes being the head of global food safety and quality, regulatory and scientific affairs matters for the global agribusiness company ADM.
Brent will use favorable state and national regulations to expedite the approval for the commercial use of the two ingredients first in selected states and then nationwide.