ROBERT W. BILLINGSLY

CHAIRMAN

Robert W. Billingsley is a successful businessman with extensive experience in business, including executive management, acquisitions, start-up ventures, consulting and academia.

After graduation from the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania, he began his career with Shell Oil Co., first as a trainee and progressing through sales, marketing, and information systems.

Bob then joined Electric Reduction Co. (a chemical producing subsidiary of Tenneco, Inc.) as Sales Manager and then Division Manager, responsible for sales, production, R&D and Technology Sales of proprietary equipment and plants.  Bob then joined Hooker Chemical Co. a subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum as a Division Manager of their Chlor-Alkali Division responsible for Chemical and Plant Equipment Production and Sales, as well as, R&D.

Bob was subsequently offered a job as Executive VP of Anglo Canadian Pulp and Paper Co. and Bob was made President and CEO and Director of Anglo Canadian Pulp and Paper Co (a public company) at age 34. He then became a Director and, later, Member of the four Executive Committees of the parent London-based company, Reed International.  Reed International, Inc. was a 6-billion dollar conglomerate (now RELX and formerly Reed Elsevier (between 1991 and February 2015)), which included the largest publishing company in the world and published the largest newspaper in the Western Hemisphere. Bob was the only non-Brit on the very political Board. Bob eventually decided to leave corporate life and become an entrepreneur.

Next Bob, with two partners, founded a sodium chlorate plant in Amherstburg, Ontario using a small amount of equity and a 12 million dollar non-secured loan from a consortium of banks. The plant, with an additional 12 million dollar non-secured loan, more than doubled in size. Three years later the company was sold to Olin Chemicals for a substantial profit of 48 million dollars, including the debt.

In 1978 Bob took a chair at the University of Virginia, Darden Graduate School of Business, teaching pro-bono one of two courses: Starting New Ventures and Acquisitions of Closely Held Companies. Bob continues teaching as a Visiting Professor of Business Administration at Darden.

During this period in Academia, Bob began working primarily with the writing and analysis of business plans and with start-ups.  He formed a consulting firm Volnay Technologies, Inc. to do similar work with non-students and alumni.

Bob then went on to found and become President and CEO of Sunroot Energy Ltd. a company to pursue the manufacturing and sales of alcohol (ethanol) from agriculture products. He raised several million dollars in equity and after receiving several Government grants and a term loan from 3 banks, built an Industrial fuel ethanol plant near Kincardine, Ontario adjoining a nuclear power plant that supplied steam.

Bob has participated in numerous start-ups, he has licensed patented technology for new companies, secured venture capital funding, served on numerous Boards, served as interim CEO for early stage companies and consulted with companies of various sizes and in nearly all aspects and phases.