Advisors Roger LewisLewis BambooAs an Advisor to Resource Fiber and Resource Fiber/Alabama, Roger brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the companies. He is a second generation bamboo nurseryman and owner of Lewis Bamboo in Oakman, Alabama. Together with the Resource Fiber/Alabama team, Roger is developing and managing the bamboo nursery operations for the companies. Lewis Bamboo has been selling bamboo commercially for 19 years with installations across the country. Leland (Lee) SlavenBamboo Structural Products LLCLee is serving as an Advisor to Resource Fiber LLC and Resource Fiber/Alabama LLC. In this role, Lee brings patented technology and manufacturing expertise to the company. He has vast experience within the manufacturing industry from tool-making to 20 years developing special machinery, dies, plastic injection molds and molding.As Founder of Bamboo Structural Products LLC (BSP) in 2006, Lee holds several patents* for engineered bamboo; in 2008, BSP and Resource Fiber Bamboo formed a joint venture to capitalize on these patents. BSP is currently in the development and distribution of bamboo structural beams and panels using off-shore bamboo resources. In addition, a bamboo open web joist design for the housing industry is currently patent pending [#12/540929].Prior to BSP, Lee formed GutterArt LLC after inventing an embossed standard rain gutter, fascia and crown molding for the building industry worldwide. He currently oversees the manufacturing and product improvement in the U.S. and Mexico factories. [Auxiliary Embosser Patent #7,240,530 B1]Concurrently, Lee founded Enterprise Connections Unlimited LLC to assist manufacturers and entrepreneurs develop and market new products as well as write and acquire patents.Lee studied Business Management and Engineering at Indiana State University and is a member of the Railroad Tie Association.*U.S. Patent #12/540929 Teragren™ patent-pending for Bamboo Open Web Joist *U.S. Patent #7,147,745 Bamboo Beam and Process Patent *U.S. Patent #7,939,156 Composite Concrete/Bamboo Structure Patent *U.S. Patent #7,240,530 B1 Gutter Art Auxiliary Embosser Hugh McLaughlin, Ph.D., P.E.Dr. McLaughlin is a leading expert in the area of biochar properties and biocarbon processing with over 25 years of experience with activated carbon and its applications. In his role as an Advisor to Resource Fiber and Resource Fiber/Alabama, he will assist in the development of the company’s biochar production facility and commercialization of biochar products.Dr. McLaughlin also has many years of experience developing new processing technologies and implementing those technologies on a commercial scale. Since 2009, he has served as Director of Biocarbon Research for Alterna Biocarbon.Selected Papers and PublicationsH. McLaughlin, Chapter 6 (What is Biochar), Chapter 7 (How Biochar helps the Soil – authored in conjunction with Julie Major, PhD) and Chapter 8 (Characterizing Biochars: Attributes, Indicators and At-Home Tests) of The Biochar Revolution, edited by Paul Taylor, Global Publishing Group, 2010.H. McLaughlin, “Biochar and Energy Co-Products”, appearing in the U.S. Focused Biochar Report: Assessment of Biochar’s Benefits for the United States of America.H. McLaughlin, P.S. Anderson, F.E. Shields, and T.B. Reed. “All Biochars are not Created Equal and How to Tell them Apart”, presented at the North American Biochar Conference, Bolder, CO 2009 (http://www.biochar-international.org/node/1029). Michael CozzolinoCEO, COR Engineered WoodsMichael Cozzolino has over 30 years of high-end architectural wood working and manufacturing expertise. As an advisor to Resource Fiber, Michael will assist in the design and development of bamboo flooring and related building products.As a master craftsman knowledgeable in all phases of solid wood and veneers, he co-founded a high-end architectural woodworking company, Cozzolino, Inc. using the concept of edge-grain Laminated Strand Lumber as a decorative surface, Michael was awarded a US patent (‘871) based on this methodology in 2002, and founded COR Engineered Woods in 2008. In addition to using COR as engineered flooring, he has designed a series of decorative wall panels which are distributed by Architectural Systems of New York as “Echo-Textures” panels.Michael has researched various wood and bamboo composites as well as alternate recycled materials resulting in hybrid composite material combinations, and has conducted research in the US, China, and Sweden. He consulted for Engineered Timber Resources in 2007 and 2008 at US and China manufacturing points, further expanding his composite experience to include Mulberry tree branches.In 2010, Michael was lead consultant to Kahrs of Sweden, which was the first company to introduce engineered wood flooring over 40 years ago. Kahrs is a global brand in the engineered wood flooring industry, and hired Michael to spearhead a program to develop decorative composite surfaces from wood by-product produced at the Kahrs flooring factory in Nybro, Sweden. Michael authored a report detailing 13 months of research and lab trials, along with numerous prototype composite samples. Jason McLennanCEO, International Living Future InstituteJason is serving as an Advisor to Resource Fiber/Alabama LLC to incorporate the Living Building Challenge green building program into the company’s manufacturing facility in the Black Belt region of Alabama. The International Living Future Institute is a leading NGO that focuses on the transformation to a world that is socially just, culturally rich and ecologically restorative. Under this umbrella, Jason operates the Cascadia Green Building Council, the Pacific Northwest’s leading organization in the field of green building and sustainable development. Considered one of the most influential individuals in the green building movement today, he is the recipient of the prestigious Buckminster Fuller Prize for 2012. Jason’s work has made a pivotal impact on the shape and direction of green building in the United States and Canada. Steven BinglerConcordia ArchitectsAs an Advisor to Resource Fiber/Alabama, Steven brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the company’s manufacturing facility design. In 1983, Steven founded Concordia, a community-based planning and architecture firm, to pursue systemic and collaborative design practices. The word ‘concord’, which means harmony among things and agreement between people, is the firm’s one-word mission statement. In 2006, Concordia coordinated the development of the Unified New Orleans Plan, a comprehensive strategy for the redevelopment of the City of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The process engaged 12 collaborating urban planning firms in the implementation of 54 community planning district meetings and 3 citywide community congress events with a combined participation of more than 9,000 New Orleans citizens. Steven’s papers on a systems approach to planning and design have been published in a wide range of books and journals in the fields of urban planning, architectural design, education, public health and smart growth. Ed BriscoeWeave FinanceEd is serving as an Advisor to Resource Fiber LLC and Resource Fiber/Alabama LLC. Ed provides independent advice on the New Market Tax Credit program as a capital investment source, as well as other traditional and non-traditional financing options.Ed has over seven years of experience in the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) industry, participating in some of the earliest deals funded by the program in early 2004. He is involved in the sourcing, evaluation, structuring, and closing of NMTC transactions for Weave Finance and brokering and consulting with various Community Development Entities, real estate projects, and businesses. Ed has negotiated and funded over $200 million in NMTC investments ranging from small retail developments to large manufacturing facilities.Ed has a B.S. in business administration from Samford University and an MBA from Vanderbilt University with concentrations in finance, strategy, and human and organizational performance. Ed maintains a variety of volunteer efforts including tutoring, mentoring, and business consulting with non-profits and social enterprises. He currently serves as treasurer on the Board of Rocky Mountain Micro-Finance Institute in Denver.
