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WHO'S WHO IN CALIFORNIA BIODIESEL
Jennifer Case, CEO, New Leaf Biofuel
In 2006 Jennifer Case was working as an attorney when her college roommate, Nicole Kennard, contacted her seeking legal help for the biodiesel business she and cofounder, Dave Richards, had just started in San Diego. Jennifer's law firm was not overly enthusiastic, but Jennifer definitely was. She quit her job and became a partner in New Leaf Biofuel.
New Leaf's first run in the company's 1983 GMC Jimmy took them all the way up to Venice to pick up their first load of waste oil from a restaurant. They had no storage and no place to even park the truck until a man, who worked as a grease trapper, rented them what Jennifer likes to call a "dirt square." This dirt square was home to New Leaf until a $600,000 grant from the California Air Resources Board allowed them to build their facility in the Barrio Logan neighborhood, which opened in January of 2008. In early 2010, Nicole stepped down in order to start a family and handed over the reins of her biodiesel brainchild to Jennifer. Under Jennifer's leadership, New Leaf has survived when many could not and is now a key biodiesel producer in California.
Today New Leaf has 23 employees who collect and process around 40,000 gallons of waste oil per month from 1,000 local restaurants, producing some 2 million gallons of biodiesel per year. New Leaf is an award winning business, on a mission to green San Diego's restaurants and business and government fleets. One notable success is the City of Chula Vista, which now runs its entire 125 heavy-duty fleet on B20. New Leaf also offers biodiesel for individual purchase through Pearson Fuels fuel stations and provides B99 in drums and totes to individuals.
New Leaf began production just as the biodiesel industry was being hit hard by UST regulations, the economic downturn, and an interruption in the federal tax incentive. Even in that uncertain climate, Jennifer found a way to keep investing for constant improvement. That strategy was accomplished with some help from RFS2, but also involved pain on the part of employees and owners who have worked long hours with low and sometimes greatly deferred pay.
Jennifer praises the owners and staff, saying that each is smart, dedicated, and brings a key skill or knowledge set to the business. She cites Nicole's vision and skills as an engineer and mathematician (she works part-time); Portia Smith's mastery of the finer points of grease collection and employee management; mechanical engineer, Dave Richards as somewhat of an alchemist when it comes to making biodiesel; and Nicole's mom, Sue Carrier, as an actual angel. Jennifer's husband, Tyler Case, is also an owner and the plant manager, which brings the New Leaf picture into sharp focus, making it very clear that this company is comprised of friends and family working together for something they truly believe in.
New Leaf's education program is evidence of that fact and has remained a high priority even in tough times. The program boasts a workshop that taught an auto shop class to use a biodiesel processor and includes ongoing presentations to students at the San Diego Culinary Academy through the California Restaurant Association. Tours of the production facility educate students of all ages, including elementary school kids and business and graduate students.
For all of its many successes, New Leaf is a study in the challenges faced by biodiesel businesses in California and showcases the need for the biodiesel community to band together to meet its ongoing challenges. Several New Leaf fleet clients are facing difficulty securing the materials compatibility documentation required by the State Water Board for USTs. Jennifer takes an active role in helping and is taking advantage of CBA's offer to assist UST owners with materials compatibility problems. This includes working with potential clients to reestablish fueling at their sites after they were shut down by Water Board regulations in 2008.
New Leaf has been active in CBA's efforts to secure infrastructure funding through the California Energy Commission's grant program for transportation fuels. Jennifer became animated when talking about the company's need to secure new infrastructure for offsite fuel storage. With no way to load and sometimes up to 4 trucks lined up for fuel, New Leaf is a great example of how new terminal infrastructure would immediately allow a ramping up to higher levels of biodiesel production in California.
Jennifer Case has quickly become a highly valued member of CBA, and we are grateful for her and New Leaf Biofuel's input and active engagement on the issues facing our community.
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