Randall von Wedel came 'west' from the Caribbean via New England to California to pursue a biochemistry doctorate at UCSF in 1974. After several years in medical research, a stint in the biotechnology industry inspired him to start his own consulting firm, CytoCulture, in 1985, applying his basic science experience from medical research to developing other cell culture technologies. Always concerned about the environment, from high school science projects in ecology, participating in the first Earth Day (April 22, 1970), and being an environmental activist at Dartmouth College, Randall decided to pursue new research in the emerging environmental industry.

In response to some serious public health threats in the Bay Area, Randall developed bioreactors to grow living bacteria to consume pollution, thereby pioneering the development of bioremediation in California for the next 10 years and establishing an environmental microbiology research laboratory in Point Richmond.

In August 1993, while reading his Journal of the American Chemical Society at lunch, he discovered a short article on biodiesel as an alternative diesel fuel made from soybean oil. He was instantly struck by the potential such a clean-burning fuel would have on reducing diesel exhaust emissions AND reducing the extent and severity of groundwater pollution that he had been cleaning up for years. The article featured an interview with Bill Ayers, founder of Interchem Corporation (then in Overland Park, KS), and included a telephone number. Randall called him immediately and bought his first 5-gallon tote of B100, which was shipped, to his surprise, in a cardboard box via UPS. Opening up the container, smelling and touching the fuel and realizing its potential for reducing air and water pollution was a wow moment for everyone within earshot.

As an avid sailor, Randall had already become increasingly concerned about the diesel exhaust from recreational boats that polluted the Sausalito harbor. He and his sailing friends set out to test biodiesel in boats and VW Rabbits. Everyone was impressed. Randall bought his first diesel Mercedes (1984 300 TD), which to this day runs exclusively on B100. He flew to Europe and met with biodiesel researchers, experts and producers in Germany and Austria. Within a few years, dozens of boats and cars were running on neat or blends of biodiesel; articles were appearing in national boating magazines; and Bryan Peterson returned to San Francisco on SunRider in September 1994 to an enthusiastic crowd of supporters after having gone 35,000 miles around the world on pure biodiesel. Randall was aboard his 33-foot sailboat, Oceana, (B100 powered since then) to greet Bryan under the Golden Gate bridge (after donating 100 gallons of B100 to allow Bryan to complete his journey up the coast from Santa Cruz). The enthusiasm for reducing boat pollution helped inspire the founding of the Marine Biodiesel League in 1996 with a gathering of B100 boats on Angel Island for a BBQ and to savor a new home-brew beer, Iron Genny Lager.

In 1997, Randall was awarded a DOE grant to document the experience of biodiesel users with boats on the San Francisco Bay. This work included a survey of 100 biodiesel boaters and the publishing of a Technical Handbook for Marine Biodiesel (NREL). Randall set up 12 marine biodiesel docks (selling 5-gallon totes of B100). He reached out to the California AIr Resources Board (ARB), the State Water Resources Control Board, the State Tax Board and he set in motion the process of incorporating provisionary ASTM standards for biodiesel required by the California Division of Measurment Standards.

For years he attended hearings and contributed technical support to help ARB, the California Energy Commission, and other state agencies recognize and accept the merits of biodiesel.

In February1999, CytoCulture won the state's first commercial biodiesel bid issued by the University of California, Davis. The B20 fleet program was an instant success and used B100 (from WVO) imported from Pacific Biodiesel on Maui (blended in Point Richmond). Other fleet projects followed, starting with Dave Williamson's Curbside Recycling truck fleet at the Ecology Center on Earth Day, 2000. CytoCulture then won another bid to provide B100 for work vessels going out to the Channel Islands National Park, a project headed up by Kent Bullard as part of his extensive sustainability efforts, which earned him a White House Closing the Circle Award Honorable Mention.

In 2001, Randall teamed up with Graham Noyes of World Energy to open the first B100 consumer station in the United States on 3rd Street in San Francisco. The opening press conference was attended by California Energy Commission official Peter Ward and Shaine Tyson of NREL, who told the world via CNN that "now people have a choice at the fuel pump". When, after two years of success and an EPA award, a fuel quality crisis hit the city of Berkeley's high profile biodiesel program (182 vehicles running on B100 including school buses), the first-in-the-nation fleet use of pure B100, it sent shock waves through California's biodiesel industry. Very bad quality fuel from a local start-up biodiesel producer in Vallejo slipped unnoticed into the city's B100 fleet destroying six truck engines and Randall's fuel injection pump. He retreated to his lab to develop what he likes to call a "firewall" field test kit to block bad fuel from entering the distribution chain. The pHLip Test went into commercial production after being tested at NREL and endorsed by the National Biodiesel Board (NBB).

Between 2005 and 2008, Randall worked to develop other large fleets in California. In 2005, he assisted Pacific Gas & Electric with fuel quality programs and expanding their commitment to B20.  in 2006-07 the City/Co of San Francisco's much-celebrated biodiesel program began operating its diesel fleets on B20 using his guidelines and testing services for which then Mayor Gavin Newsom won the NBB Inspiration Award at the 2009 SF conference. In 2008-09 Randall worked with Caltrans on their move to incorporate B20 into their fleets. At Disneyland, he developed a research program to test biodiesel in Disney's 5 refurbished old steam trains, one dating back to 1888. At a 2007 Earth Day event in Anaheim, then governor Arnold Schwarzenegger called the resort's biodiesel program a "perfect example to the rest of the state." Today, all of Disneyland's trains and the Mark Twain paddle wheel boat run on B99 produced from grease collected from its 30+ restaurants. Frank Dela Vera, Director of Environmental Affairs and Conservation for the Disneyland Resort, received the NBB Impact Award in 2011 for establishing and maintaining this sustainable, closed-loop grease to biodiesel program.

Randall had been working in Florida with Disneyworld when he was hired by the Florida Power and Light (FPL) biodiesel fleet program in 2008. FPL is now the largest consumer of biodiesel in the state. Randall's research helped develop the equipment and protocols for maintaining B20 stored for years at a time in their 1.8 million gallon fuel tank. The tank not only supplies all of FPL's line trucks, it also fuels emergency response vehicles and out of state line trucks after hurricanes block access to normal diesel supplies. George Survant won the NBB Impact Award in 2008 for his pioneering work beginning in 1999 pressing for B20 acceptance by the truck manufacturers and promoting its use in Florida, including sponsoring agricultural workshops organized by Randall and hosted by the USDA (Ft. Pierce), to explore the cultivation of oil seed feedstock crops at abandoned citrus orchards.

Often referred to as the founding father of California biodiesel, Randall was awarded his own NBB Impact Award in 2009 at their annual conference in San Francisco for his "energy, enthusiasm and development work" on behalf of biodiesel programs in the region. Indeed, it is hard to imagine what our state's industry would look like today without his very early work to help establish it; his continued efforts that educated and inspired many early adopters; his success in transitioning numerous large fleets; and his loud, steady drum beat that never stops reminding us that fuel quality must always be priority number one.

CBA is happy to announce that Randall will be participating on a panel at our second annual conference in Las Vegas in February of 2013. A frequent speaker on his biodiesel work, especially fuel quality issues, Randall's research into sustainable oil seed cultivation is less well-known, and we are honored and excited to have him present on the important work he is doing with a variety of crops in Florida, Hawaii, and St. Croix and its application for California.

Thank you for your time and efforts on behalf of biodiesel in California. I look forward to working with you.