The American Coalition for Ethanol presented its most prestigious award this year to Mike Jerke, former CEO of Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy (SIRE), during its 39th Annual Conference this week in Minneapolis.
The award is named after the organization’s founding father and first president, Merle Anderson, and is presented annually to recognize an individual who has made distinguished and significant contributions to the advancement of the U.S. ethanol industry. Mike Jerke retired at the end of last year following a remarkable career spanning multiple decades of industry leadership. He served as CEO of QCCP, CVEC, Guardian Energy, Corn Plus, and SIRE, helping guide each organization through periods of growth and change. Throughout his career, Jerke was a dedicated advocate for the ethanol industry, recognizing the importance of grassroots engagement and consistently supporting ACE’s role as a strong voice for ethanol producers and rural America. His leadership, commitment, and service have left a lasting impact on the industry.
Jerke was humbled and honored by the award from his peers. “It’s really not about me,” said Jerke in an interview. “I’ve had the benefit of being able to be influenced by and meet a lot of really great people in my career. And I’ve worked at a number of plants over the years, and so that just sort of exponentially increases with the number of contact and individuals. And all of those people have built me up.”
Jerke added that he has been very blessed to part of ACE over the years as it continues to reflect the vision of its founder. “They are an organization that is grassroots driven…They’re listening to their members. Their members are often farmers, people that are connected to the land,” said Jerke. “Certainly we have other trade associations out there. All of them are valuable. I think ACE stands unique in the way that it generates policies and ideas from that grassroots.”
Interview with Mike Jerke, Former CEO Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy (SIRE), Merle Anderson Award recipient
Mike Jerke, Merle Anderson Award 14:04