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The mad scientists and revolutionaries at Ever Cat Fuels, which opens a pilot biodiesel fuel plant in Isanti in September, launched a "Declaration of Energy Independence" on July 4.
Clayton McNeff, a chemist whose family-owned chemicals concern is building the $7 million plant, plans to prove his patented "Mcgyan" process, which uses metal oxides in a continuous-flow reactor, can produce large quantities of biodiesel using little energy and making little waste from soybeans, beef tallow, chicken fat, restaurant grease and even pond scum.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all people are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness and the right to produce their own energy," according to the declaration, which continues, at length. "Inedible lipids derived from sustainable sources like waste oils, pennycress and algae have the potential to supply us with all the biodiesel the world needs to largely replace petroleum based transportation fuels."
Fire the red-glaring rockets at www.evercatfuels.com.
Big verdictsThe 25-lawyer firm of Carlson, Caspers, Vandenburgh and Lindquist has pulled off a couple of $20 million-plus jury verdicts recently for Minnesota corporate clients.
The intellectual-property law shop won the first big case on behalf of Anchor Wall Systems, a Minneapolis-based corporation that manufacturers retaining wall products. A jury said Anchor Wall was owed $30 million for patent-infringement damages and interest against Rockwood Retaining Wall Systems and its affiliate, GLS Industries and Equipment.
In February, a jury awarded Carlson Caspers client Spectralytics of Dassel, Minn., $22.35 million after a three-week patent infringement trial against larger Cordis Corp. and its supplier, Norman Noble. Spectralytics' charged infringement on its patented technique for making stents, used to unclog human arteries.
"This case shows we can take on the big guys and win against the odds," said managing partner Alan G. Carlson.
Several Carlson Caspers lawyers are engineers or scientists.
Volunteer honorsThe Corporate Volunteerism Council Twin Cities has won the 2009 Corporate Volunteerism Council (CVC) of the Year Award at the 2009 National Conference on Volunteering and Service. The Twin Cities chapter was cited for major accomplishments, including:
• Promoting collaboration between corporations through a joint volunteer project that brought together more than 100 volunteers from 10 companies.
• Leveraging a partnership with the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce to co-sponsor two community awards programs, the Quality of Life Awards and the Minnesota Keystone Program Awards, both of which recognize and foster corporate philanthropy.
• Offering educational programs with relevant topics in volunteerism: green volunteering, on-site volunteer opportunities and retiree volunteer programs.
The CVC-TC is a professional association that works to improve communities by promoting volunteerism in companies of all sizes. In 2009, employee volunteers in Minnesota will contribute more than 700,000 volunteer hours, valued at $13,657,000.
Neal St. Anthony • 612-673-7144 • nstanthony@startribune.com
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Blog: Patent Pending
Lights out at U energy conference. Irony police notified.
Just as Lawrence Kazmerski, a top official at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, was about to give the keynote address at the University of Minnesota's annual E3 conference at the RiverCentre in St. Paul, the lights went out, bathing the audience in darkness and a deep sense of irony.
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