Secretary Naig Presents Renewable Fuels Marketing Awards to Diamond Oil Company and Elliott Oil Company
DES MOINES, Iowa (Jan. 14, 2020) – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig presented the 2020 Renewable Fuels Marketing Awards to Elliott Oil Company of Ottumwa, Iowa, and Diamond Oil Company of Des Moines at the FuelIOWA Annual Meeting.
“Renewable fuels are good for everyone — consumers at the pump, farmers, rural Iowa communities and the environment,” said Secretary Naig. “I am proud to recognize Elliott Oil Company and Diamond Oil Company for their continued commitment and innovative efforts to grow this important market for Iowa’s economy.”
The Secretary’s Ethanol and Biodiesel Marketing Awards were created by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship to recognize fuel marketers that have gone above and beyond in their efforts to raise awareness about the benefits of and generate demand for renewable fuels.
Secretary’s Ethanol Marketing Award
Elliott Oil Company is the recipient of the 2020 Secretary’s Ethanol Marketing Award. Located in Ottumwa, Elliott Oil has been a renewable fuels leader for decades. The company was founded in 1961 and currently employs 237 people.
Elliott Oil operates its retail motor fuel locations under the BP brand and has five locations offering E85. In recent years, Elliott Oil has participated in the Iowa Renewable Fuel Infrastructure Program and has increased private investments into its retail locations to accommodate the sale of high blend ethanol products.
Over the past year, Elliott Oil has promoted the growing interest and demand for E15 in Iowa to BP brand representatives. Through its efforts, Elliott Oil has reached an agreement with BP to allow the sale of E15 under the BP brand canopy at its location in Osceola.
Iowa leads the nation in ethanol production. Elliott Oil’s efforts help build demand for ethanol while encouraging discussions between retailers and their parent brands about incorporating E15 into their product offerings.
Randy and Andrew Woodard received the award on behalf of Elliott Oil.
Secretary’s Biodiesel Marketing Award
Diamond Oil Company is the recipient of the 2020 Secretary's Biodiesel Marketing Award. Located in Des Moines, Diamond Oil has made a commitment to supplying biodiesel to its diverse customer base.
While Diamond Oil supplies and markets biodiesel through traditional brick and mortar retail outlets, its biodiesel footprints extend into high-volume end-users in the agriculture, residential, industrial, racing and transportation arenas. The company has been serving customers since 1978.
As its education and marketing efforts have expanded its biodiesel sales, Diamond Oil has participated in the Iowa Renewable Fuel Infrastructure Program to complement its significant private investments. The company expanded its infrastructure to support the growing demand for biodiesel by installing terminals in Des Moines and State Center.
The biodiesel terminal infrastructure at the company’s bulk storage facilities allows Diamond Oil to provide custom blending options tailored to each customer. With its infrastructure, Diamond Oil can blend B20 through B98, depending on the customer’s request.
Jim Martin received the award on behalf of Diamond Oil.
Renewable Fuels Industry Overview
Iowa leads the nation in the production of ethanol and biodiesel. Iowa has 43 ethanol refineries capable of producing more than 4.1 billion gallons annually. In addition, Iowa has 12 biodiesel facilities with the capacity to produce nearly 350 million gallons annually.
The Iowa Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program offers cost-share grants to help fuel retailers install E85 dispensers, blender pumps, biodiesel dispensers and biodiesel storage facilities. To date, the program has distributed or obligated over $33 million with $200 million added in private economic activity. The grant program is managed by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. Learn more on the Department’s website.
