Robert (Bob) G. Riley, Jr., has worked for more than 40 years in the fats and oil processing industry in many capacities. He has also focused on domestic and international sales and marketing, laboratory supervision, research and development, as well as executive and corporate management.
In 1986, Bob purchased Feed Energy and immediately began the process of building a company with products developed on sound research and science.
In 2006 he formed FEC Solutions to pursue opportunities within the ethanol and biodiesel industries. Just three years later, Riley became a strategic advisor and investor in Decision Innovation Solutions, an Iowa start-up information research company, specializing in data analysis and economic research.
Why create the Seven Capitals series?
It starts with the concept of Waste Not, Want Not, which demands curiosity, connects us to systems thinking and leads to an awe and wonder of the world. Each of these connects to present the question of “what if?”
Olivia is a recent environmental journalism grad from Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA and completed the columbia publishing course in book editing at Oxford this fall. She is the digital creator and editor for Your Green Portal and manages the website and social media accounts.
Olivia had the opportunity to work as a communications intern for the Iowa Environmental Council and as the editor for Western’s environmental magazine, The Planet.
Why focus on policy?
Olivia believes that in order to create environmental change, a multifaceted approach must be implemented with help from all levels of government. She urges environmental policymakers to prioritize human health and justice to create an equitable and healthy future.
Alicia is the Water Program Associate Director at the Iowa Environmental Council, where she supports the Council’s outreach and policy work for clean water and a healthy landscape.
Alicia received her undergraduate degree in environmental science from the University of Notre Dame. She holds a Master of Environmental Management degree from Duke University with a focus on land conservation and management.
Prior to joining the Council in 2019, she served as the Executive Director of the Iowa Conservation Education Coalition. Alicia grew up in Adel, Iowa.
In her free time, she enjoys cycling, travel, and yoga.
Katrin is a current senior at Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa. As a part of her project for Valley’s Honors Diploma Program, she is shadowing Lynnae Marty Hentzen and acting as a guest host on Green City.
Katrin is interested in media and journalism because she is co-Editor-in-Chief of her school’s newspaper, Spotlight.
After moving from California to Iowa in middle school, she wants to learn about Des Moines further from an environmental science and sustainability viewpoint.
Katrin plans to study chemistry in college. In her free time, she enjoys baking, crocheting, and listening to podcasts.
