Officers

Fredrick W. (Rick) Huszagh II, Chief Executive Officer, Co-Founder

Entrepreneur Rick Huszagh brings more than a decade’s worth of expertise in starting and growing business ventures in the technology and agriculture industries. Rick founded software company PMTI in 1995 and expanded operations with a subsidiary in Europe, growing a worldwide client base. In 2000, Rick sold PMTI to the largest technology venture capitalist group in the United States to form Law.com. While Rick continued to manage a family-owned livestock farm with his wife Crista Carrell, they expanded their focus in renewable energy solutions, founding non-profit Down to Earth Foundation to provide experiential environmental education for students. In 2003, Rick went on to begin biodiesel research and production and was awarded a USDA grant for renewable energy technology to further his efforts in 2007. In May 2008, Rick founded Down to Earth Energy, LLC with partners Crista Carrell, McKay Johnson and Tyson Johnson. Rick has served on the States Biofuels Clearinghouse Board and currently serves as Chief Executive Officer for Down to Earth Energy leading the business development and overall operations for the business. Rick is a graduate of Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine.

McKay Johnson, President, Co-Founder

McKay Johnson spent several years teaching economics and successfully incubating small businesses in an emerging capitalist country in the former Soviet Union. Following his interests in environmental sustainability, McKay returned to the United States and served as the Director of two Georgia-based land conservation non-profit organizations – successfully protecting green space, developing public parks, and advocating for changes in local laws towards a more sustainable approach to land use. McKay joined Down to Earth Energy in 2008 to serve as President where he leads marketing, sales, and daily operations of the biodiesel facility. He is a graduate of Hampden-Sydney College in Hampton-Sydney, Virginia.

Tyson Johnson, Chief Financial Officer, Co-Founder

Tyson Johnson brings a wealth of expertise in facility concept communication, construction, and management for multi-million dollar corporate projects. Tyson joined Down to Earth Energy in 2008, leading the construction of the two-million-gallon per year biodiesel research and production facility. Tyson serves as Chief Financial Officer for Down to Earth Energy and leads lab operations and biodiesel research opportunities and partnerships. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia.
 

Team Members

Larry Keith, Researcher

Larry Keith has more than 40 years experience as an analytical chemist with complex environmental matrices including oil, water, soil, air, and hazardous chemicals. He has more than 20 years of experience with QA/QC – developing Data Quality Objectives (DQOs) for a national classified intelligence agency and teaching QA/QC courses to government agencies and private companies in Asia, Australia, Canada, South and Central America, Europe, and throughout the United States.

Peter Rabover, Chief Financial Advisor

Peter Rabover, a Chartered Financial Analyst® charterholder, brings a wealth of business and financial consulting expertise to Down to Earth Energy. Peter previously served as a Senior Analyst at Hahn Capital Management in San Francisco, California and an Auditor with US Steel. From 2003 – 2005, he served as a small business Consultant with the United States Peace Corps in the Republic of Kazakhstan in Central Asia, the ninth largest country in the world, where he founded the North Kazakhstan Credit Fund. Peter is a graduate of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and is currently attending the University of Virginia, Darden School of Business.