Our Team

Our strength lies in the skill sets provided by our diverse and experienced group of scientists, businessmen, and agricultural producers.

PAUL T. MILLER, PhD., President and Managing Member.  Dr. Miller is one of the principal founders of the Company.  Dr. Miller established the financial groundwork for the Company beginning in June 2001 through the securing of both state and federal financial grants and private equity.  Dr. Miller drafted and initiated the core business plan with an emphasis on raw material acquisition, process technology development and market development.  Dr. Miller has been instrumental in recruiting and managing the team of professionals that have contributed to the positioning and success of Sustainable.  Dr. Miller provides a vision for the Company grounded in realistic business principles.  Dr. Miller is a Ph.D. chemist (Fall 2007) from the University of Montana.  He is a co-inventor on a drug manufacturing process, is a Clancy Gordon Scholarship Recipient and was a NSF research fellow at the University of Wyoming.  Dr. Miller provides oversight on operations, business development, marketing, sales, product development, research, and with finance aspects of the Company.  As President, CEO and Managing Member, Dr. Miller oversees and provides leadership with all aspects of Sustainable Systems’ business operations.  Dr. Miller has developed the company’s primary goals, operating plans, policies and short and long-range objectives with approval from the Board of Directors and guidance from the Advisory Board.  Dr. Miller directs and coordinates the company’s activities and orchestrated the framework for a 2400 % revenue increase between 2005 and 2006.  His efforts are focused on achieving profit and return on capital through the negotiation and determination of oilseed contract pricing and contractual market pricing for finished products.  Dr. Miller has established the organizational structure for the company and delegates authority to respective management and personnel.  In addition, Dr. Miller represents the company to customers, government agencies, shareholders, and the public.

Robert N. Turnbull (Neil), General Manager.  Mr. Turnbull is currently the General Manager of Montola our facility in Culbertson.  Mr. Turnbull joined Montola, under the previous owners, in June of 1998 after managing a diversified family farm and ranch operation for 15 years.  Prior to this, Mr. Turnbull was a merchandiser for Continental Grain from 1978 to 1983.  Mr. Turnbull persevered in the face of many difficult agricultural business challenges.  Mr. Turnbull provides substantial real world processing and marketing experience as well as an entrepreneurial drive and skill set to move the Culbertson biodiesel facility in a new direction.  Mr. Turnbull has a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics and a Masters of Science in Agricultural Economics and Marketing from the University of Idaho. 

Jennifer L. Kessner, Controller.  Mrs. Kessner is currently the Controller at Montola.  As a 21-year employee of the plant she provides an instrumental role in management and oversight.  As controller, Mrs. Kessner directs the financial affairs of the organization and prepares financial analyses of the operation, including interim and final financial statements with supporting schedules, for the guidance of management. Jennifer is responsible for the company's financial oversight and its accounting practices and policies, the conduct of its relationships with lending institutions and the financial community, the maintenance of its fiscal records, and the preparation of financial reports. Her position involves supervision over general accounting, property accounting, internal auditing, cost accounting, and budgetary controls. Jennifer is also the Benefits Coordinator at the plant.  She also hires, trains and manages office personnel, including temporary office staff during the harvest season.  She is a graduate of Minot State College, with a Bachelor of Science in accounting and a concentration in computer science.

David L. Tooke, Ph.D. Director of Operations.  A native of Washington State, Dr. Tooke joined Sustainable Systems in the summer of 2006. He completed a Ph.D. in Geochemistry in the spring of 2006 from the University of Montana. His research involved contaminant transport and fate modeling at a pulp mill in Missoula MT. Prior to this he completed an MS in environmental and analytical chemistry (UM) while working on air quality monitoring and compliance at the pulp mill. He served as the analytical chemist for all MACT-related compliance demonstrations during that period. From this work he acquired experience with operations and regulatory activities in large-scale industrial operations. Throughout his research, Dr. Tooke created several software applications for managing and reporting extensive datasets, and modeling biogeochemical cycles in industrial settings. He is responsible for regulatory permitting and compliance at our existing facility as well as permitting and regulatory compliance at new facilities. Dr. Tooke also retains an in-depth understanding of vegetable oil and biobased product chemistries and as such is leading projects in new chemistry and new product development. Dr. Tooke also provides support on establishment operations, staffing, and training for quality assurance and quality control governance for our analytical laboratory facilities at our current and future facilities.

Kalie J. Rider, RD. Nutrition Research. Ms. Rider is a Registered Dietitian, and brings nutrition expertise on Montola’s culinary oils to the Sustainable Systems team. She joined the company in October 2006 while working towards her Master’s in Environmental Studies at the University of Montana. She is a Montana Good Works Fellow, which means she is working to be a leader in building a sustainable food system in Montana. She received her Bachelor’s in Nutrition at the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, MN, and completed her dietetic internship at the Pennsylvania State University. Kalie grew up in on a farm in Western North Dakota (40 miles from the Montola facility) and has family friends who grow safflower for Montola. She has a vested interest in the company given its involvement in the viability of her hometown farmers as well as the health of the consumers who buy Montola’s culinary oils.

David H. Bjornson, CPA, JD, LLM, Secretary, General Counsel.  Mr. Bjornson has been our General Counsel since our formation in September 2001. He has spent most of his 17-year legal career practicing both in Seattle and in Missoula, Montana, specializing in business transactions, contracts, corporate law, real estate, taxation and estate planning and probate. He is currently the principal in Bjornson Law Offices, P.C., located in Missoula, Montana. From 1993 to 1998, Mr. Bjornson was a Partner at Boone, Karlberg & Haddon, in Missoula, Montana. He was previously employed by the Seattle law firms of Monahan & Biagi and Bogle & Gates. Prior to law school, he was employed by the international accounting firm of Touche Ross & Co. (1979-1982). From 1999 through 2001, he was an executive officer, board member and general counsel of Jore Corporation, a high technology manufacturer of power tool accessories and hand tools located in Ronan, Montana. During his tenure at Jore, the company completed an initial public offering of its shares for $46 million. Mr. Bjornson holds a Masters of Law degree (LL.M.) in taxation from New York University (1988), a J.D. degree (with honors) from the University of Montana (1985), a B.A. degree in Business Administration (with honors) from the University of Montana (1979), and is a Certified Public Accountant Certificate (1981).