ND Ethanol's best friend Satrang: Ethanol is good for environment motorists, and rural communities WEST FARGO, N.D.-Look up "friend to Satrang says, rather than an oil company ethano" in a reference book, and you'll like excutive. "We say, 'Choice at the blender ly see Kent Satrang's photo. pump puts change in everyone's pocket. Satrang grew up in Rolette, N.D., where cer of Petro Serve USA, based in West Far his father was a Cenex truck driver. He go, N.D the strongest promoter of ethanol graduated in business management from the fuel in the region. The company nears $200 University of North Dakota and went to work At 61, Satrang is the chief executive offi million in sales with 33 convenience stores. for Farmers Union oil companies -all affili Petro Serve technically is a doing-business ates of Cenex name of a member-owned cooperative, He started at age 22 in 1980, managing Farmers Union Oil Co. of Moorhead, Minn stores at Glen Ullin, N.D., and Hebron, N.D. The co-op is an owner of CHS Inc., of Inver He went on to be chief executive officer of Grove Heights, Minn., which supplies some a Cenex in Ellendale, N.D., and then in 1986 Photo taken Feb. 5, 2019, West Fargo, N.D Forum News Service/ Ken Satrang, chief executive officer at Petro Serve USA, based in West Fargo, N.D of their fuel. at Drayton, N.D. In 1992, he got into sell Petro Serve" became the Red River Val- ing ethanol, promoting the ethanol product has been a heavy promoter of ethanol fuel in his company's 33 convenience stores ley's largest supplier of home heating (proof the local Alchem Ltd., at Grafton, N.D pane and fueloi) and commercial heating, owned by ethanol production pioneer Harold State support including propane for farmers' grain dryers, Newman, of Jamestown, N.D. ethanol you should still buy it because it's good for corn farmers. If you don't, you're Hoeven and his successor, Gov. Jack Dal- tractor fuel and overnight fueling for truck- In those days, some gas stations were put rymple, were recognized in the country for helping people overseas who don't like us But 75 percent of Petro Serve's business is oline didn't contain gasahol," the term of they were "100 percent for ethanol and 100 He says some of his biggest convenience ers during the construction season. convenience stores, and a lot of that has to Growing ethanol ting up signs boasting saying that their gas their pro-ethanol programs. Said Satrang: and our lifestyle. percent for oil." the day for ethanol blends, Satrang went in store competitors are becoming more active the opposite direction -the farmer's direc- Petro Serve started out handling the Cen- on ethanol. Casey's, based in lowa, recently tion putting up signs, saying, "We proudly ex brand only but during North Dakota's oil got a grant to put Ei5 blends in a number oft sell ethanol grown by local farmers and pro- bom, Cenex couldn't supply enough fuel, so Satrang came to the company business at that time did Si0 million in sales with three stores. He and Clark Erickson, the In 1998, Satrang went to Moorhead. In the Tesoro brand. in 1998. The Satrang says it's clear how much ethanol production has done for rural towns in North Dakota. The towns of Hankinson, Casselton and Underwood are each buoyed by dozens duced in the Grafton ethanol plant," he says. athey established some of their stores under rebranded as Petro Ethanol is good for motorists because it In 2006, the company Serve USA, becoming 2006, the company n for their slon of good-paying jobs. m apparent ins chief operating officer, were instrumental in 2000, Satrang cooperated with North Dakota corn groups, Gov. ohn Hoeven and others to customers to buy E85 at 85 cents a gallon Minn, to Mandan, N.D., and from Grafton, He worked with com promoters to pro- making the business double in sales every three years. "We did that five times," Sa- declared a "tax holiday" for ethanol, allow- "Helping America Fuel Better." Today, the stores range from Bemidji, off the price. creates a competition for petroleum-based More importantly, corn prices have strengthened, bringing dozens of daughters "The big push the reason to grow that vesting hundreds of thousands of dollars intoErybody is already using E1o because the and sons back to the farms, "That's really N.D., to Wahpeton, N.D. mote the "bio-blender ckoff, in- products. much has been to put ethanol in the neigh- new equipment, allowing choices for E30 10 percent blend is an excellent oxygenate. borhood gas pumps in each neighborood and ES5. "North Dakota had more bioblend- Increasing to E15 works for cars manufac- Satrang says. Almost everybody uses E10 (i0 er pumps than any other state in America, tured after 2001, and possibly sacrifices 1.5 percent ethanol) there are increasing mar- Satrang says, noting that Petro Serve had 9o to 2 percent gas mileage - about a wash, or something to be proud of,"Satrang says. CORN kets for E15, E30 and ESs. of the 250 blender pumps that went in across saving a little bit We'd like the customer to make a choice," the state. "If you can break even (on fuel cost) using North Dakota Dihanl Council COUNCI 30% ETWAWO FLE.FUEL Forum News Service Agwee AgWeek staff Forum News Service/Agweek Courtesy Petro Serve USA Kent Satrang, chief executive officer at Petro Serve USA, says one of the keys to his Petro Serve USA has been in its corporate headquarters in West Fargo, N.D., for only company's success is giving consumers what they want straight gasoline, to the a few years. The building was "repurposed from an old "Smokey's" restaurant location common E10 blend, and up to E85. Photo taken Feb. 4, 2019, at Valley City, N.D. th some of the labor provided by employees. Date unknown, West Fargo, N.D.