O’Connor & Partners LLC will consult to companies that want to produce chemicals and energy from annually renewable feedstocks. We will help our clients attain economic utilization of the major fractions of biomass as well as minor components that can be functionalized into high-value specialty products. The main components of all forms biomass are cellulose (which is a long chain of simple sugars) and hemicellulose (which are the long chains of simple sugars).

Many chemicals we now make from petroleum were made once from sugar. Many of these chemicals have niche markets with high barriers to entry and small market share. The others are comprised of commodities whose manufacturing costs are optimized by the economies of scale found in the traditional refineries of the world. It is vital to start with much lower feedstock costs to ensure that you can compete in today’s global market. Biomass feeds made from lignocellulosic lignocellulosic biofuels can be much more cost-effective than petroleum. Biomass can contain the same sugars that have been proven effective.

There are many products that cannot be made from biomass sugars. In industrial biotechnology, fermentation organisms have been developed that produce specific products with high selectivities. This is important in many pharmaceutical compounds, such as those made from racemic stereoisomers. Traditional biochemistry processes and feedstocks would be too expensive to reproduce these feats. Cargill Dow LLC has a great example industrial biotechnology: polylactide monomers made of fermented corn sugars. Industry observers have called industrial biotech the « third wave » of biotechnology.

O&#8217 Connor & Partners LLC recognizes the need for technical excellence that is grounded in economic reality in new ventures within bio-refining. We aim to provide management consulting services to individuals and companies who are aiming to become leaders in the bioindustrial revolution. The expected customer base includes emerging industrial-biotechnology firms, large existing chemical companies and utilities, and agricultural operations. Our clients will be able to realize industrial at a lower cost or in a shorter time than they would do on their own. We also guarantee top-quality professional service. With our assistance our clients will also achieve sustainability from the perspective of the triple bottom lines – economic, environmental, and social responsibilities in all their business activities.

The potential market is enormous. Experts have estimated that bio-refining will grow into an industry ranging from $280 billion/yr to $500 billion/yr by 2013.

O&#8217 Connor & Partners LLC opens in Minneapolis (Minnesota), starting with Ryan O&#8217 Connor, the founder partner and one associate (to come). One secretary will also be hired. Figure 1 predicts sales, gross profit and net profit for three years. The plan begins with an investment from outside investors. The plan projects a modest profit over three years and a healthy total worth at year end. The firm should be well-positioned at this point to hire more consultants, or even to buy-out a major consultancy.

1.1 Mission

O&#8217’Connor & Partners will be America’s leading firm for bio-refining consultancy. They are experts in the economic and technical analysis of integrated biorefining projects. This service will be provided while we respect our economic, social and environmental responsibilities for clients, our industry and ourselves.

1.2 Objectives

We seek to establish the industry standard for technical and business excellence in the pursuit of visionary bio-refining platforms, according to customer-satisfaction and industry surveys. The following are key elements to achieve this objective:

• Unique consulting services that have been proven to work.
• Ability to manage confidentiality and intellectual-property issues among competitors.
• Professional relevance (stated-of-the art awareness) as well as knowledge growth in a rapidly expanding industry.
• Demonstrating concern for clients’#8217s well-being, which results in repeat business and a strong reputation for our firm.
• Retention and development of our employees.

Success Keys 1.3

• Professional quality in all consulting
• Ability to manage confidentiality and intellectual-property issues among competitors