Green Tech Co. Refocuses With Clean Slate, New Leadership

Bion Environmental Technologies Inc. (BNET:OTCQB), which is focused on developing state-of-the-art indoor cattle feeding operations and providing ammonia solutions for the clean fuels industry, announced several leadership changes as it "refocuses on execution and commencing project development."

Chief Executive Officer Bill O'Neill resigned effective June 1 "to pursue other interests” but will work with the company until the end of June to ensure a smooth transition.

Greg Schoener has taken over the role of interim chief operating officer, the company said, and has also joined its Board of Directors.

A successful business owner and operator in the construction industry in Houston, he brings "broad management experience, with an emphasis on mission-focused execution and accountability," the company said. Schoener has also been a Bion shareholder since 2020.

"We're going to start by establishing a culture of budget and fiscal responsibility, execution, and accountability," Schoener said. "We're not changing direction, just our path. We're getting back on the one that made sense to me when I invested in 2020: focus on development of the first project. Worry about the next one, or multiple projects, once we've accomplished that."

Bion's Ammonia Recovery System (ARS) was developed to process and treat livestock waste streams with a focus on discharges from anaerobic digesters. It's at the core of the company's Gen3Tech technology, which produces renewable energy and clean water from livestock waste streams and removes the ammonia, then stabilizes and repurposes it into low-carbon and organic nitrogen fertilizers using only the compounds in the waste stream itself.

This keeps ammonia out of the air, land, and water and saves the resource from being lost. It can then be used as an organic fertilizer, adding significant value to help offset treatment costs, the company said.

Future Catalysts: More Team Additions Expected

In addition to those changes, Senior Vice President Craig Scott is joining the Board of Directors and will assume "a broader management role for Bion, including business development." Scott has been with the company in several senior positions dating back to 1996.

Chairman of the Board of Directors, President and counsel Mark Smith was slated to retire at the end of June 2024. Bion said he has agreed to continue to perform his duties for the time being to assist the company in its transition. The remainder of the Board's members will continue in their roles.

Bion said, "More additions to the team and Board can be expected."

'Company's Time Has Come'

Technical Analyst Clive Maund noted that Bion's technology has the goal of greatly reducing waste and pollution and converting into by-products that can be used or sold.

"With the current drive toward sustainable production, the company's time has come, especially as its technologies will greatly assist consumer lobby groups who represent the vast numbers of consumers who do not want to eat insects in making a case for continued consumption of real meat products on the grounds that, thanks to the company's processes and technologies, meat production has become much more sustainable with much less environmental impact," Maund wrote in March.

Maund wrote that if you zoom out via the company's five-year chart, the stock was near the bottom of a very large trading range that "started to form back early in 202 following a dramatic spike."

"An important point well worth observing on this chart is that when Bion decides to move, it moves BIG, and it moves FAST," Maund noted. "This is made abundantly clear by the two dramatic spikes during the life of this chart — the one early in 2021 just mentioned above and a similar one early last year."

Maund rated Bion a Strong Buy for all timeframes.

Truly Sustainable Beef at Scale

With its Gen3Tech, the company said it will lead the charge to produce truly sustainable beef at scale within the next two years.

The technology treats waste from indoor finishing facilities, where cattle are grain-fed and the vast majority of U.S. beef is produced, reducing pollution and upcycling it into valuable fertilizer products, clean water, and renewable energy. Cleaning up the finishing facility is the lynchpin in a sustainable value chain. Bion said indoor barns, coupled with its Gen3Tech platform, represent the most advanced, efficient, and cleanest production possible in the beef industry today.

Cattle feeders and producers can also create more value for their commodity through premium pricing by having a sustainable brand that would be backed up by Bion's technology and third-party verification, the company noted.

According to the company, more than 75% of the nitrogen in livestock waste escapes to the environment as ammonia, which is an economic loss and a source of pollution, harmful algae blooms, and contaminated groundwater.

Bion's process "helps offset treatment costs and provides an economic driver that allows the nitrogen to be redistributed from where it is not wanted, and precision applied when and where it is needed," the company said.

Ownership and Share Structure

According to Reuters, nearly 22% of Bion Environmental is owned by management and insiders. President and General Counsel Mark Smith has the most out of this category at 10.07% with 5.69 million shares. 

About 1.25% is with Centerpoint Corp. with 0.70 million shares. Less than 1% is held by institutions. The rest is with retail.

Bion has a market cap of US$23.17 million. Trading over the past 52 weeks ranged from US$0.37 per share to US$1.54.

Important Disclosures:

1. Bion Environmental Technologies Inc. has a consulting relationship with an affiliate of Streetwise Reports, and pays a monthly consulting fee between US$8,000 and US$20,000. 
2. As of the date of this article, officers and/or employees of Streetwise Reports LLC (including members of their household) own securities of Bion Environmental Technologies Inc.
3. Steve Sobek wrote this article for Streetwise Reports LLC and provides services to Streetwise Reports as an employee.
4.  This article does not constitute investment advice and is not a solicitation for any investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her personal financial adviser and perform their own comprehensive investment research. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company. 

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Contributing Author Disclosures

1. For this article, the Company has paid Street Smart, an affiliate of Streetwise Reports, US$1,500 in addition to the monthly consulting fee. 
2. Author Certification and Compensation: [Clive Maund of clivemaund.com] is being compensated as an independent contractor by Street Smart, an affiliate of Streetwise Reports, for writing this article. Maund received his UK Technical Analysts’ Diploma in 1989.  The recommendations and opinions expressed in this content accurately reflect the personal, independent, and objective views of the author regarding any and all of the designated securities discussed. No part of the compensation received by the author was, is, or will be directly or indirectly related to the specific recommendations or views expressed

Clivemaund.com Disclosures

The above represents the opinion and analysis of Mr. Maund, based on data available to him, at the time of writing. Mr. Maund's opinions are his own, and are not a recommendation or an offer to buy or sell securities. As trading and investing in any financial markets may involve serious risk of loss, Mr. Maund recommends that you consult with a qualified investment advisor, one licensed by appropriate regulatory agencies in your legal jurisdiction and do your own due diligence and research when making any kind of a transaction with financial ramifications. Although a qualified and experienced stock market analyst, Clive Maund is not a Registered Securities Advisor. Therefore Mr. Maund's opinions on the market and stocks cannot be  only be construed as a recommendation or solicitation to buy and sell securities.