The values that define military service — discipline, integrity, and teamwork — don't end when the uniform comes off.
America's bioethanol industry is powered by people who know what it means to serve. Veterans make up 16% of the industry's workforce — nearly three times the national average, according to the U.S Department of Energy.
Across the bioethanol industry, veterans are putting their skills to work every day, helping to strengthen America's energy future. POET alone employs more than 180 veterans across its corporate offices, terminals, and bioprocessing facilities.
Charles Hauxwell, Health and Safety Program Specialist at POET in Sioux Falls, had served in the Army for nearly 21 years before joining the company. According to him, it was a smooth adaptation to his new role.
“I had that energy and drive from my military career,” Hauxwell said. “It was a really easy transition to focus all that energy and focus into my daily activities.”
Shirley Matlock, after two years of service in the Air Force, started to work at POET Bioprocessing – Shelbyville in 2020 as a Grain Merchandiser. The decision to be back in the workforce was influenced by her desire to work close to home and be involved in agriculture.
“I wanted to work for a company that was involved, that had a faith-based mission,” Matlock said. “That’s actually what led me to it more than anything else.”
Parallels between careers
According to Matlock, at POET, problem-solving happens in a similar way to her experience in the Air Force.
In both, it’s not about one team or one person doing a job and being responsible for everything — it’s about everybody working together. If there is a challenge or a failure, someone is there to help figure out how to navigate it and get the situation back on track.
Hauxwell also sees teamwork as the biggest parallel between his time serving in the army and his career at POET. One person can’t run a facility. One person can’t organize all the activities at the plant. It must be done by many, with communication, teamwork, and organization.
“That’s directly related to one person can’t go fight a battle, it’s not going to be successful. It requires more individuals involved,” he said.
Work at POET is not only about energy. It is about being part of a team and having a purpose, values that are learned early and developed in a military career.
Energy is everywhere, including in the future
Energy has been part of Hauxwell's daily life since his time in the army. Much of his role involved defending the U.S.’s ability to secure oil.
“That was one thing that really drew me to it,” he said. “I work for a company that tries to reduce our oil dependency. That was a big thing for me too, to be part of that.”
At his current job at POET, he is still dealing with energy — at a slower pace, but with great expectations for the future. Hauxwell sees the next chapter of American energy as one with more variety of sources.
To him, the most exciting example of this is a recent picture of POET Bioprocessing – Big Stone. In the background is a coal-generated energy plant. In the foreground is the POET facility alongside new technology that captures and stores thermal energy to run that plant. The juxtaposition speaks volumes.
“To me, it's just the most amazing picture that's out there,” Hauxwell said. “That's because I think our future is something along those lines.”
Matlock sees the future as an opportunity to keep finding ways to use our resources sustainably to make sure that the world is in a position to keep producing crops in a safe and healthy way, not just for the consumer, but for the earth itself. Growth for the industry and sustainability are important.
“As far as what we're on, on that bioenergy side, it goes hand-in-hand,” she said.
A holiday that feels different
Anyone who gave years of their lives to protect this country has a special passion for the Fourth of July, according to Matlock.
“It doesn't matter how long the you served — with every single service member, it started with that commitment to give their life for this country and to protect the freedoms and the rights of the American people,” she said.
Hauxwell shares the same feeling. To him, Independence Day is the time of the year when he and his family can celebrate and reflect upon the sacrifices he made for nearly 21 years of his life.
“It allows us to celebrate the fact that we live in the greatest country in the world,” he said.
