People Driving Innovation: Leadership in Action at Greenfield Global
Greenfield Global is best known for producing fuel ethanol but in early 2020, that same expertise fueled something different. As global demand for hand sanitizer surged, Plant Manager Brendan Bland and his team at the Johnstown facility reimagined their operations almost overnight, building new processes, packaging solutions, and logistics pathways to pivot ethanol production toward hand sanitizer manufacturing, and help keep Canadians safe.
“Everyone stepped up,” Brendan recalls. “It was stressful, but there was a real sense of purpose. We knew we were helping people across the country.”
At the Johnstown facility, innovation isn’t just a boardroom exercise, it happens daily on the plant floor, led by people who take pride in solving problems, supporting their community, and improving the fuels Canadians rely on every day. For Brendan, that’s what makes the work meaningful.
“I’ve always loved figuring out how things work and how to make them better,” he says. “But what really motivates me is the team. They’re the ones who make innovation happen.”
From the moment he joined Greenfield, Brendan was drawn to the culture of collaboration, where everyone, from operators and technicians to engineers and supervisors, is encouraged to contribute ideas. The result is a workplace where continuous improvement is part of the daily rhythm. He describes his leadership style as practical and empowering, which to him means giving people the support they need, removing barriers, and trusting them to create solutions.
“Innovation comes from the people who are closest to the process,” Brendan explains. “It’s someone noticing a trend, having an idea, and bringing it forward. My job is to make sure those ideas can actually become reality.”
Under Brendan’s leadership, the Johnstown facility has implemented a range of upgrades that reflect Greenfield Global’s commitment to low-carbon fuel solutions, including:
- Heat recovery systems and steam efficiency upgrades that cut energy use and emissions
- Feedstock optimization to support both fuel and industrial alcohol markets
- Advanced control systems to improve reliability and reduce waste
- A major heat recovery initiative aimed at lowering the plant’s carbon footprint
“Every improvement, big or small, brings us closer to a cleaner, more efficient facility,” Brendan says. “That’s what makes the work exciting.”
It’s the same instinct that drives Greenfield’s work in Canada’s low-carbon fuels sector — the belief that the infrastructure, expertise, and ambition built around ethanol can fuel more than engines. It can fuel what comes next. The Johnstown plant also supports more than 250 farming operations in Eastern Ontario, anchors dozens of local jobs, and contributes tens of millions to the regional economy. Producing domestic ethanol and industrial alcohols also strengthens Canada’s energy security by reducing reliance on imports.
“When people think about fuel, they don’t always see the local impacts — the farmers, the supply chain, the jobs,” Brendan notes. “But our work touches communities across the region and supports Canadians across the country.”
Looking ahead, Brendan sees enormous opportunity in new technologies and expanded biofuels use into other transportation modes, including green methanol for marine and alcohol-to-jet sustainable aviation fuel
“There’s so much innovation happening right now, and biofuels are at the heart of it, meeting the transportation need that matter most to Canadians,” he says. “It’s exciting to know our team is helping build what comes next.”
People like Brendan and his team in Johnstown are proof that local ingenuity in biofuels production is a steady driver of national energy security, reliability, and progress — one plant, one innovation, one shift at a time.
