Our Team
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FOUNDER
Luca Pandolfi founded Woodland BIO to pioneer a circular economy for transportation fuels, merging business efficiency with environmental sustainability. Convinced that smart, localized systems could revolutionize energy production, Pandolfi developed a model that converts woody biomass into carbon-neutral gasoline compatible with existing vehicles and infrastructure. This approach aims to displace fossil fuel extraction and refining processes by recycling carbon already in natural cycles, reducing net emissions and dependency on complex global supply chains.
After refining his concept through academic research at Ithaca College, Pandolfi validated its feasibility in the 2013 Ithaca College Business Idea Competition, where the project won first prize. Once graduated, Luca went on to work for various start-ups and businesses doing marketing and business development. In 2021, he started work on a revised version of a prototype system that would be implemented in the northeast, and so Woodland BIO was born.
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CO-FOUNDER
Rich’s extensive background in both energy and utilities has been invaluable toward refining the project into a viable engineering and business strategy.
He has worked in various leadership capacities for Pacific Gas & Electric Company, PSNC Energy, Stone & Webster Management Consultants, Dominion Energy, Whitetail Natural Gas Services, and now Woodland Biomass Innovations.
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FINANCE DIRECTOR
Matt joined Woodland BIO after over six years as a controller with Corning Incorporated, before joining their mergers and acquisitions team. Before joining Corning, Matt oversaw the sale of Canyon Environmental LLC as their CFO, and worked as the Controller for Dirt Excavating, LLC. After verifying the feasibility study and business model, Matt helped to develop a comprehensive investment roadmap to help launch the first facility.