Bill O'Neill
Chief Executive Officer
Bill O’Neill joined Bion as its Chief Executive Officer in May 2022. He brings 30 years of experience developing distribution channels for specialty meat products. Throughout his career, he has partnered with leading retailers like Walmart, Kroger, Costco, Albertsons-Safeway, Ahold-Delhaize, HEB and Wegmans to create new product solutions for consumers.
Mark Smith
Chairman
Mark A. Smith has been President, General Counsel, interim Chief Financial Officer and a director of Bion Environmental Technologies, Inc. since late March 2003. Since that time, he has also served as sole director, President and General Counsel of Bion’s wholly-owned subsidiaries including Bion Services Group.
Jon Northrop
Secretary - Independent
Jon Northrop has served as our Secretary and a Director since March of 2003. Since September 2001 he has been self employed as a consultant with a practice focused on business buyer advocacy. Mr. Northrop is one of our founders and served as our Chief Executive Officer and a Director from our inception in September 1989 until August 2001.
Ed Schafer
Independent
Ed Schafer joined Bion’s Board in August, 2010, as Executive Vice Chairman, to provide Bion with strategic advice, focusing on areas of public policy related to the livestock industry both domestically and internationally. Mr. Schafer served as governor of North Dakota from 1992 to 2000 and served as Secretary of Agriculture under Pres. George W Bush from 2008 to 2009.
Bill Rupp
Independent
Mr. Rupp spent 25 years with Cargill, the last ten as President of Cargill Beef. He oversaw Cargill’s global beef business operations that did over $25 billion in annual sales in the U.S., Canada, Argentina, and Australia. Mr. Rupp also served five years as President of JBS Beef, where he led JBS’s North American beef business that did approximately $20 billion in sales. In 2021, Mr. Rupp was inducted into the National Provisioners’ Meat Packer Hall of Fame. Mr. Rupp joined Bion’s Board in Feb 2023.
Salvatore Zizza
Independent
Mr. Zizza brings decades of experience in institutional finance, commerce, and public company practices. He is a Director of several of the Gabelli Funds. He is also Chairman of Bergen Cove Realty, and a Director of Trans-Lux Corp. He is a retired Chairman of BAM and former CEO & Chairman of LVI Group, a NYSE-listed firm. Mr. Zizza joined Bion’s Board in Feb 2023.