Glacial Lakes Energy

What Glacial Lakes Energy does

Glacial Lakes Energy, LLC (GLE) is a South Dakota-based dry-mill ethanol producer and wholly-owned subsidiary of Glacial Lakes Corn Processors (GLCP), an agricultural cooperative with over 4,000 member shareholders formed in May 2001. GLE operates four ethanol production facilities in South Dakota — Watertown (130+ mgy), Mina (140+ mgy), Aberdeen (~50 mgy), and Huron (~40 mgy) — giving the company combined annual production capacity of more than 370 million gallons of renewable ethanol, alongside 1.1 million tons of distillers grains (DDGS) and 69,000 tons of corn oil as co-products. The cooperative model binds members to corn delivery obligations in proportion to their shares and distributes annual net income through patronage dividends, with nearly $240 million returned to shareholders since inception.

The company runs a vertically integrated commodity business: corn is procured from member shareholders (with freight incentives of $0.02–$0.23 per bushel by distance) under Uniform Marketing and Delivery Agreements, processed via standardized dry-mill ethanol technology built or designed by Fagen, Inc. and ICM, Inc., and sold into regional, national, and West Coast markets by rail (BNSF access at Mina) or truck. Beyond the four wholly-owned plants, GLE holds minority equity and management roles in Granite Falls Energy (16%), Redfield Energy (8%), and Harvestone Commodities Group (22.8%), the latter providing global ethanol marketing and trading reach. Distribution downstream is supported by a blender-pump network spanning South Dakota and Minnesota through partnerships with Cenex and Kum & Go, and by the E30 Challenge consumer campaign launched in 2016 that has logged over 200 million miles of E30 use in non-flex fuel vehicles.

GLE's revenue is generated primarily through commodity ethanol and co-product sales with publicly undisclosed unit pricing; the cooperative's $24.1 million FY2024 NQWNA payment to shareholders indicates ongoing profitability. The leadership team — CEO Jim Seurer (since 2008), CFO John Marshall, COO Dan Luckett (joined April 2024), Chief Communications & Administrative Officer Marcy Kohl, Chief Commercial Officer Ty Weisendanger, and Chief HR & Safety Officer Marc Serrett (joined August 2024) — oversees operations across the four-plant network. The company is privately held as a cooperative subsidiary, with stock transfers requiring Board consent and managed through AgStockTrade.

Name

Glacial Lakes Energy

Legal name

Glacial Lakes Corn Processors

Website

https://glaciallakesenergy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Glacial Lakes Energy is a South Dakota agricultural cooperative operating four dry-mill ethanol plants producing 370+ million gallons of ethanol, 1.1 million tons of distillers grains, and 69,000 tons of corn oil annually, serving fuel blenders and livestock feed markets via over 4,000 farmer-member shareholders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ethanol Production

NAICS

Corn Farming (11115)

SIC

Grain Mill Products (2040)

akta.pro primary industry

Agricultural Residues & Energy Crops Biomass Power (Stover, Bagasse, Pellets) (EUACAIAF)

Keywords

• Corn ethanol production
• Renewable fuel manufacturing
• Distillers grains feed
• Agricultural cooperative
• Bioethanol processing

Headquarters

HQ city

Watertown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Ethanol Production and Sales: GLE produces and sells renewable ethanol from its four production facilities. Combined production capacity exceeds 370 million gallons per year. Ethanol is shipped by rail or truck to markets.
2. Distillers Grains Sales: Sales of modified wet distillers grains and dried distillers grains (DDGS) as animal feed supplements to dairy, beef, swine, and poultry industries. Production of approximately 1.1 million tons per year.
3. Corn Oil Production: Production and sale of corn oil as a co-product of ethanol manufacturing, with annual production of approximately 69,000 tons.
4. Patronage Dividends: As a cooperative, GLE distributes annual net income to members based on patronage in the form of dividends and retains. The cooperative has returned almost $240 million in dividends to shareholders since inception.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Glacial Lakes Energy is a corn ethanol producer operating four dry mill production facilities in South Dakota (Watertown, Mina, Aberdeen, Huron) with combined annual capacity exceeding 370 million gallons of renewable ethanol. The company is wholly owned by Glacial Lakes Corn Processors (GLCP), an agricultural cooperative of over 4,000 farmer-member shareholders, and also produces approximately 1.1 million tons of modified wet and dried distillers grains (DDGS) and 69,000 tons of corn oil annually as co-products. Member shareholders deliver corn for processing and receive patronage dividends, with nearly $240 million returned since inception.

Product overview

Glacial Lakes Energy operates as an ethanol production company with four facilities producing renewable ethanol, distillers grains animal feed, and corn oil. The company is wholly owned by Glacial Lakes Corn Processors (GLCP), a South Dakota agricultural cooperative with over 4,000 members. The core products are ethanol (in various blend configurations including E30, E85, and E10) and its co-products including distillers grains (DDGS) and corn oil. The company operates on a cooperative model where member shareholders deliver corn for processing and receive patronage dividends. Combined annual production capacity exceeds 370 million gallons of ethanol, 1.1 million tons of distillers grains, and 69,000 tons of corn oil.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Renewable Ethanol (E10, E30, E85 blends) Ethanol produced from corn at four dry mill facilities in South Dakota (Watertown, Mina, Aberdeen, Huron) with combined annual capacity exceeding 370 million gallons. Ethanol is shipped by rail or truck to fuel blenders and distributors across various blend configurations including E10, E30 (30% ethanol), and E85, and is also offered through a network of blender pump locations in South Dakota and Minnesota.
• Distillers Grains (Modified Wet and Dried DDGS) Animal feed supplement produced from non-fermentable components of corn, available as modified wet distillers grains (approximately 52% moisture content, ~2-week storage life) and dried distillers grains (10-11% moisture, long storage life). Sold as a high-protein, high-energy feed supplement for dairy, beef, swine, and poultry operations in regional Midwest and west coast markets; total annual production approximately 1.1 million tons.
• Corn Oil Corn oil extracted as a co-product during the ethanol production process, with total annual production of approximately 69,000 tons. Sold to corn oil processors for further industrial and food-grade processing applications.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Agtegra CooperativecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 December 2019GLE Huron procures all corn needed to run the facility from Agtegra Cooperative, which serves as the primary corn supplier for the Huron plant.
• Granite Falls EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGLE holds a 16% ownership interest in Granite Falls Energy LLC, a combined 120 mgy production facility near Granite Falls, MN and Heron Lake, MN. GLE also provides management oversight for this facility.
• Redfield EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGLE holds an 8% ownership interest and a board seat in Redfield Energy LLC, a 60 mgy (50 mgy at the referenced source) production facility near Redfield, SD. GLE serves as the management team.
• Fagen, Inc.minorOthersDesign/Build team for the GLE Mina ethanol plant. Fagen, Inc. of Granite Falls, MN served as the primary design/build contractor.
• ICM, Inc.minorOthersDesign/Build team for the GLE Mina ethanol plant. ICM, Inc. of Colwich, KS provided process technology and engineering.
• BNSF RailwayminorOthersBNSF railway is adjacent to the Mina plant site, providing direct access for unit train shipments of ethanol to markets outside the local area.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• POET: The largest U.S. ethanol producer, also headquartered in South Dakota (Sioux Falls). Operates 30+ dry mill ethanol plants producing ethanol, distillers grains, and corn oil with the same cooperative-style supply model and regional concentration as GLE. Most directly comparable competitor.
• Green Plains Inc. Major publicly traded U.S. ethanol pure-play with 12+ plants producing ethanol, distillers grains, and corn oil. Similar diversified product mix and dry mill process as GLE, with comparable scale and a public capital structure providing a useful valuation benchmark for GLE's cooperative model.
• Alto Ingredients: Pure-play U.S. ethanol producer (formerly Pacific Ethanol) with multiple plants producing ethanol, distillers grains, and corn oil. Directly comparable business model and product mix to GLE, though smaller in total capacity and primarily West Coast-focused.
• REX American Resources: Ethanol-focused producer operating multiple corn ethanol plants with similar dry mill technology and co-product mix. Publicly traded comparable providing valuation reference for GLE's privately held cooperative operations.
• Aemetis: Renewable fuels and chemicals company producing corn ethanol and renewable diesel. Similar technology platform and focus on low-carbon renewable fuels, with comparable challenges around ethanol commodity pricing and RFS dependency as GLE.

Broad incumbents

• Archer Daniels Midland (ADM): Global agricultural commodity giant with significant corn dry mill ethanol operations as part of its broader agricultural services and processing portfolio. Operates ethanol plants similar to GLE's facilities but is much larger, more diversified, and serves a wider range of customers across multiple geographies.
• Valero Energy: Major U.S. oil refiner that operates corn-based ethanol plants as part of its broader energy portfolio. Has similar production capabilities to GLE in ethanol manufacturing but is significantly larger and more diversified across refining, retail, and renewable fuels.
• Flint Hills Resources: Koch subsidiary operating ethanol plants as part of its broader energy and chemicals portfolio. Operates corn ethanol production with similar process technology as GLE but with backing from a much larger parent and broader refining/petrochemical exposure.
• Cargill: Global agricultural commodity trader and processor with ethanol operations as part of its broader agribusiness portfolio. Notable because GLE's CFO previously held senior finance roles at Cargill, and Cargill's ethanol presence overlaps with GLE's Midwest corn processing footprint.

Regional players

• Siouxland Ethanol: Smaller regional ethanol producer in the upper Midwest with similar business model to GLE. Comparable in feedstock (corn) and end products (ethanol, distillers grains) but operates at a fraction of GLE's 370+ mgy scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gleethanol
• Facebookfacebook.com/158496760848947
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/glacial-lakes-energy-llc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Glacial Lakes Energy