Sunx Energy and BioDiesel

Does anyone have any info on the two owners James Stephenson and Wayne Stripp? Both, it seems, have been mainly idea guys and we have not found any record of operating a large or growing company.

My friend has considered the Sunx investment and has spoken with others who have toured their facility - the internet sure makes this easy. I have invested in several energy solutions so he came to me and asked for my advice. The following observations were made during the tour(note that this is all 3rd-party info - neither of us were there but the number of similar experienes lend credibility):

1. Their plant was not operational and during a tour guests were told the plant was down to allow visitors access without masks. It was suggested that an observation window might have been easier than shutting down production.
2. The large methanol "butler" building was outside and the owners seem to know very little about how the biodiesel is made and deferred such questions to their technical staff who were not available.
3. Two administrative staff have had their offices set-up in the production area making it unlikely the plant will/has ever produce(d) biodiesel.
4. Generic questions about the logic-controller (a technology readily available in other biodiesel operations) revealed a lack of understanding about the unit and its availability. Guests were assured the right people are working on it.
5. A patent pending process to grow large quantities of algae indoors appears to be what separates Sunx form the competition. Conceptually, the idea of a bioreactor to grow algae is decades old and perhaps the real challenge for Sunx is the design of a system that can produce the large capacity required to make their model work. Perhaps they have succeeded in this. It should be noted that most large capacity biodiesel producers are pursuing the same course.

For investors like my friend, producing 1-2 million gallons of algae oil is not a problem as there are two off-the-shelf systems available today - one in the UK and the other in Germany and both are relatively inexpensive. These systems are largely plug-and-play so volume is a simple matter of space, light, and money (OK, not so simple)

This opportunity has a noble and ambitious vision for energy production. It lacks substance (but it is still early so that is normal) and the owners could have packaged the opportunity more thoroughly; a working plant, a staffer versed in the technology should be at their discovery sessions, and the owners need to find someone very quickly to run the business. Oh, and I should mention A WORKING PLANT!

I am tempted to tell my friend not to invest at this stage and pursue his biodiesel plans on his own - though a trip to Vancouver to get out of these never-ending midwest winters is always worthwhile.

If anyone has better information, please let us know.

Newco