AlgaeVS Team

Ross O. Youngs, CEO & Founder of Univenture and Algaeventure Systems, Inc., has established himself as a leader in the conservation of both natural and industrial resources. Soon after founding Univenture in 1988, Ross became the successful inventor of products and technologies, such as the Safety-sleeve®, U-1000 technology, EnvyPak™, and the UniKeep™ binder. He holds a number of patents in the US and around the world. Ross’ newest breakthrough technology, the Algaeventure Systems harvester, is used to efficiently extract algae out of water and remove the moisture content with minimal energy costs. His harvesting, dewatering and drying technology gives a new significance to the production of algae as an economically viable resource for fuel.

For more than 20 years, Ross has built a strong, environmentally conscious, reputation that has enabled him to work with other companies and organizations committed to the continual development of agricultural resources. In August of 2009, Univenture, along with Battelle and the Ohio Soybean Council, were presented with an R&D 100 Award from R&D Magazine for their collaborative achievement of producing a binder partially made from soy byproduct.

Univenture, Inc. has earned a place in the Inc. Magazine’s Hall of Fame for being on the INC. 500 List of Fastest Growing Companies for five years, and in 1998, the U.S. Small Business Administration honored Ross as their Business Person of the Year. He continues to achieve notable milestones and awards for his product design, year after year.

David R. Coho, Vice President of Sales & Marketing. As vice president of sales & marketing‚ Coho oversees global sales and marketing for Algaeventure Systems and leads commercialization efforts for its technologies.

David has served as Vice President of Marketing and Sales with Univenture and led operations in Europe. Along with sales and marketing responsibilities, he significantly contributed to product and business development, sales channel development, global customer relationships and market research. Since joining Univenture in 1994, Coho has led Univenture’s European Operations in Ireland, developed and led the U-1000 Equipment Division, and has held management positions in both Sales and Operations. Coho holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. In 2005, Business First honored Coho as one of Central Ohio’s "Forty under 40"‚ a recognition for both career and service achievements. He is also an accomplished industry resource and speaker with presentations at many industry conferences and events and has written and contributed to numerous industry articles.

Chad Hummell is Manager of Government Sales and Special Projects. Chad joined the Univenture team in the fall of 2006. He brought with him a very diverse background in government relations, business management and sales. Chad’s career began as the senior manager for a specialty machine shop where he gained valuable government contracts. Next, he started a central Ohio commercial printing sales office for the Champion Industries Corporation, specializing in 4/c commercial printing. Chad also has Public sector experience by serving as Director of the Central Ohio Procurement Technical Assistance Centers. Upon arrival at Univenture, Chad helped UniKeep™ get on the Federal GSA schedule and heads up the Government sales effort. He also helps to support sales of the new EcoEndure™ product line and to spread knowledge and interest in the Algae Initiative, in which algae is being grown and researched for use as an alternative fuel and source for bioplastics. A central Ohio native, he earned his BSBA in Economics and Management at Ohio Northern University.

Jim Cook is the Director of Project Management at Univenture, Inc., and has extensive experience in project management as well as commercialization. While working for Discovery Systems, he developed with Mr. Ross Youngs an internationally acclaimed process for printing compact discs and launched an in-house digital prepress system, giving Discovery Systems a strategic advantage over the competition for jobs requiring quick turn-around. Discovery Systems then became Metatec Inc., which was a leading information distribution company providing CD-ROM and DVD-ROM manufacturing services with annual sales of $120 million. Mr. Cook occupied various technical and operational management positions, including the responsibility of all manufacturing operations, while Metatec evolved to become a publicly held international corporation with ISO 9000 certification. Jim rejoined Ross in 2000 to help Univenture grow and diversify. Jim is a graduate of The Ohio State University.

Amy Bucklin is the Executive Project Manager at Univenture, Inc. Before joining Univenture, Ms. Bucklin worked as Executive Assistant to the President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman of the Board at Applied Innovation Inc. for 13 years. Prior to that she worked as a Sales Service Representative at Combibloc, Inc. She received her A.S. in Applied Business from Youngstown State University, and her B.S. in Business Administration from Franklin University.