The Renewable Fuels Association announces Salvatore “Sal” Giunta, the first living recipient of the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War, as the featured luncheon speaker at the 2023 National Ethanol Conference. Giunta will share his courageous story with NEC attendees and discuss the importance of teamwork, selflessness and leadership.
“We are deeply honored to welcome Sal Giunta, a true American hero, to the National Ethanol Conference,” said RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “His remarkable story of unwavering courage and decisive action will inspire and motivate NEC attendees. Sal’s perspective on teamwork, loyalty, and leadership will provide our audience with valuable insights that they can take back and apply to their own businesses and operations.”
An Iowa native, former U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Sal Giunta was presented with our nation’s highest military decoration—The Medal of Honor—for his heroic actions during combat in Afghanistan. After Giunta’s unit was ambushed and pinned down by at least a dozen Taliban fighters, Giunta was hit twice while running into enemy fire to pull his fellow soldiers to cover. When insurgents began carrying away a fellow soldier, Giunta engaged the enemy, provided medical aid to his wounded comrade, and ultimately saved a soldier from being taken by the enemy.
Cooper noted that Giunta’s message has special meaning and resonance for U.S. ethanol producers. The American ethanol industry makes a key contribution to domestic energy security and has a larger share of military veterans in its workforce than any other energy sector in the nation.
The National Ethanol Conference is the nation’s most widely attended executive-level conference for the ethanol industry. There is much to learn and experience at the NEC, where sessions featuring globally renowned speakers are interspersed with numerous networking opportunities to help the industry connect and collaborate. The 2023 event takes place February 28 to March 2 at Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando, and Giunta will speak at the luncheon on Wednesday, March 1. For more information and to register, click here. Advance registration saves $100 per person and ends January 28.
