Randy E. Velarde

Randy E. Velarde is President of The Plaza Group. Mr. Velarde spent 15
years in management and market development at Shell Chemical and Texaco
Chemical before forming The Plaza Group in 1994. He was appointed by the
former Secretary of Energy, Bill Richardson, to serve on the National
Petroleum Council and has been named Entrepreneur of the Year by both
Hispanic Business magazine and the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
He has a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of New Mexico
and a Master of Business Administration from Baldwin-Wallace College in
Berea, Ohio.