Jan. 16, 2024

This week’s Up-and-Comer is Brock Weeldreyer, the operations engineering manager at POET.

Name: Brock Weeldreyer

Age: 33

Hometown: Sioux Falls

What brought you to Sioux Falls?

I was born here, so after a few years of school down in Nebraska — Go Big Red! — I was thrilled to be able to find a position within POET back in Sioux Falls.

What keeps you in Sioux Falls?

Primarily, my entire family is in Sioux Falls, and being close to them is important to me. Additionally, there are a ton of things to do here, and the city is constantly growing and changing.

What’s your favorite thing about your job?

For myself, I love analyzing the vast amount of data we have from our bioprocessing sites to find new and unique trends and correlations to improve our operating efficiency. As part of a larger team, it’s incredible to be able to work with people from a wide variety of backgrounds to solve problems.

How did you get connected to your industry?

I was fortunate to be able to intern with POET twice while I was in school and then start with them full time right out of college. I’ve been with POET and in the bioethanol industry since then. The amount of change that I’ve seen in the industry in the past 12 years allows me to feel like I’m doing something new on an almost daily basis.

Describe your workplace in three words.

Innovative, collaborative, competitive.

What is something someone might be surprised to learn about you?

I wrote a couple of iPhone apps when I was in college, and one had to be removed from the App Store after I was threatened with a lawsuit by a multinational corporation due to some copyright concerns. Nothing ever came of it, but it’s a fun story to share.

What’s your favorite way to give back to your community?

Our team at POET volunteers and donates to a variety of organizations throughout the year.  My two favorites are Project SOS and Angel Tree. It’s unbelievably rewarding watching our team come together to help those in need.

What’s one business you’d like to see in Sioux Falls that isn’t here now?

Indoor skydiving – I’ve always wanted to try that!

If you had $1 million to start a business, what kind of business would it be?

Tough question – as I’ve grown a little older, I’ve come to realize that starting up a business is likely not in my skill set. So as boring as it sounds, I’d probably set the money aside until I found the right person or business to invest in.