Andy Shafer

Andy has a unique understanding of the dynamics required for success in a diverse set of public and privately held business environments, including start-ups and Fortune 50 multi-national companies.

His career includes being a founder and executive at 2 leading bio-material companies, Elevance Renewable Sciences, Inc. and NatureWorks, LLC, and holding senior business leadership roles at Cargill, Inc. and The Dow Chemical Company.

Andy is now helping large and emerging companies build their businesses and innovate, advising senior business executives at Fortune 100 companies and CEO’s at several start-up companies where he serves on the Board of Directors or Advisors.

He brings strengths and executive level experience developing and implementing strategy, commercializing new businesses/product developments and innovations, establishing partnerships, and building brands and marketing capability in organizations. Andy’s background includes forming and operating joint ventures, private equity funded entities and novel business models.

Andy developed the Strategic ROADMAP© approach to strategy that is simple, comprehensive, and clear. Used successfully by start-ups and large global organizations, Strategic ROADMAP enables business owners, executives and leaders to utilize a proven approach to defining a clear plan that is easily communicated to and recalled by everyone in their business, making success easier to achieve. The approach has been the topic of numerous conference presentations and published as Strategic ROADMAP: An intentional, memorable approach to achieving success in paperback (ISBN-13: 978-1-7351872-0-4) and eBook (ISBN: 978-1-7351872-1-1) formats.

Andy has a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Notre Dame with an MBA from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management, and a certificate in Managerial Issues in the Global Enterprise from Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Early in his career at Dow Chemical as chairman of the Versene™ Chelants North American Product Management Team, Andy led new product development initiatives and launching new Versene™ product line extensions into multiple applications and industries. When Dow moved to global businesses, Andy led development of the global business strategy and presented it to the CEO for approval.

He later helped Dow Chemical assess an opportunity in bio-based plastics with Cargill, Inc. defining the value proposition and developing the unique business model that led to the formation of a joint venture originally known as Cargill-Dow Polymers, and now known as NatureWorks, LLC. Today, NatureWorks and its brand Ingeo are among the most successful businesses in the bio-products marketplace. Andy was the Commercial Director responsible for establishing this business, reporting directly to the CEO and Board of Directors.

After leaving NatureWorks, Andy led transforming an R&D matching grant from the U.S. Department of Energy into what is today Elevance Renewable Sciences, Inc. At Elevance, his roles included that of Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing and Executive Vice President, Corporate Brand and Communications. In these roles, he established the business strategy, critical marketing collaborations, the sales and marketing organization and capability, corporate brand essence and the brand architecture for a portfolio of opportunities in the company’s 3 market facing business units: Consumer and Industrial Ingredients; Lubricants and Additives; and Engineering Polymers.

Andy has frequently been an invited speaker for a diverse set of organizations that includes the Innovation Research Interchange, the Green Chemistry and Commerce Council, Bio, the Biotechnology Innovation Organization and FabTech. He is also active in the University of Minnesota Business Advisory Group, Chicago Innovation and Chicago Ideas.