Our Team

Everything starts in the soil and ends up as money”; words by Alan’s father that have guided his training and professional career.  He is a founding partner of MARC-IV and has been a presence within biodiesel industry since 1991.  Alan assisted with the establishment of  the National Biodiesel Board’s (NBB) Washington, DC office  in 2006-07 and continues to provide economic & technical support to their efforts. He also currently leads industry feedstock development efforts to increase raw materials sources.  Alan was recently appointed by the U.S. Secretaries of Agriculture and Energy to serve on the Biomass Research & Development Initiative Technical Advisory Committee.  Maintaining his ties with agriculture, he remains actively engaged with the management and operation of his family’s 875 acre farm in central Missouri.  Alan completed his undergraduate and graduate training in agricultural economics at the University of Missouri.

Mr. Steve Howell is president and founder of MARC-IV. Howell has worked closely with the National Biodiesel Board, American Soybean Association, United Soybean Board, United States Department of Agriculture, United States Department of Energy, and the United States Department of Defense on a variety of projects. Howell is currently the chairman of the ASTM task force on biodiesel standards within the U.S.  and serves as the U.S. liaison for biodiesel standards development with both ISO and CEN. Howell is a member of the American Oil Chemists Society, American Society of Agricultural Engineers, and the Society of Automotive Engineers and has authored many technical and other publications. Prior to M4, Howell was the Business Development Engineer for Stratco, a Kansas City based engineering firm, where he concentrated on the development of new biodiesel process technology. He has held various positions in quality assurance and production management with the Procter and Gamble Manufacturing Company in Iowa City, Iowa. Since graduating with distinction from Iowa State University with a Bachelors degree in chemical engineering.  Since forming MARC-IV, Steve Howell has dedicated his work to developing innovative industrial products from agriculture that support the family farm and a cleaner environment so his kids and grandkids can enjoy the same quality of life we do today.

Dr. Courtney Videchak brings a strong technical foundation in diesel engine calibration optimization for low-carbon fuels to MARC-IV Consulting (M4). She holds a bachelor’s degree from Merrimack College, and a master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, all in mechanical engineering.

Her dissertation work focused on creating fuel-specific engine calibrations to leverage the differences in fuel chemistry between conventional diesel fuel and low-carbon alternatives, including biodiesel (B100), renewable diesel (R100), and their blend, to
quantify the reduction in the vehicle’s life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions.

At M4, Courtney will be a key contributor to key technical project management, education, OEM engagement efforts, and regulatory support. She will also support ASTM standards development efforts alongside M4’s Steve Howell, longtime ASTM Biodiesel Task Force Chair.

Courtney previously interned with Ford Motor Company’s Research & Advanced Engineering team and served as a subject-matter expert for the Michigan Soybean Association. In 2025, she was awarded the Beth Calabotta Sustainability Education Grant by the Clean Fuels Alliance Foundation, recognizing her commitment to advancing clean fuels and sustainable practices.

At the University of Michigan, Courtney was a Mechanical Engineering Departmental Fellow and Rackham Predoctoral Fellow in the Boehman Research Group. She is a member of the Society of Women Engineers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.