Alléo Energy Appoints Benjamin Cowart Chief Executive Officer

A seasoned leader in refining, renewable fuels, and clean-energy infrastructure joins Alléo as it scales its proprietary conversion technology

BAY MINETTE, Ala.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alléo Energy, a carbon negative green hydrogen and commodities producer, today announced the appointment of Benjamin Cowart, Chief Executive Officer. Founder Simeon Chow will serve as Founder & President. One of the most accomplished operators in renewable fuels and energy transition, Cowart brings four decades of experience building and scaling in the markets Alléo’s technology serves.

Cowart is founder of Vertex Energy, Inc., which he built ground up, took public via a 2009 reverse merger, and led as Chairman and CEO into a NASDAQ-listed leader in environmental services, advanced refining, base oil production, and renewable fuels. In this role Cowart directed more than $600 million in acquisitions and strategic capital deployment before the company was taken private by a consortium led by BlackRock. Among Vertex’s landmark assets is Shell’s former 80,000-barrel-per-day Mobile, Alabama refinery, which Cowart acquired and repositioned toward renewable fuels and on to other advanced base oil products.

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Through his venture platform EVH Corp, Cowart is actively building in hydrogen, methanol, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), and low carbon marine fuels – a product slate highly aligned with Alléo’s proprietary technology. He is a graduate of the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program (AMP 176), a Gulf Coast Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year (2017), and a former President of the National Oil Recyclers Association.

A Career Built for Alléo’s Arena

Cowart has spent his career doing what Alléo is now positioned to do at scale: turning advanced process technology into revenue-generating plants, even in the midst of energy-transition challenges. Where volatile feedstock costs, shifting policy, and difficult capital markets have stalled others, he has repeatedly turned those headwinds into competitive advantage.

“Ben doesn’t need to be sold on carbon-negative fuels; he’s already building in this exact space, and he’s thrived through some of the hardest conditions the industry has faced,” said Simeon Chow, Founder & President of Alléo Energy. “He knows how to scale and he knows the capital markets that finance them; he turns the hurdles that stall other companies into momentum. Bringing a leader of his caliber in as CEO is a defining, energizing moment.”

“I’ve spent my career turning advanced process technology into high-performing enterprises that deliver both economic and environmental returns in an industry defined by headwinds,” said Benjamin Cowart, Chief Executive Officer of Alléo Energy. “The winners in energy transition aren’t the ones with the best headline; they’re the ones that keep their economics intact when subsidies move, feedstock prices swing, and capital gets expensive. Alléo is well-built for that. I’ve rarely seen a technology company this well positioned for what the market is demanding. The science is proven; now it’s about disciplined execution, financing, and building more plants. This is the work I love most.”

New Headquarters

Alongside the appointment, Alléo announces that it is relocating its corporate headquarters to The Ion in Houston, Texas - the heart of the city’s energy-innovation district - aligning the company’s leadership and growth at the center of the nation’s energy capital.

About Alléo Energy

Alléo Energy, LLC is a pioneer in carbon-negative fuels and renewable commodities. Alléo’s proprietary conversion technology turns wood waste and other cellulosic feedstocks into a uniquely high-energy, high-yield syngas - a versatile building block for a wide range of carbon-negative products including renewable hydrogen, renewable methane, SAF, and drop-in liquid fuels. A noteworthy co-product is a biochar of high purity and carbon content sufficient for specialized industrial and battery applications, as well as soil amendment.

Alléo is positioned to serve the fastest-growing demands in energy today, from behind-the-meter hydrogen power for AI and data-center campuses to food-grade carbon dioxide and clean transportation fuels.

Alléo’s Bay Minette, Alabama facility first phase was commissioned in 2023. With over $50 million invested for initial R&D and this commercial-scale development, additional facilities are also in planning stages of development.