Pay Dirt 2025 has a great speaker line up
We’re thrilled to announce that Phillip Anderson, CEO and Chief ReThinker at ReThink!, will be moderating the entire event, bringing his unique “doing outside the box” perspective to our discussions.
Chuck’s leadership style goes beyond a title. He has an uncanny ability to connect with people, leveraging common interests, and building partnerships to move the rural and agricultural industry forward at scale. His ability to work closely with landowners, government officials, and contractors enables ISG to deliver effective design solutions that fulfill project needs.
Chuck is a strong advocate for the balance between rural drainage and environmental sustainability, helping clients prioritize land stewardship practices that benefit everyone. Chuck firmly believes in what he does, as he is on the Lake Association Board for improving water quality on his local lake and enjoys kayaking and boating on Minnesota’s lakes and streams.
Fred Whitford is the coordinator of Purdue Pesticide Programs of the Purdue Cooperative Extension Service. He received a B. S. in wildlife management from Louisiana Tech University, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in entomology from Iowa State University. He has authored more than 250 research, extension, and regulatory publications, and has delivered over 2800 presentations to a wide array of audiences. He has written three books: The grand old man of Purdue University and Indiana Agriculture: a biography of William Carroll Latta, published in 2005 by Purdue University Press; The complete book on pesticide management: science, regulation, stewardship, and communication, published in 2002 by Wiley & Sons; and The complete federal and state compliance guide for Hoosier businesses, published in 2001 by Purdue University Press. Dr. Whitford’s prior professional activities include lab and field research, extension outreach, regulatory work, and commercial pesticide application.
Jim Schwartz grew up in Huntingburg, Indiana, and attended Purdue University, where he earned degrees in Plant Pathology and Plant Physiology. With 39 years of experience in the seed business, he spent 17 years at Dekalb/Monsanto, including a role as the US Agronomy Lead for Regional Brands. He was also a part owner of ICORN, an Indiana-based seed company that was sold to Monsanto. Following that, he served as the Agronomy Education Lead for 360 Yield Center before joining Beck’s as the Director of Research, Agronomy, and Practical Farm Research. Jim has been married to his wife, Jodi, for 32 years, and they have two sons: Stan, a professor at Cedarville University, and Stephen, the North American Corn and Soy Agronomy Lead for John Deere.
Joe Moore, CPESC, MS4 CECI, is the Founder & Chief Brand Ambassador of Erosion & Construction Solutions Inc, with two divisions: Siltworm and Erosion Construction Services. Self-described as a Clean Water Nerd, Joe is an expert in clean water regulation and environmental management, serving on the Indiana MS4 Partnership Executive Board and the Northwest Indiana Storm Water Advisory Group. As a former constructor he brings a practical approach as he educates on SWPPP and BMP related topics.
Lohayne Schutzman, Engineering Manager at Parjana Engineering, has over seven years of experience in stormwater management solutions. She has made significant advancements in research and development, including the IRIS Infiltration technology. Lohayne has provided solutions for major U.S. corporations, with nearly 100 installations across various hydro-geological conditions. Her Mechanical Engineering background and agricultural industry experience offer a strong analytical and creative foundation, which she applies to stormwater projects. As head of the engineering department, she ensures optimal project performance.
Matt Meersman developed a strong connection to the water growing up near the St. Joseph River and spending summer weekends at his family’s lake cottage in southern Michigan. He now lives along the river in downtown South Bend, IN and works as the Director of the St. Joseph River Basin Commission. He also serves as President of the Friends of the St. Joe River Association. When he is not working on watershed projects, you will likely find him paddling upstream in preparation for the biggest canoe races in the world. His passion for conservation and paddling both come from a love of being in and on the water.
Paul is the recently retired Superintendent of Indiana Dunes National Park. Paul’s almost 35-year National Park Service career included river conservation and trail development in over 25 states and work in National Parks and Protected Areas in Eastern Europe. Paul has a passion for public lands and making them accessible for everyone. Paul earned a BS in Forest Science at The Pennsylvania State University and an MBA at Frostburg State University in western Maryland. Prior to his National Park Service career, Paul was the Forester, Wildlife Biologist and Manager of the Rockwell-Somerset-Woodlands, a 10,000 acre private property in SW Pennsylvania, owned by the former CEO of Rockwell International. Paul and his wife Sue live in LaPorte County with their dog Teton. Three adult children live in Ohio and New York. Paul is originally from Philadelphia.
As the founder and Chief ReThinker at ReThink!, Phillip Anderson helps individuals and organizations rethink their conversations and connections. ReThink! focuses on thinking, staying, and doing outside the box. With over 23 years of experience in non-profits and consulting, Phillip has helped communities invest in each other. As an engaging speaker, Phillip shares lessons from a diverse career. Phillip Anderson has presented training programs on servant leadership and assisted farmers with market opportunities and industry challenges. Consulting projects include the Whitewater Canal Scenic Byway and Nickel Plate Arts. Passionate about Indiana history and geography, Phillip is on a mission to visit all 2,230 dots on Indiana’s map. Phillip holds a B.S. in agricultural economics from Purdue University and co-owns a family grain farm near Frankfort, Indiana. Phillip Anderson and his family reside in Carmel, Indiana.
Rodney Rulon began farming full-time after graduating from Purdue University with a B.S. in 1994 and an M.S. in 1996 in agricultural systems management. Rulon Enterprises is a fourth-generation family farming operation which started as 80 acres in 1869 and has since grown to include over 6,400 acres of no-till corn and soybeans across central Indiana. The Rulon family operation also includes a market hog operation called Bryant Premium Pork LLC; a Beck’s Hybrids seed dealership; The Peer Network – a subscription-based agriculture discussion website; and a custom drainage design and installation business. Rodney currently serves on the Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District board and is an active supporter of his church, Boy Scouts, youth shooting sports and 4-H.
Ron Geater joined Motz Enterprises, Inc. in 2016 as the Regional Manager for the Midwest. He covers a 9 state territory promoting the use of permanent vegetated hard armor mats. He spends his time doing presentations with civil engineers, working closely with DOT’s, and going to job sites to provide technical assistance for installs. Ron’s career in the erosion control industry began working with American Excelsior Company for 8 years. The experience he gained from selling erosion control blankets provided him with the insight of specification work. He also spent time educating municipalities, transportation departments, and environmental agencies. Ron received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa in 1991. He also earned a full ride scholarship to play football. After his senior year he was named First Team All-Big Ten. In 1992 he was drafted in the 7th round by the Denver Broncos.
Sue brings 30 years of professional experience in water resources, specializing in erosion and sediment control, wastewater, drinking water, and water rights. She has played a pivotal role in the development, permitting, and approval of various projects, including road and bridge construction, building sites, stream relocation, wetlands, and mitigation sites. Her experience also includes developing stormwater pollution prevention plans (SWPPPs), spill prevention control and countermeasure plans, hazardous waste contingency plans, air monitoring and reporting, and wastewater reporting.
Tom Kilcer grew up on a dairy farm in Columbia County, New York. He earned an AAS in Agronomy from SUNY Cobleskill and a BS in Fisheries Science from Cornell. He worked on environmental impact studies for Peach Bottom and Indian Point Nuclear plants. In 1976, he obtained a second BS in Agronomy from Iowa State. For 33 years, he was the multi-county Field Crop and Soils Educator and Program Leader for Agriculture at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rensselaer County, NY. In 2009, Tom transitioned from Extension to private consulting, conducting forage research and education in close cooperation with university and extension specialists and private companies. Much of Tom’s effort focuses on developing alternative crops, rotations, and harvest systems that protect the environment while supporting high forage dairy diets, enabling farms to compete nationally and globally. This work continues with his move to Tennessee and the University there. His efforts to improve agriculture are shared through a free electronic newsletter sent to over 1,000 CCA advisors, agribusinesses, and farmers in the Northeast, as well as articles in numerous dairy and field crop agriculture magazines. He has presented hundreds of seminars on his forage crops research across the U.S., Canada, Europe, and on YouTube.
Tom Mortensen has over 36 years of experience in site design, landscape architecture and related design and construction professions. His work includes expertise in site planning of urban spaces, parks and public open spaces, trails, plazas, private developments, restoration plans and integrated stormwater management using green infrastructure and native landscape.
He has collaborated on design projects with the US Forest Service, National Park Service, Boy Scouts of America, Indigenous North American Tribes and the US Department of Veterans Affairs.
Tom has given presentations throughout the US at various conferences, symposiums and events on topics related to our water ethic, site design, master planning, rainfall integration and site development. Since 2011, he has been teaching a class at the UWM School of Continuing Education in the Water Technology Certification Program on the topic of green infrastructure and using native and adaptive landscape and site design for more resilient management of rainfall on sites.
Ty Garmon, LEED AP is a connector and conversation starter in the stormwater and digital marketing worlds. He is a marketing and sales professional with over 25 years of experience, the last 13 of which were specializing in the stormwater industry. Ty, recognized a need in the stormwater industry for providers and manufacturers to have a larger digital presence for greater visibility to potential customers. In 2019 he and his wife founded Digital Stormwater to fill this need. In 2023, Ty started the Stormwater World® Podcast to bring the hallway conversations from conferences to the larger stormwater audience. Outside of work, Ty enjoys learning about new technologies, travel, and spending time with family and friends.
Need a place to stay during the event? Checkout our hotel accommodations.
Thank you to our 2025 Pay Dirt Sponsors!
