VeraSun Continues to Build Management Team

BROOKINGS, S.D., Oct. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- VeraSun Energy Corporation , the nation's second-largest ethanol producer, today announced two additions to its management team. The Company named Bob Antoine Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Peter Atkins Vice President, Mergers & Acquisitions.

"We are pleased to add top talent like Bob Antoine and Peter Atkins to our team," said VeraSun CEO Don Endres. "As the company and our industry evolve, we are faced with new opportunities. The addition of these two members to our management team will enable us to both grow the company organically and effectively evaluate other opportunities in the industry."

Bob Antoine brings more than 25 years of experience in human resources to his new role as Senior Vice President, Human Resources, with specific expertise in organizational design and goal-setting, rewards and recognition systems, performance management, mergers and acquisitions, recruitment, and employee and labor relations.

Most recently, Antoine was head of Human Resources for Forward Air Corporation. Previously, he served in a number of key leadership roles where he established and led strong human resources functions in rapidly growing businesses, including Laidlaw Transit Services, Inc., Calavo Growers of California, and Nestle Inc.

Additionally, VeraSun named Peter Atkins Vice President, Mergers & Acquisitions. Atkins, who has more than 25 years of regional banking and agriculture experience, is responsible for business development, specifically focusing on opportunities in mergers and acquisitions.

In his previous role as Community Banking President/District President at Wells Fargo Bank, Atkins managed multiple full-service locations in South Dakota and was a member of Wells Fargo's corporate agriculture steering committee. Before that, he served as Senior Vice President and Manager in various capacities within Wells Fargo Bank and with Norwest Agricultural Credit, where he was responsible for managing credit-related issues, agricultural real estate financing and business development.

About VeraSun Energy Corporation

VeraSun Energy Corporation is the second-largest ethanol producer in the U.S. based on production. The company has two operating production facilities located in Aurora, South Dakota, and Fort Dodge, Iowa, is constructing a third facility in Charles City, Iowa, and has two additional facilities under development in Welcome, Minnesota, and Hartley, Iowa. Upon completion of the new facilities, VeraSun will have an annual production capacity of approximately 560 million gallons of ethanol per year.

VeraSun's branded E85 is now available at more than 80 retail locations. The company markets VeraSun E85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline for Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFVs), directly to fuel retailers under the brand VE85(TM). For more information, please visit the VeraSun websites at http://www.verasun.com/ or http://www.ve85.com/ .