Sam Sugerman

Sam Sugerman heads PrairieLink, which partners with landowners in underserved communities to restore native tallgrass prairie on unproductive cropland. Roeslein builds scalable markets that fund this restoration through an $80 million U.S. Department of Agriculture grant, converting prairie grass into renewable natural gas through cellulosic digestion and partnering with corporations to meet their water, nature and carbon commitments.

Sugerman manages partnerships with more than 40 institutions, companies and nonprofits to restore more than 6,500 acres of prairie, with 20,000 additional acres slated by the end of 2027. The acres currently in the program annually replenish an estimated 650 million gallons of water and sequester more than 5,250 metric tons of greenhouse gases. Plus, they offer additional biodiversity, water quality and rural economic benefits. 

Prior to joining Roeselin, Sugerman was the first sustainability manager for the irrigation division at The Toro Co., where he built a program to recover and reuse resin drip tape. He also co-founded a startup, SAMS, which sells materials management software for recyclers.