John Donicht earned a degree in economics from the University of Wisconsin and an MBA in finance from the University of Minnesota. In the 1990s, he traded fats and oils for five years before joining with a partner to create By-Products Interactive (BPI). BPI created a platform to trade by-product commodities that were not traded on a centralized exchange. BPI acquired The Jacobsen Publishing Company in 2000 and John has been President since 2001.