BITW Technologies Team Member Profiles: George Voll

Helping the world, one customer at a time.



BITW Technologies Team Leader, George Voll, likes to solve problems—they give him something to do. It’s a good thing, considering the fact that Voll has been in the home improvement industry for most of his career, offering insights and solutions to customers of the hardware store he operates in Edwardsville, Indiana. Whether it’s electrical, plumbing, or a carburetor rebuild, Voll always knows what tools and equipment to use to get the job done. He even specializes in failure analysis of small engines, with his extensive experience and certification in the field. His customers are his public, and they know who to ask to find the right solution for their own problems.

Voll has been tinkering with engines of all shapes and sizes over the last three decades, both professionally, and as a personal hobby. Voll became friends with Assistant Team Leader, Dan Boyd, in high school, and the two were soon working on each other’s daily drivers, and each other’s project cars, which included special interests such as vintage Swedish automobiles and a ’64 Barracuda. Along the way, Voll learned a great deal about foreign and domestic automotive engineering while rebuilding engines, coming to understand what things worked, and what didn’t work. Voll has always been interested in diesel engines, and has been working with them in cars, trucks, tractors, and even lawn mowers. Long before the Vincitore’ project, Voll had already performed a bio-fuel conversion on a VW diesel using the waste oil discarded from local restaurants, something he has been doing for the last twenty years. (pictured, from left, Bob Voll and George Voll speak with Aide Larry Ordner about receiving the Lugar Energy Patriot Award from US Senator Richard Lugar)

Despite his passion for cars, Voll did not pursue an engineering education after successfully completing a few early level courses. Instead, he earned a degree in business from Indiana University, and later attended the USDA Graduate School taking classes in statistical analysis, specializing in economic forecasting before returning home to run the store where he worked full time while attending college in the evenings. Voll also studied Chinese language, a skill he and his wife share with their son and daughter.

Family life is most important to him these days, as he works hard to ensure the safety and well-being of his wife and children, and giving them plenty of their own challenges to help develop and enrich their minds. To this end, he also volunteers much of his time as a den leader in his son’s Cub Scout pack, and helping his kids with their math homework. (at right, Voll and son working on a Tiger Scout project)

With his involvement in the X Prize through the induction of his latest bio-diesel project, he wants to contribute to drivers around the globe, by developing solutions that harbor the powers of proven technologies, utilize time-tested support infrastructures, and can use sustainable fuel sources. Voll knows the tools that are out there and available, and believes he has found a great solution for families who are conscious about fuel consumption, efficiency, and, most importantly, highway safety.