Quentin Koromete
Education:
1972 Saint Stephen's Private Preparatory Boarding College, Auckland, New Zealand
1976 Waikato Polytechnic ( 3 years in 1 year - AP for Gifted Students ) - Graduated Hydraulic & Soil Mechanics Engineer
1977 Started Ministry of Works NZ - Cadetship & Work Experience (5 years) - Completed & Qualified 1978 Heretaunga University, Wellington NZ (2 years degree in 1 year) - Graduated Civil Engineer
1979 New Zealand Civil Engineer - Qualification
1981 Scuba underwater Diving Certificate
1986 Heavy Equipment Operator and Commercial Drivers License
1992 Safe Handling of Bituminous material - Certified
1992 Customer and Public Relations - Certificate
1994 Inspecting Roads and Establishing Maintenance Needs - Certified
1995 Ford Driver Safety Course - Certified
1996 Health and Safety Employment Act - Certified
1997 Transit Quality Standard – TQS 2
1998 Understanding NZS-391 Conditions of Contract - Certified
2000 Post Graduate Degree in Aquaculture - Deacon University. Australia
THESIS - "Is Aquaculture the Panacea for World Hunger" 2000 Unsealed Road Workshop - Certified
2002 PSA Problem Solving Delegate Training Course - Certified
2004 NZIHT Code of Practice for Temporary Traffic Management - Certified
2005 Site Safety Supervisor Course -Certified
1972 Saint Stephen's Private Preparatory Boarding College, Auckland, New Zealand
1976 Waikato Polytechnic ( 3 years in 1 year - AP for Gifted Students ) - Graduated Hydraulic & Soil Mechanics Engineer
1977 Started Ministry of Works NZ - Cadetship & Work Experience (5 years) - Completed & Qualified 1978 Heretaunga University, Wellington NZ (2 years degree in 1 year) - Graduated Civil Engineer
1979 New Zealand Civil Engineer - Qualification
1981 Scuba underwater Diving Certificate
1986 Heavy Equipment Operator and Commercial Drivers License
1992 Safe Handling of Bituminous material - Certified
1992 Customer and Public Relations - Certificate
1994 Inspecting Roads and Establishing Maintenance Needs - Certified
1995 Ford Driver Safety Course - Certified
1996 Health and Safety Employment Act - Certified
1997 Transit Quality Standard – TQS 2
1998 Understanding NZS-391 Conditions of Contract - Certified
2000 Post Graduate Degree in Aquaculture - Deacon University. Australia
THESIS - "Is Aquaculture the Panacea for World Hunger" 2000 Unsealed Road Workshop - Certified
2002 PSA Problem Solving Delegate Training Course - Certified
2004 NZIHT Code of Practice for Temporary Traffic Management - Certified
2005 Site Safety Supervisor Course -Certified
Detailed Background History & Experience
1977 Began apprenticeship with the New Zealand Ministry of Works and Development in Paeroa, NZ. The training included laboratory testing at the Hamilton, NZ office, surveying all over the North Island, drafting, drilling, traffic surveys, contract documentation, contract supervision, project supervision.
1979 Completed NZCE Civil Engineering Degree and Qualifications - valid in all the British Commonwealth.
1981 " The Big O.E." Traveled to England to gain overseas experience. Started Engineering work on housing projects based in the City of London. Later obtain a contract as a Freelance Civil Engineer working on projects all over England as the Only Site Engineer for a major company called Cementation Construction, whom had the contract for Defense Military bases for the Ministry of Dense for United Kingdom. These projects included Naval airbase extension, bomb defusing factory, missile silo storage structure. This was an exciting time with high pressure but great rewards.
1984 Returned to New Zealand and became the Senior Civil Engineer for Raglan County Council establishing their contract protocols, manuals and computerized payment systems. Spent four and a half years at the Council developing roading programs and structuring contracting tendering processes.
1989 Began studying Aquaculture at Deakin University and developed a prototype recycling salt-water system to grow Paua (Abalone). Finally completing a Degree in Aquaculture in 2000.
1990 to 1993 Kaipara District Council Senior Civil Engineer, managing the 1400-kilometer network roading projects, co-coordinating with the four (4) maintenance supervisors that required forward planning and on-going communication between all parties. During this time at KDC, the Engineering department was taken over by Duffall, Watts and King, private consultancy group, which provide a different view of local government work.
1993 and 2004 Senior Roading Maintenance Engineer for the Gisborne District Council with an annual budget of $4 million. Duties included: Liaison with ratepayers to address service requests. Receive, process and issue consents for work to be carried out in the road reserve. Co-ordinate and communicate with the Roading Engineering team to provide the best service for the ratepayers. Manage the Maintenance Contract for the Western region Roading network, of 850km. This was a hands-on contract daily involvement especially in time of emergencies and civil disasters. The contract required monthly programs to be submitted and approved along with claims and forward planning. Writing the new maintenance contracts that included the latest Western Maintenance Contract, which was a 3 plus 1 plus 1 term. The accepted tender was for the incumbent contractor valued at $15 million for 3 years. The commencement date of this contract was 1 October 2004.
November 2004 Presented a paper to the International Engineering Symposium at Wellington on sustainable Transportation for 2004. The paper presented a methodology on repairing road subsidence, at a fraction of the standard conventional cost to repair.
2005 - 2008 Specializing in, All Roading aspects, Subdivisions, Consents, Civil Construction programming,
Construction Surveying, Time and Finance Management, Trouble Shooting
2005-2006 Site Civil Engineer for McBreen Jenkins in the Far North of New Zealand at the Whangarei Office, for a short term contract to trouble shoot an ailing subdivision project based in Mangawhai, NZ. The site included over a hundred sections with 700 meters of internal roading, storm-water and sewerage piping, 70 acres of landscaping, contouring and walkways. Another site, which was part of this contract, was a shopping and business center with parking lots and sewage waste overflow garden beds. This contract was turned around to the client’s delight allowing McBreen Jenkins to secure the client’s next subdivision project valued at a profit of around $5 million to them.
2006 Kaiwaka , New Zealand Subdivision for private developer involving engineering drawings for Council approval and supervision of construction for certification.
2007 Working in the building and construction industry at Hamilton, New Zealand locations with a crew at "The Base" and "Westfield’s Malls".
2008 Moved to Southern California and started growing vegetables and fruit trees in soil containers and raised bed gardens. Developed a worm tea compost to eliminate industrial fertilizer to increase the quality of the vegetables.
2012 Built a Commercial hydroponic organic vegetable growing system using worm-tea recipe developed by co-founder Nani- Waiata Koromete as the only fertilizer.
2013 Invented the first aquaponic fish and vegetable growing system with multi-cycles to maintain the fish and vegetables at maximum growth rates. Put together a business plan for investors and started an aquaponic meetup group to teach people how to build a working system.
2014 December of 2014 we had a $25 million dollar contract on the table however at the last minute had to refuse to sign over the intellectual property because the investor had a different idea of how to use the technology as they were connected to Monsanto. Since we were committed having to move out of our Laguna Beach home we chose to relocate to friends in Reno, Nevada for a couple months while trying to re-group and secure another investor.
2015 In January, we had a close friend in Sequim, Washington invite us to spent some good country-air time on their 5 acre property in the Olympic Peninsula. We continued working on securing an investor and made an agreement with a marketing person who had connections with Arabic Sheiks in United Emirates doing business in Egypt. Sadly for the second time we saw how money corrupts and so again we had to pull the pin on that project and find another investor. We kept talking with investors over the next 6 months. While in Sequim had the pleasure of meeting our neighbor Paul Gautschi of Back to Eden Garden and through his inspiration, we developed a wood chip in situ composting system. We created a seasonal garden on our friends 5 acre property with truckloads of wood chips while helping him stage his home for sale.
2015 In June, we went to Ojai, California to acquire and design a $3 million aquafarm for a an investor however the project did not completely materialize and we ended up staging a Bed and Breakfast for sale while setting up an in-soil garden using horse manure compost for the investors property instead.
2015 In December, we returned to Reno Nevada to re-unite with our storage and growing system. We remodeled our friend's workshop into a 560sq.ft Tiny home with a full bathroom with tub/shower, flush toilet and vanity. The separate master bedroom has a built-in closet and back door. Hot and cold running water, a separate kitchen with a pantry for a complete budget of $15,000. This included an outdoor garden.
2016 By June, our company Food Security Technology, Inc. acquired investment capital to build a 10 by 10ft greenhouse system; this time inside a warehouse space called The Generator. With LED lighting to compensate for the lack of sunlight, we developed the proof of concept for the system and the technology and produced a video for investors.
2017 By August many investors were showing interest on the east coast of America so we decided to move across country and relocate to a more temperate climate somewhere in the South East. By this time we met an Alabama Builder and solar power expert through his youtube channel, shared interest of raising tilapia fish. This became our choice of states to setup our home and business while meeting with potential investors. Our Reno team packed us up and we moved to the Athens/Huntsville area in Northern Alabama where we lived on a 27 acre Organic Farm property.
2018 Modifying and Re-building the 10 by 10ft greenhouse for all year around growing in the extreme Alabama heat. Became operational in April 2018. Our original Tilapia fish stock were maintained over the entire period, and moved into this new system upon its completion. Alabama brought a rethink of our business plans and the decision to open-source the planned BONANZA patent in a TEXT BOOK called "Aquaponics Exposed" was made. FST registered with the Small Business Administration (SBA) to engage in the local Huntsville business circles where he learned quickly about the value of his technology. Also, NASA has a large presence along with the Department of Defence (DOD) and both are frantically searching for a renewable food source in space. FST's shrimp and seaweed growing technology recycles toxic nitrogen waste which can be reused as plant fertilizer, to provide a symbiotic life-cycle of shrimp and seaweed producing space food.
2019 In April 2019, Food Security Technology leased a farm in Lewisburg, Tennessee with the intention to grow hemp and support ourselves with a CSA and established the first "Enviroculture Farm". In December of 2019, George Turnipseed a realtor and Catfish farmer introduced Quentin and Nani to Dr. Jacob Savage and Dr. Earnest Cebert at the Alabama A & M University Agriculture Research Center. A contract to build the first tilapia and shrimp fish farm was agreed upon a signed.
2020 Building started in February using an existing 3,000sq.ft greenhouse where the system is completely portable with fish feed growing in patented mobile raise bed gardens (MRBG). Operational fish recycling system with 200lbs. of tilapia in a 600 gallon tank with filters. The BONANZA has operated for three months converting the waste solids into worm castings and plant liquid fertilizer. The fish hatchery has already accumulated 400 baby tilapia which will replace the harvested stock. The vegetable floating trays and nutrient film technique NFT pipes will be complete by October.
1979 Completed NZCE Civil Engineering Degree and Qualifications - valid in all the British Commonwealth.
1981 " The Big O.E." Traveled to England to gain overseas experience. Started Engineering work on housing projects based in the City of London. Later obtain a contract as a Freelance Civil Engineer working on projects all over England as the Only Site Engineer for a major company called Cementation Construction, whom had the contract for Defense Military bases for the Ministry of Dense for United Kingdom. These projects included Naval airbase extension, bomb defusing factory, missile silo storage structure. This was an exciting time with high pressure but great rewards.
1984 Returned to New Zealand and became the Senior Civil Engineer for Raglan County Council establishing their contract protocols, manuals and computerized payment systems. Spent four and a half years at the Council developing roading programs and structuring contracting tendering processes.
1989 Began studying Aquaculture at Deakin University and developed a prototype recycling salt-water system to grow Paua (Abalone). Finally completing a Degree in Aquaculture in 2000.
1990 to 1993 Kaipara District Council Senior Civil Engineer, managing the 1400-kilometer network roading projects, co-coordinating with the four (4) maintenance supervisors that required forward planning and on-going communication between all parties. During this time at KDC, the Engineering department was taken over by Duffall, Watts and King, private consultancy group, which provide a different view of local government work.
1993 and 2004 Senior Roading Maintenance Engineer for the Gisborne District Council with an annual budget of $4 million. Duties included: Liaison with ratepayers to address service requests. Receive, process and issue consents for work to be carried out in the road reserve. Co-ordinate and communicate with the Roading Engineering team to provide the best service for the ratepayers. Manage the Maintenance Contract for the Western region Roading network, of 850km. This was a hands-on contract daily involvement especially in time of emergencies and civil disasters. The contract required monthly programs to be submitted and approved along with claims and forward planning. Writing the new maintenance contracts that included the latest Western Maintenance Contract, which was a 3 plus 1 plus 1 term. The accepted tender was for the incumbent contractor valued at $15 million for 3 years. The commencement date of this contract was 1 October 2004.
November 2004 Presented a paper to the International Engineering Symposium at Wellington on sustainable Transportation for 2004. The paper presented a methodology on repairing road subsidence, at a fraction of the standard conventional cost to repair.
2005 - 2008 Specializing in, All Roading aspects, Subdivisions, Consents, Civil Construction programming,
Construction Surveying, Time and Finance Management, Trouble Shooting
2005-2006 Site Civil Engineer for McBreen Jenkins in the Far North of New Zealand at the Whangarei Office, for a short term contract to trouble shoot an ailing subdivision project based in Mangawhai, NZ. The site included over a hundred sections with 700 meters of internal roading, storm-water and sewerage piping, 70 acres of landscaping, contouring and walkways. Another site, which was part of this contract, was a shopping and business center with parking lots and sewage waste overflow garden beds. This contract was turned around to the client’s delight allowing McBreen Jenkins to secure the client’s next subdivision project valued at a profit of around $5 million to them.
2006 Kaiwaka , New Zealand Subdivision for private developer involving engineering drawings for Council approval and supervision of construction for certification.
2007 Working in the building and construction industry at Hamilton, New Zealand locations with a crew at "The Base" and "Westfield’s Malls".
2008 Moved to Southern California and started growing vegetables and fruit trees in soil containers and raised bed gardens. Developed a worm tea compost to eliminate industrial fertilizer to increase the quality of the vegetables.
2012 Built a Commercial hydroponic organic vegetable growing system using worm-tea recipe developed by co-founder Nani- Waiata Koromete as the only fertilizer.
2013 Invented the first aquaponic fish and vegetable growing system with multi-cycles to maintain the fish and vegetables at maximum growth rates. Put together a business plan for investors and started an aquaponic meetup group to teach people how to build a working system.
2014 December of 2014 we had a $25 million dollar contract on the table however at the last minute had to refuse to sign over the intellectual property because the investor had a different idea of how to use the technology as they were connected to Monsanto. Since we were committed having to move out of our Laguna Beach home we chose to relocate to friends in Reno, Nevada for a couple months while trying to re-group and secure another investor.
2015 In January, we had a close friend in Sequim, Washington invite us to spent some good country-air time on their 5 acre property in the Olympic Peninsula. We continued working on securing an investor and made an agreement with a marketing person who had connections with Arabic Sheiks in United Emirates doing business in Egypt. Sadly for the second time we saw how money corrupts and so again we had to pull the pin on that project and find another investor. We kept talking with investors over the next 6 months. While in Sequim had the pleasure of meeting our neighbor Paul Gautschi of Back to Eden Garden and through his inspiration, we developed a wood chip in situ composting system. We created a seasonal garden on our friends 5 acre property with truckloads of wood chips while helping him stage his home for sale.
2015 In June, we went to Ojai, California to acquire and design a $3 million aquafarm for a an investor however the project did not completely materialize and we ended up staging a Bed and Breakfast for sale while setting up an in-soil garden using horse manure compost for the investors property instead.
2015 In December, we returned to Reno Nevada to re-unite with our storage and growing system. We remodeled our friend's workshop into a 560sq.ft Tiny home with a full bathroom with tub/shower, flush toilet and vanity. The separate master bedroom has a built-in closet and back door. Hot and cold running water, a separate kitchen with a pantry for a complete budget of $15,000. This included an outdoor garden.
2016 By June, our company Food Security Technology, Inc. acquired investment capital to build a 10 by 10ft greenhouse system; this time inside a warehouse space called The Generator. With LED lighting to compensate for the lack of sunlight, we developed the proof of concept for the system and the technology and produced a video for investors.
2017 By August many investors were showing interest on the east coast of America so we decided to move across country and relocate to a more temperate climate somewhere in the South East. By this time we met an Alabama Builder and solar power expert through his youtube channel, shared interest of raising tilapia fish. This became our choice of states to setup our home and business while meeting with potential investors. Our Reno team packed us up and we moved to the Athens/Huntsville area in Northern Alabama where we lived on a 27 acre Organic Farm property.
2018 Modifying and Re-building the 10 by 10ft greenhouse for all year around growing in the extreme Alabama heat. Became operational in April 2018. Our original Tilapia fish stock were maintained over the entire period, and moved into this new system upon its completion. Alabama brought a rethink of our business plans and the decision to open-source the planned BONANZA patent in a TEXT BOOK called "Aquaponics Exposed" was made. FST registered with the Small Business Administration (SBA) to engage in the local Huntsville business circles where he learned quickly about the value of his technology. Also, NASA has a large presence along with the Department of Defence (DOD) and both are frantically searching for a renewable food source in space. FST's shrimp and seaweed growing technology recycles toxic nitrogen waste which can be reused as plant fertilizer, to provide a symbiotic life-cycle of shrimp and seaweed producing space food.
2019 In April 2019, Food Security Technology leased a farm in Lewisburg, Tennessee with the intention to grow hemp and support ourselves with a CSA and established the first "Enviroculture Farm". In December of 2019, George Turnipseed a realtor and Catfish farmer introduced Quentin and Nani to Dr. Jacob Savage and Dr. Earnest Cebert at the Alabama A & M University Agriculture Research Center. A contract to build the first tilapia and shrimp fish farm was agreed upon a signed.
2020 Building started in February using an existing 3,000sq.ft greenhouse where the system is completely portable with fish feed growing in patented mobile raise bed gardens (MRBG). Operational fish recycling system with 200lbs. of tilapia in a 600 gallon tank with filters. The BONANZA has operated for three months converting the waste solids into worm castings and plant liquid fertilizer. The fish hatchery has already accumulated 400 baby tilapia which will replace the harvested stock. The vegetable floating trays and nutrient film technique NFT pipes will be complete by October.