Long-time friends Taylor and Avi founded Synergy Commodity in 2021 with this simple mission:
Help people buy better
Meet the Synergy Team
Watching the market is what we do best, so you can focus on what you do best
Offering over 100 years of combined experience in procurement, price risk management, and commodity markets. At Synergy we use our education and experience to improve outcomes for our clients. We are incredibly honored to serve businesses across the country, improving their procurement processes and supporting their growth.
Taylor Hudson
Taylor is a co-founder of Synergy Commodity. He is a veteran of the distillate industry, a passionate advocate for entrepreneurs, and a very proud graduate of Virginia Tech (Go Hokies!)
Taylor loves nothing better than spreading best practices about buying and hedging, and working with growing businesses to determine how they can get an edge. Taylor is our chief brain on supply strategy, a prominent industry speaker, and always thinking about adding value for our clients.
Aviral Chopra
Avi is a co-founder of Synergy Commodity. He is our expert in liquid fuels, trading, markets, and asset utilization.
Widely read and endlessly curious, Avi encourages our clients to think about doing things differently, with the goal of enhancing profitability. Avi knows every Synergy process and is the swiss-army knife of our organization. He supervises our day-to-day procurement and leads procurement project work. When not manning the desk, you might find Avi meditating… ask him!
Arthur Ravo
Art ran procurement and hedging at Paraco Gas Corp., a major propane retailer on the east coast, for over 32 years. He came on board with Synergy in 2022.
Art is skilled at all the ins and outs of reducing costs year-round, in a variety of market conditions. Art runs our day-to-day propane buying operations and leads procurement project work. He is laser-focused on making the right procurement decisions and setting up processes to support continued success. When new clients see what Art can do, the rave reviews start coming in.
Steve McCracken
Steve joined Synergy in 2023 and is focused on client relationships and business development. In addition to bringing decades of experience in the fuel industry, Steve is a powerhouse when it comes to knowledge of biofuels.
He sees the current legislative climate as an opportunity for organizations to differentiate and take advantage of biofuel trends, turning an obstacle into a catalyst for growth and improved profitability. Steve also brings a much-needed sense of humor and rapport to our team. Our CEO Lora is learning that if she has to ask “Steve, are you joking?” the answer is yes!
Jordan Manchester
Jordan was Synergy’s first hire and has been a key contributor to our ability to grow. Jordan executes much of the day-to-day buying, interacts with our clients and carriers, and manages the associated confirmations and data in our applications.
He is always willing to consider a new process and is a strong advocate for continuous improvement. Jordan also keeps us young… When he is not manning the desk you will likely find him on skis or a paddle board, depending on the season.
Lora Claus
Lora met co-founder Taylor Hudson way back in grad school at Virginia Tech, when they both worked for the late, great professor Wayne Purcell. Lora joined Synergy in 2022 as its CEO, adding diverse experience across functional areas and commodities.
Describing herself as a data geek with people skills, Lora’s focus is on company growth and operational excellence. She also has a passion for client service and grabs the chance to lead procurement project work whenever she can.
