North Prairie Productions, LLC: Harvesting Renewable Energy for a Sustainable Future

Biodiesel company selects Evansville for plant
Published Thursday, August 17, 2006

By Gina Duwe
Gazette Staff

EVANSVILLE-Excitement replaced months of anticipation Wednesday when North Prairie Productions made it official that it will build a $42 million biodiesel plant here.

"It's time to end the speculation and get this thing going," Vice President Jeff Pieterick said. "The board just really concluded that Evansville provides an ideal site for this facility."

The company will build the plant on about 15 acres of land it buys from Landmark Services Cooperative near its rail site east of County M and south of Highway 14 on the city's east side, he said.

The plant itself will "not be all that big," he said, but North Prairie also will be relocating its Waterloo offices to Evansville.

Continued signs pointed to the site throughout negotiations with Landmark Services Cooperative, but officials were hesitant to make it official.

North Prairie leaders have said all along they would like the biodiesel plant to be co-located with a soybean crushing facility, which crushes soybeans to extract the oil to make biodiesel.

The Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board released a study last week citing Evansville as a top location for the state's first soybean crushing facility. Currently Wisconsin farmers have to transport their soybeans out of state for processing.

"We'd still like to find ourselves co-located with crush to enhance our competitive profile," Pieterick said. "We anticipate if that's going to happen, Landmark would be taking the lead."

Landmark CEO Larry Swalheim said he could not comment on the biodiesel deal or a crush facility until later today, when he said there "probably could be" an announcement.

North Prairie soon will begin annexation and zoning procedures. The company hopes to begin construction next spring and be in production by late 2007, Pieterick said.

In anticipation for the announcement, the city council last week gave financial advisers at Ehlers & Associates the go-ahead to begin paperwork for a preliminary tax incremental financing district for the biodiesel site.

The plant will convert up to 45 million gallons of soy oil per year into biodiesel. The facility will create about 25 jobs with a medium income of $50,000.

An economic impact study estimates the plant will pump $127.5 million in annual revenue to the area and create 103 total jobs.

Everybody's been excited and waiting for the site announcement, said Roger Berg, a member of the economic development committee.

"I'm excited for the opportunity for the greater Evansville area and southern Wisconsin to be able to promote economic development," he said, "and to be able to bring alternative fuels to the Midwest."

A location in southern Wisconsin was the company's first criteria, and the Landmark site attracted more interest because of the good railroad and road infrastructure and market accessibility, Pieterick said.

Rock and Dane counties are the top soybean producers in the state.

Reaction from informal discussions with city and business leaders and residents also factored into the decision.

"The amount of support for this kind of business to be located in Evansville was certainly remarkable," Pieterick said. "It makes it feel like that's where we need to be."

(Published Wednesday, August 16, 2006 03:34:01 PM CDT;)

Evansville - It's official.

North Prairie Productions announced today it will build a $42 million biodiesel plant in Evansville.

"It's time to end the speculation and get this thing going," Vice President Jeff Pieterick told The Janesville Gazette. "The board just really concluded that Evansville provides an ideal site for this facility."

The plant will be built on 12 to 15 acres east of Highway M at Landmark Services Cooperative rail site on the city's east side, he said.

A preliminary site plan will be presented at an open house for residents from 1 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 23, at Evansville High School. Anyone interested in learning more about biodiesel and the Evansville facility is invited to attend, Pieterick said.

North Prairie Productions also will move its offices from Waterloo to Evansville, Pieterick said.

A location in southern Wisconsin was the company's first criteria, and the Landmark site attracted more interest because of the good railroad and road infrastructure, he said.

Reaction from informal discussions with city and business leaders and residents also factored in the decision.

"The amount of support for this kind of business to be located in Evansville was certainly remarkable," he said. "It makes it feel like that's where we need to be."