Trucking
Firm Leads Biodiesel Effort in Wisconsin
Upon
failing to find a ready source of biodiesel to be used
in his company’s vehicles, the owner of a Wisconsin
trucking firm has decided to lead an effort to build a
biodiesel plant and thus increase the availability of
the renewable fuel for his fleet of nearly 60 trucks:
John
Sheehy, Owner and Chief Operating Officer of Sheehy Mail
Contractors in Waterloo, is one of the co-founders of
North Prairie Productions, LLC. He now serves as Chairman
of the Board of the start-up company engaged in building
a 45 million gallon per year biodiesel manufacturing facility
in Evansville. The company plans to produce biodiesel
for the general consumer market, making it available in
distribution to truck stops and other fuel outlets. According
to Sheehy, his involvement with North Prairie Productions
represents for him a solid business opportunity that fulfills
a need in the marketplace.
“At
Sheehy Mail Contractors, we’re always looking for
the latest technology or new products that will help enhance
our competitive profile. Biodiesel is one such product,
and it is therefore a good fit for our business.”
Biodiesel
is valued as an alternative to petroleum diesel for the
increased lubricity and decreased emissions that result
when biodiesel is blended with regular diesel fuel. Sheehy
also points to a desire to replace foreign oil with a
domestically grown fuel as a reason to support biodiesel.
“Trucking
consumes a lot of fuel in this country. Anything we as
an industry can do to reduce our dependency on foreign
oil will surely serve our interests in the long run.”
Sheehy
says he first became aware of the benefits of biodiesel
when Sheehy trucks servicing Iowa and Illinois routes
began using the product. “I looked to secure biodiesel
for the entire fleet, and quickly learned that it is generally
unavailable at truckstops in Wisconsin due to a lack of
supply.”
The
experience caused Sheehy to explore investing in biodiesel
production as a logical extension of his business interests.
“After all,” he says, “if I was looking
to purchase biodiesel, it’s reasonable to assume
other fleet operators in Wisconsin were looking for it
as well, and discussions with other trucking companies
confirmed this. My investment in the North Prairie biodiesel
project is therefore seen as an opportunity to fill a
market need.”
Biofuels
production – most particularly ethanol and now biodiesel
– has long been promoted as a means to create a
value-added market for grain producers throughout the
Midwest. Most projects have originated with farmer/producer
groups coming together to create manufacturing plants,
and the business model has been decidedly focused upon
the benefit that accrues to grain producers and others
within the agricultural community.
That
dynamic is changing as more biodiesel plants come online.
For example, the founders of North Prairie Productions,
including Sheehy, all have backgrounds in transportation
and other business interests more closely aligned with
industrial development and the end user market for biodiesel.
Bud Gayhart, Program Director for the Small Business Development
Center at UW-Whitewater, points to this as a sign that
biodiesel production has moved beyond what he calls the
“value-added phase” of product development.
“We’ve
known about the benefits that biofuels production offers
to the ag economy and to our search for energy independence,
and it is this interest that has driven development of
the industry thus far,” says Gayhart. “Increasingly,
however, we see groups other than farmers spearheading
these biofuels projects, and they’re bringing a
business experience with them that’s more appropriately
focused upon the end product itself.”
With
groups such as North Prairie Productions entering the
field, Gayhart says that biodiesel production is “no
longer being promoted as a ‘value added’ proposition,
but instead we are finding this industry increasingly
being engaged by those who appreciate the inherent value
of the product being produced, and who bring with them
the market and business expertise to create successful
outcomes.”
For
John Sheehy, it’s all about the fuel. “Sure,
I’m excited about the business opportunities this
new venture represents,” he says, talking about
his investment in North Prairie Productions. “But
it is going to be every bit as exciting to see biodiesel
available at every truckstop in Wisconsin someday, and
know that I was able to play a role in making it all happen.”
North
Prairie Productions, LLC, is presently engaged for a limited
time in an equity drive campaign seeking investment equity
from Wisconsin residents only. Information on NPP and
on the equity drive can be accessed at www.npnrg.com.
Interested parties who are residents of Wisconsin can
obtain a complete Offering Memorandum by contacting NPP
toll free at 877-299-2435 or via e-mail at info@npnrg.com
*******************************************
Notice Regarding Forward-Looking
Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements.
All statements regarding North Prairie Products, LLC’s
expected operations, financing plans, business strategy,
budgets, projected capital expenditures, products and
services, competitive positions, growth opportunities,
plans and objectives of management for future operations,
as well as statements that include words such as “anticipate,”
“if,” “believe,” “plan,”
“estimate,” “expect,” “intend,”
“may,” “could,” “should,”
“will” and other similar expressions are forward-looking
statements. Please recognize that all forward-looking
statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties
that could cause our actual results to differ materially
from the estimates, expectations, beliefs, intentions,
projections and strategies reflected in or suggested by
the forward-looking statements. NPP disclaims any intention
or obligation to update any forward-looking statements
as a result of developments occurring after the date of
this press release.
