MANLY – Worth county will be welcoming a new industrial development that will feature 16 jobs.
Winn-Worth Betco (Winnebago-Worth Counties Betterment Council) announced the new company locating within the Manly Terminal area at Manly, Worth County, Iowa. “We are happy to release the information that New Heaven Chemicals Inc. will be constructing a manufacturing plant producing Sodium Methylate to be utilized in the biodiesel industry. This will be the company’s very first United States location and we are so proud to be a partner with them on this project,” said Teresa Nicholson, Executive Director of Winn-Worth Betco.
Construction on the new facility will begin immediately. Construction is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2014. Manufacturing facility start-up is planned for January 2015. The facility will employ 16 people at start-up with 50% of those jobs being minimum 4 year science degree holders. There will be 1-2 employees from overseas to assist in plant start-up operations, but all 16 positions will be filled locally. The company will be seeking individuals with chemist, chemical engineering, and other 4 year science degrees, as well as job experience within the chemical or fuel industries.
The Iowa Economic Development Authority approved a combination of tax credits and financial assistance to the company for this project this morning. The Worth County Supervisors, on Wednesday, July 16, approved a 5 year TIF (Tax Increment Financing) Rebate of 100% and financial assistance to the company.
New Heaven Chemicals is a subsidiary of TSS Group of India. TSS Group has locations in 8 countries worldwide. Total capital investment in this site at Manly is approx. $8.85 million with a planned future expansion in the next three years. At start-up, the company will manufacture 12,000 tons of Sodium Methylate, and the planned expansion will triple that capacity.
“This location at Manly made sense for many reasons for our company,” according to Prasad Devineni, Director, New Heaven Chemicals Inc. “The raw materials used in our process are already stored on the Manly Terminal site, and within approx. 200 miles of this location is a strong representation of the biodiesel industry which will be utilizing our finished product.” Mr. Devineni also pointed out that other Sodium Methylate manufacturers are located in eastern Indiana and Texas and Alabama, so there are no manufacturers of this product in Iowa or nearby states.
Teresa Nicholson said, “This development has come together very quickly and we look forward to seeing this company grow from the ground up right here in North Iowa, providing excellent paying jobs, and producing a product that is utilized in the renewable fuels industry which is just another plus for all of us. This is just the first of more development to come in this area at Manly. The New Heaven Chemical Inc. facility requires additional utility infrastructure to be put in place that will assist other development in happening here in the future too.”
[poll random]
Did anyone stop to think about a study on this company and its product – this is nasty stuff and not good for humans or air quality – What happened to the 30,000 dollars cash the supervisors are supposedly giving this corporation up front -our tax payer dollars ????
@bad pontiac-It is all about the money of course.
@bad pontiac-There is another reason Manly got them so cheap. No one else wanted them.
Biodiesel catalyst in no more dangerous than a myriad of other agriculture based products, and safer than most. The process to manufacture it is straight forward, proven, and safe. The site in Manly is perfectly suited for rail and truck transport, and combined trucking with return trips from a diesel facility would benefit everyone in the supply chain. The Manly terminal has a proven track record of safe and efficient shipping and receiving. This is a great idea for everyone involved.
@Informed-you must work there or have shares in the company.
I work for a global engineering firm, unrelated to bio-diesel or sodium methylate production. I live in Worth County. The last time I worked in the area, was at the cement plant. They had a couple thousand tons of expired seed corn laying around and an army of rats running everywhere. I’ll take a biodiesel catalyst plant in my backyard any day versus thousands of tons of sulfur emissions, vermin, and dust levels high enough to make Mason City a non-attainment area.