MASON CITY, IOWA – April 17, 2012 – Interstate Power and Light Company (IPL), an Alliant Energy company, recognizes Varied Industries Corporation (Vi-COR®), for its commitment to using energy efficiently and being green.
Vi-COR was honored with a 2011 Excellence in Energy Efficiency Award for its leadership and vision in integrating energy efficiency in to the design, construction, or operation of their business. The company accepted this award today at the 2012 Iowa Energy Summit, held in Cedar Rapids.
“Looking for energy savings forced us to not only evaluate our equipment, but also our processes,” said Michael Lunning, CFO of Varied Industries. “The Custom Rebate program was a great way to maximize our savings and gave us some great ideas that we could implement to make our business even stronger.”
Vi-COR was able to update the process they use to dry their product and save 35,341 kilowatt-hours (kWh) in annual energy savings – which translates to a dollar savings of over $47,000 a year. This project qualified for a custom rebate from Alliant Energy.
To help reduce costs, Varied Industries looked at ways of becoming more efficient with their process and their equipment. Their prior method of removing excess moisture from their products was inefficient for two reasons; hot air was exhausted out of the drier and a carrier had to be used.
With the new process, Vi-COR is now drying product using a double drum dryer that does not require the use of a carrier. The double drum dryer uses indirect heating and the steam condensate produced is then returned to the boiler and re-used.
“Energy efficiency addresses both energy cost concerns and our environment,” said Tom Aller, President of IPL. “We’re recognizing Vi-COR for the impact and leadership shown.”
Alliant Energy awarded the 2011 Excellence in Energy Efficiency Awards to its commercial and industrial customers who underwent energy efficiency initiatives that yielded the highest cost and energy-savings. The 2012 Energy Summit provided attendees with a variety of energy-related educational sessions, technical information and energy solutions.
Lived in Iowa 50 years and never used a catalog to wipe with. No one said you lied about the city. Just your childish remarks about the good people of Iowa. So if you felt that way about Iowa and still moved here I guess that really makes you an idiot!
I can see by the blogs that there are some crude people in Mason City. Enough of the foul language-grow up!
The bottom line truth is that the City of Mason City is ALLOWING ViCor to produce in the South Benjamin plant without a thermal oxidizer. That was the condition placed on them by the City when they bought the property. ViCor is in DIRECT VIOLATION of the City Code and that is illegal. They are in an area that is zoned such that smoke and foul odors are NOT to leave their property lines. That’s a fact. The west side of town now joins the other side of town in having to endure the STENCH of ViCor. We are paying City officials to enforce the law and the code but they are NOT doing their job. They look the other way because it’s “business”. Never mind the health and welfare of its citizens. Smell of money – I think not. Try breathing when the smoke from the South Benjamin plant is hanging over houses and in trees and the stench is so bad, you’re forced inside the house. Makes no difference to City officials. It should! The City of Mason City is on notice that this is a violation of the state law and zoning of MC. Do your job!!
Folks got up-in-arms about the CES plan wanting to build in town, touting health concerns. ViCor is a worse offender. They have broken their promise to put in a thermal oxidizer BEFORE beginning production at the South Benjamin plant. They produce several times a week there now without the oxidizer – in direct violation of the zoning code and their promise. The City promised to not allow them to produce without the oxidizer. They’re producing and the top City officials are allowing them to do so under a gentleman’s agreement.
Wake up and smell the coffee Mason City. This is not good for the City no matter where you live.
Boy this one got off track by some. Bottom line is VICOR puts a VERY FOUL STENCH in OUR AIR and it shouldn’t be allowed. SHAME ON CITY GOVERNMENT FOR ALLOWING IT TO CONTINUE!!! VICOR +MASON CITY=ARMPIT OF IOWA.
Anonymous you do sound like an inbred but thats not Iowas fault. You should discuss these issues with a shrink and your sister/mother. Thankyou for leaving the state. Please don’t come back to visit.
Common Sense just don’t get it but then he lives in Iowa so what would one expect. Bend over cuze your local government is not done with you yet. Who cares that the chicken came before the egg. FACT !!! FACT is local goverment sold locals out for a stinky Ass plant!!!! Dumb Ass
Ever notice how many houses are for rent by the slum-lords, or houses that are for sale? People are leaving this town. The council an the “high paying jobs” we never got, they are the reason. I have 6 kids and only 2 live here yet, all the rest have left! Go figure why????
Guess they should’nt have built those nice houses next to the INDUSTRIAL PARK. Factorys have emissions that is a fact of life. Just because it smells does’nt mean it is going to kill you.
I have lived a block away from Vicor’s S. Carolina plant for years It is very loud and yes is does stink all year round. I have complained several timesto different goverment agencies with no satisfaction. I found out last year that all the work done on the South Carolina plant was done without any permits (none)! I was then told by Lisa Hanlen from the Kansas City KS. Department of Natural Resoures the local number to call and talk or complain to is 641-424-4073 a year later plant still noisey still stinks and nothing is being done. I wish they would have had the award cereomony in Vicors back yard.
I have lived 4 blocks from vicor for 20 years. The smell is not that big of a deal. Some people just like bitchin. They work in climate controlled offices and live in a fancy neighborhood so they complain about any smell or noise (like the races) that might upset their perfect world.
WHY DO YOU PEOPLE BITCH ABOUT EVERYTHING. I HAVE LIVED ON THE EAST SIDE OF TOWN FOR YEARS AND HAVE NEVER COMPLAINED ABOUT PEOPLE WORKING,PUTTING FOOD ON THE TABLE AND A ROOF OVER THEIR HEAD. VICOR HAS BEEN A WONDERFUL NEIGHBOR. WILLING TO DO WHATS NECESSARY TO KEEP THE NEIGHBORS HAPPY. YOU WON’T BE HAPPY UNTIL YOU CHASE ANOTHER INDUSTRY OUT OF TOWN. MAYBE THEN WE CAN ALL COME TO YOUR ELITE BRIARSTONE NEIGHBORHOOD AND FISH IN YOUR BACKYARD ALONG THE BEAUTIFUL SHORES OF THE “BRICKYARD PIT” YOU DO REALIZE THAT IS WHERE YOU LIVE.IN THE BRICKYARD PIT.
I live on the west side of Mason City and could smell it last summer. Smells like a combination of decayig animal carcas & vomit ! What about zoning codes for Industrial Park and “NO ODORS” to be emitted? Why doesn’t the City leadership enforce the zoning codes or have they been bought off by VI-COR, too? I can smell a lawsuit against the City and/or VI-COR. Didn’t the City just pay out a big settlement to that church on the SouthWest side of town? Why should folks out in the Willowbrook, Briarstone & Springview areas have to tolerate that god awful stench? ENFORCE THE ZONING CODES.. Trout, Sandahl & Bookie ! Just do the right thing for a change!
BLAH A VICOR EMPLOYEE NO DOUBT!!!SMELLED WAY TO MUCH OF THAT FOUL AIR!!!!!
May I ask the question again. Has anyone contacted the DNR about the odor problem? They, and not the City would be the proper entity to proceed with.
Complaining here accomplishes nothing, if you are serious about the issue.
What a bunch of whiners! You are probably the same people who complain about the city leaders chasing new business away from mason city and then you complain about businesses that are established here. You stink worse than Vicor! The mayor was called to Vicor on s Benjamin one day because of complaints from the briarstone neighborhood….Vicor wasn’t even running at the time smarties!
DONT KNOW WHO YOU ARE BUT GET UP AT 5AM AND GO SIT OUTSIDE BY WOODHARBOR, DONT WEAR A GAS MASK AS YOU WILL SMELL THAT NASTY ODOR. ITS A MONEY SMELL TO THE OWNERS.
Matt, How many of these awards did alliant hand out to make this such a big deal to hit the paper??
Your NUTS, never smelled a thing coming out of Woodharbor!! VICOR STINKS!!!!!!. ARMPIT OF IOWA VICOR+MASON CITY
The problem right now is they are just cooking a couple of days a week, during the day, and shutdown before most people get home from work. Wait til its in full production all day 7 days a week. It will be to late then for most and you will live with the stinch like thay have for 40 years on the South Eastside!!! This was obviously another one of those Country Club DEALS!!!!! Wake up Mason City Leadership. But then if they get Mark to do all his cooking on this side of town, folks downtown at the new fancy Park Inn and Quarrys won’t smell it!!!! Is Marks son part owner of the Quarry? Strange how this City works!!!!!
WOWZA for VI-COR ! WTH about the obnoxious, nasty odors they produce, violating the City zoning codes for Industrial Park? They have been in production on So. Benjamin Ave. ( Industrial Park) for well over a year and still giving off that wretched stench, with MC leadershop approval! Wake up City leadership! VI-COR { formerly Fermented Products }has been stinking up this town for over 40 years. Now that they will be moving to a new location, why are they not installing some sort of equipment to eliminate the nasty, God awful odors they generate? There has to be some kind of equipment to eliminate the stench. What about the home owners & businesses on the West side of town, especially the Springview, Briarstone & Willowbrook areas? That stench will permeate the entire west side of Mason City, all compliments of the MC City Leadership team! Good Gosh – do something already – where is Trout, Sandahl & the entire city council ??????????????