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.
Mary thankyou for giving a great comment without calling people names or making fun of people like some on this topic. If they are breaking the law then lawyer up and sue. No one is above the law and I hope they will put in the new equipment. If they install the oxidizer will that get rid of 100% of the smell? I would think not but I hope it will be good enough to satisfy the people in the area.
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.
Thats because anyone that disagreed was called names or like you called the city names or slandered the state and the people that live here. I grew up on the north end. Two cement plants.Deckers.IBP and the train yard were all less than a mile from our house. Did I like putting up with all the noise smells and trucks no but thats what built this town. Housing was cheap and we were poor so thats where we lived and didn’t complain. I’m sorry this town doesn’t smell like cotton candy but then somebody else would complain about that.
Deckers is gone one cement plant is gone and your all still here. Probably half with a cancer or other assorted problems from THE GOOD OLD DAYS!!! Things change and for reason to make us, our enviornment a better place to live and work. You obviously don’t know what slander is, fact is fact and if it were slander one would be sued!!!! See any City staff responding??? Whys that???? See Vicor responding?? Whys that???? Fact is Fact. If Deckers wanted to move back into town and pay $50.00hr with the stinch, how you think that would work out today??? NOT???? and neither should VICOR!!!! You need to learn alot more about whats really going on in your City!!!!!
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.
Wow, what and intellegent F— you are. Did you graduate? Kindergarten, no crap congratulations!!!! And now are are one, shrink that is, WOW!!!!
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
you don’t get it. If you get a house right next to an indusrial area where they want all the factorys you are going to have to put up with emissions. I worked in that area for over twenty years at a factory and it has always smelled bad. I agree that the city did you wrong on vicor but AGP and others were stinking up the place long ago. You will be fighting the same battle with every new factory that goes in the industrial park and just like with Vicor the city will take the jobs they create over your complaints. So people before you move witin a stones throw of an industrial area think twice.
Like I said YOU LIVE in IOWA and don’t GET IT!!!! Like OBAMA said give em a pickup and a gun rack and you keep em happy!!!
Lets see you don’t like the city or the state. Do us all a favor and move back to Whinerville where you came from! Unless your a vegan you are a hypocrite. Maybe you didn’t know but beef,pork,chicken,milk and eggs all are produced around manure, which stinks. So pull your bunched up panties out of your butt, dry your tears and let us hard working Iowans who aren’t afraid to get our hands dirty the hell alone!
Ahhhh another Idiot speaking like and idiot. Your hands only get dirty from wiping yer ass because you haven’t hear of toilet paper yet. Still using the old catalouge and it is that time of year for the slick pages. I moved from Iowa long ago when Vicor started working on the West Side. come to visit friends but don’t drop a dime in MASON!!!! OO and by the way how’s the old PINK SLIME doing? IOWA IDIOTS OUT WANDERING ABOUT. Not from IOWA and PROUD OF IT!!!!!
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.
SENSLESS, The Houses were here first you ignorant —-. Rules were in place no liquid dairy for the smell. City sold out and changed rules last year allowing liquid dairy, allowing Vicor. Just because you put your head under the sheets after farting DOESN’T MEAN THE REST OF US WANT TO!!!!
Industrial park was around long before briarstone. That whole area was the brick and tile company long before your ignorant ass moved in!
To: COMMON SENSE
You sound like a jealous MO-FO ! There are laws/zoning codes in place with regards to “Industrial Park” but the City does not enforce them. You must live in a tent near the cemetery woods !
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.
THAT PLANT HAS BEEN THERE FOR YEARS. DID YOU MOVE IN KNOWING THIS? THERE ARE NUMEROUS PLACES FOR RENT OR SALE MOVE ON.
THAT PLANT HAS BEEN THERE FOR YEARS. DID YOU MOVE IN KNOWING THIS? THERE ARE ALOT OF PLACES FOR RENT OR SALE MOVE ON
I know how you feel. Years ago when this new building was purchased by Vicor, I expressed my concerns at City Hall with Trish Sandahal, and even at that time looking at complaints they had received the response was well most of that is rental property so?????? MY response was yea and At ONE TIME THOSE WERE HARD WORKING HOME OWNERS THAT HAVE BEEN RUN OFF BY THE STENCH!!! So Mr Wise A__ with, there’s lots of places to rent, STOP AND THINK WHAT YOUR SAYING!!! It stinks and should NOT BE ALLOWED. PEOPLE, renters or owners DESERVE BETTER FROM THEIR CITY!!!!! BECAUSE YOUR NOT GOING TO GET IT FROM THE OWNER OF VICOR, HE LIVES IN THE HILLS, WAS GIVEN THE BUSINESS BY MOMMY AND DADDY AND CRAPS ON SMALL FOLKS IN THIS TOWN!!!!
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.
OK MARK OR JODIE. HAVE A GREAT LIFE AND YOUR ARMPITS ARE SMELLING AGAIN. AIN’T THAT THE PITS. SOUNDS LIKE SOMEONE IS WAY TO JEALOUS OF THOSE WITH MONEY. GET USED TO IT AH WE WILL BE TAKING MORE OF YOURS TO SPEND ON THIS FINE CITY YOU SPEAK OF. OH AND BY THE WAY THE FISHING IS GREAT!!!!LOL LOL
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.
Yes the DNR has been contacted and there is nothing they can do. They don’t regulate odors. If they did, there would be no hog farms in Iowa. I’ve been in that neighborhood way before Vi-Cor started running there and all I could smell was AGP.
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!
Blah, If You only knew what your were talking about!!!! A short lesson for you. Vicor purchased the building on S Benjamine years back and at that time in the light industry they purchased in they were NOT ALLOED LIQUID DAIRY PRODUCTS. Why because it stinks!!! Folks gathered in2007 and meet with VICOR and CITY. Vicor advised they would deal with the odor issues. They placed the building on the market and it never sold. Spring forward to 2010. City rezones several areas and Yes even you can see it coming I hope. NO MORE RESTRICTION ON NO LIQUID DAIRY PRODUCT!!! Hummm After some time and city council votes the new zoneing took effect on either JUNE OR JULY. Its on record so you could check, but THE DAY after the Council final VOTE DEAN SNYDER of CLEAR LAKE on behalf of VICOR pulled the permits for development. Does it smell, sure as shit does just like VICOR. Does it look like another Country Club DEAL? Sure Does!!!! No one is complaing about the old site, assuming its grandfathered like Woodharbor, the soybean plant etc. But if you want to move enlarge and still stink up neighborhoods. Not on our watch!!! This City wants folks to move here etc. well there are things that come with that, and things people expect. LIKE FRESH CLEAN AIR!!!!!
You betcha people complain about the old site. They always have. The conspiracy theory laid out here is fantasy, pure fantasy.
NO CONSPIRACY HERE JUST FACTS!!! NOT ALL THE FACTS ARE HERE AS IT WOULD TAKE ANOTHER WEEK TO TYPE IT ALL. SORRY FOR YOU AS ONE OF THE TOWN SHEEP FOLLOWING THOSE WITH THE MONEY THAT WILL BE TAKING MORE OF YOURS. TRUST IN YOUR ESTABLISHED CITY GOVERNMENT IS PURE IGNORANCE.. Those with the money will get richer. Seen anything for the poor guy done it town yet????
THAT SMELL FROM VICOR LANDS IN THE TREES AND THEIR ROOF ALONG WITH OTHERS AND WHEN THE WIND BLOWS, WHICH IS DOES IF YOU HAVEN’T NOTICED, IT BLOWS THAT STINCH THRU THE NEIGHBORHOOD, SMARTY, GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF BOOKMEYER OR HOLTS ASS
“BLAH”.. you been bought off by Mark & the good ol’ boys club,too ?
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.
Also the smell of money to the employees who make a living there.
I love the smell of money no matter who is making it!
You should know cuz your smelling it for FREE Dumb A__… More likely your heads n your a– and vicor smells better when you come up for that obnixious smelling what you call AIR!!!!
Matt, How many of these awards did alliant hand out to make this such a big deal to hit the paper??
Vi-COR is a local company, headquartered here. Alliant may have handed out more awards, but this one I felt deserved to be published due to both companies playing a role here in Mason City.
Notice how he didn’t answer the question. Probably because Matt doesn’t know. Just trying to stir the pot for hits to his website.
Why should I know every award Alliant hands out? Looks like a positive story to me. Seems as if the public may feel otherwise, perhaps you are angry about that? Now you are faulting me for publishing a press release. Odd. Thanks for your perspective.
Directly from an Alliant spokesman, Wednesday afternoon:
“We gave out seven total awards yesterday like the one given to ViCor. One went to Hy-Vee, two went to plants in Dubuque, another to a farm near Clinton. One went to a plant in Ames, and one more to Upper Iowa University.”
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 ??????????????
up beermeyers ass!!!!