progress: BUSINESS & INDUSTRY
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CHARLES CITY PRESS | WWW.CHARLESCITYPRESS.COM | FRIDAY, MARCH 28, 2025
A similar trajectory is ex- pected for the Charles City plant, the company said. Curbtender has been mak- ing renovations to the build- ing and installing the nec- essary equipment to begin manufacturing. The plant will follow a true assembly-line process, a departure from the more fragmented “cell pro- duction” method used previ- ously. “The Charles City factory will be capable of producing 300 units per year,” Watje said, adding that the compa- ny is currently at maximum capacity for front-loader pro- duction and has been forced to turn away orders. “Our goal is to make one [truck] a day here,” he said. Curbtender has already started hiring, with Charles City residents and new ar- rivals to the town joining the team. “We look forward to achieving our fi rst milestone of completing a truck by the end of March,” Watje said. The plant will be led by Larry Scribner, who is trans- ferring from Curbtender’s Cedar Falls facility where he served as compliance man- ager. Scribner will take on the role of plant manager in Charles City and oversee op- erations as the facility grows. Initially, Curbtender con- sidered adding a second prod- uct line at the Charles City CURBTENDER Continued from page B1
facility, speci fi cally ditch mowers, but space constraints made that infeasible. “After the engineers went through the whole factory and mapped everything out, they said, well, probably not enough room for the mow- er business,” Watje said. “So we’re probably still on the lookout for a building for mowers.” Beyond job creation, Curb- tender has a track record of community involvement, the company said. It has made signi fi cant con- tributions to early childhood education programs, hospital foundations and various com- munity events in the areas where it operates. The Charles City plant is expected to follow the same model. Renovations and equip- ment installation are expected to wrap up soon, with the fi rst truck scheduled for comple- tion soon after. As hiring continues, the company is actively seeking applicants for various posi- tions. For those interested in employment opportunities, Curbtender encourages ap- plicants to visit www.curb- tender.com/careers. “This is an exciting step forward for Curbtender,” Watje said. “Charles City of- fers an ideal location for our expansion, and this facility will play a key role in help- ing us scale our operations to keep pace with customer needs.”
Valero Charles City plant produces more than fuel, supports farmers and area economy
Submitted photo A long line of trucks queues up early to deliver corn to the Charles City Valero renewables plant. The facility purchases 49 million bushels of corn each year from growers in a 50-mile radius, turning it into ethanol, dried distillers’ grain for animal feed and fuel grade and feed grade corn distillers oil.
For The Press The Valero Charles City Plant, owned by Valero Renew- able Fuels Co. LLC, is respon- sible for purchasing 49 million bushels of corn each year from area farmers and co-ops within a 50-mile radius. The facility turns that corn into 140 million gallons of ethanol, and employs 70 people from the six-county area of Floyd, Mitch- ell, Cerro Gordo, Chickasaw, Howard and Bremer counties. The plant is located north- west of Charles City and south of Floyd, on 225 acres near the Avenue of the Saints. The Valero Charles City Plant is one of 12 plants that Valero Renewables operates in Iowa, Minnesota, Indiana, Nebraska, South Dakota and Ohio, which together produce more than 1.6 billion gallons of ethanol per year, making Valero Renew- ables the second-largest produc- er of ethanol in the world, the company said. But the Charles City plant doesn’t just produce ethanol. It also creates value-added products from the corn – using the whole kernel – including 368,000 tons of dried distillers’ grains that is a high-value live- stock feed for cattle, swine and poultry; and 42 million gallons of fuel-grade and feed-grade corn distiller’s oil, which is used for renewable biodiesel produc- tion and for livestock feed. Valero Renewables is com- mitted to safe and environmen- tally responsible operations, the company said. “Besides producing ethanol, a low-carbon high octane fuel that is blended with gasoline, we’ve undertaken several projects over the years to improve ef fi ciency
600 Gilbert, Charles City 641-228-6636 Family Owned & Operated Since 1990
Submitted photo Charles City Valero Renewables regularly supports local projects and organizations such as the TLC child care center. The local company donated more than $200,000 in the past couple of years, including $100,000 to the new NIACC Charles City Career Center.
and reduce waste,” said plant Manager Chad Buf fi ngton. The Charles City plant recent- ly completed a successful out- age that will lead to increased capacity. Valero Renewables is also committed to assisting farmers with monetizing carbon reduc- tion practices at the farm level as programs develop in the fu- ture, the company said. “With a lower carbon inten- sity ethanol product, every gal- lon produced at our plant can become more valuable, helping Valero and local farming in- dustry to remain economically competitive, both locally and in growing markets around the
world,” Buf fi ngton said. Valero Renewables utilizes a corn sustainability program that partners with area farmers. “Programs like these are needed to gain access to ad- ditional markets like Canada, where ethanol demand is in- creasing,” the company said. Additionally, Valero Renew- ables rolled out an app called “Valero CornNow” which al- lows farmer vendors to keep up with the latest corn bids, corn receiving hours, corn deliver- ies, contract balances, and other valuable information. Famers interested in more information can stop at the Vale- ro Renewables administration
building or call the company. The Valero Charles City Plant has been recognized by Valero Renewables for its outstand- ing performance in all areas of operations, including safety, environmental compliance and reliability. In 2023, the Charles City plant received the company’s Chairman’s Award for Excel- lence, which is awarded annu- ally by the corporate team to a plant that has demonstrated out- standing performance. Charles City received honorable men- tion for 2024. VALERO , turn to page B6
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