ANGOLA — Ashley is a finalist for a new company that produces fuel products from waste plastics, and the Steuben County Commissioners sweetened the pot by agreeing to provide a $500,000, interest-free loan to the company should it locate here.
The plant, which would be the hub facility for RES Polyflow, Akron, Ohio, would be located on 80 acres of land near Klink Industries on the Steuben County side of Ashley.
“I see nothing but positive from this thing,” said Randy McEntarfer, Ashley town manager.
Family Dollar Parkway would be extended north, across C.R. 800S to access the facility.
The company is looking at paying an average starting wage of $42,000-$45,000 in its first phase, which would employ up to 58 people, aid Michael Dungan, director of sales and marketing. In the second phase, up to 100 people could be employed.
Ashley is one of a handful of northern Indiana communities in the running for the facility. That Steuben County was able to offer a loan to the company, Dungan said that works in Ashley’s favor.
“That might win the deal,” Dungan said.
The company expects to make a decision in 30 days, Dungan said.
He said the company wanted to be in northern Indiana, north of U.S. 30, in a community that had access to rail and other transportation infrastructure, like the interstates. Dungan said Ashley’s proximity to Interstate 69 and the Indiana Toll Road were big pluses. In addition, there is existing Indiana Northeastern Railroad rail on the site.
“Rail access is very critical to our growth,” Dungan said.
Final determination of the loan would come from the Steuben County Council. A similar loan was made to Indiana Northeastern a few years ago so it could upgrade its track. The railroad took out a 10-year loan for $1 million, also no interest. The money came from the county’s Major Moves Transportation Fund, which is the county’s proceeds of the lease of the Indiana Toll Road in 2006.
Dungan said he hopes the plant will be fully operational by 2018. The company has already started working on assistance from the Indiana Department of Commerce and permits through the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.
The town has started the process for annexing the land and taking care of other site needs. The county would probably have to help with extending Family Dollar Parkway.
Even though it will need an air permit for emissions, the plant’s processes are considered friendly to the environment.
“So, there’s very little environmental impact,” said Commissioner Lynne Liechty.
Once operational, the plant would run continuously. Dungan said much of the plant’s operations would be outdoors. Its indoor operations would be in an 80,000-square-foot plant.
RES Polyflow designs, markets and manufactures energy recovery systems that offer an end of life solution for mixed plastic and rubber waste including tires, carpeting and e-waste, the company’s website said.
“This is a proprietary process that we own,” Dungan said.
Typically these materials are discarded in landfills, incinerated or exported. RES Polyflow’s continuous feed process equipment converts these items into renewable transportation fuels, octane enhancers and aromatics using a patented waste to energy conversion process.
In 2011 the company received an Ohio Advanced Energy Program grant to demonstrate the RES Polyflow process at scale.
Investors in the project include other business people and companies located in northeast Indiana.