MICHAEL AINSWORTH: A commitment to Adel

Committing to the community. Creating prosperity. Pledging environmentally sound practices. Making the old new again. These are just some ways Spectrum Energy will become part of the Adel and Cook County communities. We believe it starts with people. Opening a plant is one thing, but engaging with each of you is where it starts.

When considering locations for this project, Adel stood out as an energetic, small-town community with so much to offer. Spectrum Energy is a family business, and Adel is the perfect spot to be the home of our first renewable biomass energy project.

Why it matters: Our proposed project will bring economic prosperity to the residents of Adel. Our plans include revitalizing the former Weyerhaeuser particleboard mill that was in operation from 1960 to 2014. When the plant closed, hundreds of jobs were lost, and the community lost highly skilled workers. Less money was spent at local small businesses, and many neighbors and friends left the community to find employment. We want to bring them home.

The Spectrum Energy plant will employ more than 300 people with direct and indirect jobs, offering excellent wages and supportive benefits. In addition to the mill in Adel, Spectrum also will develop a companion port facility in Georgia to ensure our sustainable wood pellets get to our customers worldwide and support their efforts to combat climate change.

What we will be doing: The mill on Cook Street will produce wood biomass pellets for renewable energy sources. The lifecycle carbon emissions for biomass energy — from the creation of the pellets to its use as energy — are less than 5% compared to coal and less than 10% compared to natural gas. As a result, this renewable energy source has significantly reduced greenhouse gas emissions and protected the environment.

Go deeper: Not only will our new plant positively impact the local job force, it also will positively impact the environment. By reusing the former particleboard plant, and much of its equipment, the project will significantly reduce the environmental impacts of large-scale construction. We are committed to sourcing raw materials from local foresters, sawmills, and other forestry companies, further supporting rural Georgia communities. The economic impact of the mill in Adel will reach well beyond Cook County.

Job creation doesn’t stop there. Truck drivers will transport materials from these local companies to our plant. As a further commitment to reduce the overall climate impact of this project, we will transport our pellets to the port by rail — effectively creating more jobs in rail operations and at the ports. Spectrum will bring jobs and people back to Adel to make things better. More families in restaurants — better. More of us in local stores — better. More families enjoying a higher quality of life — better.

Our commitment to the community reaches far beyond the economy and jobs — we truly want to make a difference. As a family-owned and -operated business, my grandparents instilled in us the importance of helping others. As we get more involved with the community, we will uphold our tradition of supporting children and improving the quality of life for all families. We have worked hard for three generations to help the most vulnerable, and we have already begun in a small way this holiday season.

We are humbled and welcome the opportunity to support local groups and initiatives that strive to help this community.

We will work hard to foster a partnership between Spectrum Energy and the Adel community. We will positively contribute to the community’s economic health, promote environmental friendliness, and cultivate long-term relationships. On behalf of my family and the entire team at Spectrum, I wish everyone good health and a happy new year.

For more information or to reach us, visit our website at www.spectrumenergyusa.com.