BDO ZoneCONNECT webinar: Greenbrier Valley, WV & Clarksville, AR

BDO ZoneCONNECT webinar: Greenbrier Valley, WV & Clarksville, AR

On January 18th, 2024, Ecostrat Inc., in collaboration with The Daily Digest, hosted the BDO ZoneCONNECT webinar, spotlighting two premier BDO Zone communities in North America: Greenbrier Valley, West Virginia and Clarksville, Arkansas. The one-hour event provided an in-depth exploration of biomass opportunities, highlighting the prime locations in the US and Canada for pioneering bioeconomy projects.

Greenbrier Valley received an ’AA’ BDO Zone rating for Woody Biomass, while Clarksville received an ’AA’ BDO Zone rating for Poultry Litter. The webinar discusses the feedstock availability and infrastructure assets that elevate these regions as prime destinations for bio-based projects requiring a reliable supply of biomass.

BDO ZoneCONNECT, a joint initiative with The Daily Digest, aims to facilitate connections and stimulate development interest within BDO Zone communities. It serves as a catalyst for networking, sharing new BDO Zone ratings, and attracting a diverse global audience of stakeholders, including investors, bio-based project developers, financiers, and community leaders.

The webinar was moderated by Jim Lane, Editor of TheDigest. Jordan Solomon, President & CEO of Ecostrat and Chairman of the BDO Zone Initiative, introduced the key attributes of both BDO Zones and delved into the significance of their ’investment grade’ ratings. Insights from Steve Houserman, Economic Development at the City of Clarksville, AR; Ruthana Beezley, Executive Director of the Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Corporation; Matt Borror, Manager of Business Retention and Expansion at the West Virginia Department of Economic Development; and Samantha Smith, Manager of Business Development at the West Virginia Department of Economic Development, provided a comprehensive exploration of their regions, spotlighting their biomass resources, numerous project ready sites, strong infrastructure and lucrative tax incentives. The presentations also shed light on why they actively pursued a BDO Zone designation and underscored why these locations are ideally suited for new bio-based project development, particularly for those requiring a stable, long-term biomass supply.

To view the webinar, please click below:

Summary of Presenter Remarks

Jordan Solomon, Chairman of the BDO Zone Initiative:

• “There are over 50 BDO Zones either issued or in progress in North America Today. Only 6 have achieved “AA” ratings.”
• “An “AA” rating signals very low feedstock risk and very low infrastructure risk.”
• “A BDO Zone rating creates global connections with developers to create an influx of new energy opportunities.”
• “There is very low supply chain risk for poultry litter in Clarksville and there’s a reason for that, the supply chain is diverse, the production sources are diverse.”

Ruthana Beezley, Executive Director of the Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Corporation:

• “We know we have opportunities with biobased development and are happy to partner with Ecostrat to try and quantify this and are thrilled with the AA rating.”
• “We are strategically located within a half day drive of about 50% of the US.”
• “West Virginia is the third most forested state in the US, 77% is forest so you can see why hardwood lumber products have been heritage industries for years.”
• “We have 23 times the national average of log graders/scalers and 16 times the national average of logging equipment.”
• “We have 4 business parks in our 3 county region, specifically the Edray Business Park which has an existing building that has generous incentives including free rent for extended periods for job creators.”

Samantha Smith, Manager of Business Development at the West Virginia Department of Economic Development:

• “We are a pro-business State, the legislature has worked strategically over the last several years to develop the business climate.”
• “We have a wide range of tax credits; two of the most widely applicable incentives are the Economic Opportunity Tax Credit and the Manufacturing Sales Tax Exemption”

Matt Borror, Manager of Business Retention and Expansion at the West Virginia Department of Economic Development:

• “The forest products industry has 250K private owners in West Virginia that are very open to forest timber contracts.”

Steve Houserman, Economic Development, City of Clarksville, AR:

• “We have a large manufacturing workforce, 33% of the workforce is manufacturing.”
• “One of our really marketable assets is Clarksville Connected Utilities, which gives us a tremendous amount of flexibility especially dealing with industrial partners.”
• “Tyson Foods, a great partner for the City has 3 factories and just broke ground on a $40 million hatchery right next to our industrial park.”
• “We sit along I-40 which is the main artery for the United States, we have a municipal airport and Union Pacific Rail that follows the Arkansas river.”
• “We have a great planning and zoning commission and our city inspector has never sat on a large-scale development for more than three weeks.”

For additional details on the Greenbrier Valley, WV, BDO Zone, please click here, and for information about the Clarksville, AR, BDO Zone, click here.

Contact Information:

Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Corporation: visit www.yesgreenbriervalley.com. The BDO Zone Local Development Leader (LDL) is Ruthana Beezley, Executive Director (rbeezley@gvedc.com).

City of Clarksville: visit www.clarksvillear.gov. The BDO Zone Local Development Leader (LDL) is Steve Houserman, Economic Developer (shouserman@clarksvillear.gov).

BDO Zone Initiative: please visit www.bdozone.org or check out the BDO Zone LinkedIn page for all news and updates. The Head of the BDO Zone Initiative is Aryn Garswood (aryn@ecostrat.com).

Ecostrat: visit the company’s website at www.ecostrat.com/standards or check out the Ecostrat LinkedIn page for all news and updates.

Originally published at ecostrat.com.