The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
A new joint venture, occurred this week resulting in Big Resources, LLC with majority ownership joining forces with United Cooperative, and Rumbold & Kuhn, Inc. to form Big River United Energy, LLC (BRUE), which recently acquired the dry-mill Dyersville, Iowa ethanol production facility.
Big River Resources, LLC headquarters in West Burlington, Iowa, has been chosen to manage operations of the newly formed company.
Ray Defenbaugh, CEO, said as this facility is located in the same community as the famous "Field of Dreams" it does exemplify Big River's commentment to the dream of improving the income of rural producers, providing jobs to local workers, and providing a return to investors."
The Dyersville ethanol location is scheduled to resume operations in the third quarter of 2009 and is one of the largest ethanol facilities in the United States.
It produces 110 million gallons of ethanol per year, processes approximately 39 million bushels of corn per year, and produces 350,000 tons of distiller's grain annually.
The president and chief executive officers from the three investing companies, Raymond E. Defenbaugh, Big River Resources, David A. Cramer, United Cooperative, and Michael J. Rumbold, Rumbold & Kuhn, all have a common goal and the same vision about the future of the ethanol industry and believed the experiences and services each company brings to the table will provide for a successful infrastructure around the Dyersville ethanol production facility.
Big River Resources, LLC, based out of West Burlington, Iowa, was formed as a cooperative and grew into a holding company structure.
The initial start of the cooperative began in July 1992 with fuel and feed production objectives. Big River Resources currently has three subsidiaries beneath it which include Big River Resources West Burlington, LLC; Big River Resources Galva, LLC; and Big River Resources Grinnell, Iowa; and, they consist of a 90 million gallons per year (mgy) ethanol facility, a 100 mgy ethanol facility, and a 5.129 million-bushel capacity grain elevator.
All are located on the Burlington Northern Railroad.
The company has a 21-member board and employs 126 team members full time. Change is inevitable and growth is optional.
Big River Resources, LLC continues to fully evaluate growth as an option. Goals include providing rural community employment, increasing value of rural products, and adding value to investor returns.
In doing so, Big River Resources, LLC adds to the energy independence of the nation, improves food infrastructure, and decreases our dependence on foreign oil.
For more information about Big River Resources, LLC visit www.bigriverresources.com
Formed in 1936, United Cooperative, based out of Beaver Dam, Wis., is a full-service cooperative offering, feed, grain, agronomy, and energy products and services to Wisconsin farmers and consumers. United Cooperative employs more than 500 rural Wisconsin citizens and takes great pride in being a financially-sound, American-owned cooperative.
With state-of-the-art feed mill locations; more than 20 million bushels of grain storage; access to the Wisconsin Southern Railroad and Union Pacific railroad; more than 90,000 tons of liquid and dry fertilizer storage; fuel, lubricant, and propane facilities; and all the services and accommodations that accompany these features, United Cooperative is able to efficiently serve all their members' needs.
In addition, United Cooperative started investing in the ethanol industry in 2005. Today, they are the managing member of Untied Ethanol, LLC, Milton, Wis., and an active investor in Carbon Green BioEnergy, Woodbury, Mich.
As a BRUE investor, United Cooperative will have representation on the board of directors for the Dyersville facility. For more information about United Cooperative, visit www.unitedcooperative.com.
Rumbold & Kuhn, Inc.; based out of Wyoming, Ill; is a third generation family grain business in operation for 57 years.
Rumbold & Kuhn owns eight country facilities with a 20 million-bushel capacity. They are owned and operated by five sons, one daughter, and their mother and have 55 full-time staff members.
Owners and employees alike maintain a proud tradition of customer service and a commitment to quality. Rumbold & Kuhn has been an investor in Big River Resources, LLC since 2006 and has been involved in the ethanol industry for 10 years.
For more information about Rumbold & Kuhn, Inc. visit www.rkgrain.com
According to Defenbaugh, the addition of this plant improves the efficiency of Big River Resources LLC which is an important contributor to farmers and investors in western Illinois. It is locally owned by shareholders who are producers in the area and committed to improving income levels in our rural area.