BDO ZoneCONNECT Webinar:
LOGAN COUNTY, COLORADO
On September 7th, 2023, The Daily Digest hosted the third BDO ZoneCONNECT webinar, which brought the spotlight of “bio-manufacturing-readiness” to Logan County, Colorado’s first BDO Zone rating. The one-hour event was moderated by Jim Lane, Editor of TheDigest, and featured presentations by Jordan Solomon, President & CEO of Ecostrat and Chairman of the BDO Zone Initiative, and Trae Miller, Executive Director of the Logan County Economic Development Corporation.
BDO ZoneCONNECT is a collaborative platform in partnership with The Daily Digest, designed to facilitate connections and spark development interest within BDO Zone communities. It serves as a catalyst for networking and the sharing of new BDO Zone ratings, drawing a diverse global audience of stakeholders, including investors, bio-based project developers, financiers, and community leaders.
Jordan Solomon led a discussion of the key attributes of Logan County’s ‘A’ Rating, delving into the intricacies of what this ‘A’ rating signifies. Meanwhile, Trae Miller offered a comprehensive exploration of the robust Logan County region, spotlighting its abundant wheat straw biomass resources, numerous project ready sites, strong infrastructure and lucrative tax incentives. The presentations also shed light on why Logan County actively pursued a BDO Zone designation and why it’s an ideal location for new bio-based project development, especially those who are dependent on a stable and long-term supply of wheat straw.
To view the webinar, please click below:
Summary of Presenter Remarks
Jordan Solomon, Chairman of the BDO Zone Initiative:
- “A BDO Zone rating represents a lot of things, but what it really does is it certifies bio manufacturing readiness for a region… [BDO Zones] serve as ‘bulls-eyes’ in the map to tell project developers from all over the world that these places are the first places that you should be looking at when you’re looking to site your next bio-based plant… Investment-grade ratings do just that.”
- “Logan County has been looked at through over 100 different rating lenses… [we are] looking to understand 3 buckets of risk: #1 is there a good feedstock surplus; #2 are there committed suppliers to supply feedstock in this region to a new biobased plant and; #3 is there sound infrastructure to support an operating plant? The answer to those questions in Logan County is yes, yes and yes.”
- “I think it’s difficult to really underestimate how big a deal [Logan County’s] access to pipe and carbon sequestration is right now. It’s not easy to do. And access to underground, non-BECCS type, carbon sequestration, is also very, very difficult to find. The fact that Logan County has pipe and sequestration is a massive asset in terms of what it means to the bottom line of a bio-based manufacturing plant.”
Trae Miller, Executive Director of the Logan County Economic Development Corporation:
- “One of the key factors of Logan County and Northeastern Colorado in general is we are the largest ag-producing region of the state of Colorado. There is a lot of cattle production in the area and it is all based on our crop and feedstock items such as corn, wheat production and other grains throughout the region. We have a large amount of production throughout the entire region, and that number could significantly increase based on the economics and the specific project.”
- “We are an hour and a half to the Denver International Airport, which has 26 non-stop direct international flights.”
- “We are very centrally located to the top wheat-producing areas throughout the country. So, as you stretch north into the Dakotas, into eastern Wyoming and even down into the panhandle of Texas, Logan County sits in a great location to draw and build around wheat straw-related projects.”
- “I think the biggest takeaway that I want to leave with you all is Logan County is and has been a leader in the space of renewable energy, in ag production and we would gladly welcome and support a project as it relates to anything with biomass processing and BDO Zone projects.”
To see the full BDO Zone Rating Press Release for Logan County please click here or visit www.bdozone.org.
Contact Information:
Logan County Economic Development Corporation, visit www.sterling-logan.com. The BDO Zone Local Development Leader (LDL) is Trae Miller, Executive Director (trae@sterling-logan.com).
BDO Zone Initiative, please contact info@bdozone.org. To view all current and upcoming BDO Zone designations, visit www.bdozone.org or check out the BDO Zone LinkedIn page for all news and updates.
Ecostrat, visit the company’s website at www.ecostrat.com/standards or check out the Ecostrat LinkedIn page for all news and updates.
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