WebinarNov 21, 2024

BDO ZoneCONNECT Webinar: Grenada, Mississippi & Swan River, Manitoba

On November 14, 2024, Ecostrat Inc. and the BDO Zone Initiative, in collaboration with TheDigest, hosted the BDO ZoneCONNECT webinar, highlighting two investment grade Woody Biomass-based BDO Zone communities in North America: Grenada, Mississippi, rated ‘A’ and Swan River, Manitoba, rated ‘BBB’.

The webinar was moderated by Jim Lane, Editor of TheDigest, and featured key insights from Aryn Garswood, Head of the BDO Zone Initiative. Participants included Matthew Harrison, President/CEO of the Greater Grenada Partnership, as well as Derek Poole, Chief Administrative Officer, and Duane Whyte, Councillor, both from the Town of Swan River. The webinar highlighted the regions’ significant biomass availability, well-developed infrastructure, and shovel-ready sites. The discussion also emphasized the attractive local incentives offered, including tax advantages, positioning these areas as prime locations for biobased projects seeking a reliable supply of feedstock.

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.

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To view the webinar, please click below:

Summary of Presenter Remarks

Marian Marinescu, Project Director, Ecostrat:

“Grenada received an ‘A’ rating for 1.85 million bone dry tons per year of woody biomass. Two-thirds comprised pulpwood from thinnings; rest from forest and sawmill residuals.”
“Grenada County has an excellent greenfield location in an industrial park with three phase power, rail, major highways, air transportation and extensive land available for expansion and storage.”

Matthew Harrison, President/CEO, Greater Grenada Partnership:

“Grenada is strategically located between Memphis, Tennessee and Jackson, Mississippi, giving access to about 2 million people. It’s a great location on the interstate and within a 2 day drive gives access to almost two-thirds of the United States population base”
“Our industrial park is 1,175 acres on interstate 55 and has all utilities in place. This is a rarity and has sites with pads that are ready to be built upon.”
“We have three proposed sites, the Southpoint Site, the Entergy site and the TVA Site. All these sites have access to rail that runs all the way from New Orleans to Canada.”
“The Entergy, 288 acre site, is adjacent to the 170 acre site and borders the Grenada rail line. This site is unique because it offers a $4.3 million site development grant for the right biofuel company or the right client. This will allow you to build out a 100 to 200 acre pad and significantly reduce your risk and cost to the site.”
“The TVA site is unique because it has a new $2 million rail spur put in place that feeds the site directly. So if rail is critical to you, this site is already prepared with rail for access to the Grenada Rail Line.”

Peter Wolf, Project Director, Ecostrat:

“Swan River is located in central Manitoba. This BDO Zone is located in what’s referred to as the boreal transition zone. The forests are roughly half hardwood and half softwood.”
“The regional industry is driven by 2 large modernized facilities. A large sawmill with 50 million board feed capacity is located in the Town of Swan River. They have multiple value added product lines and are willing to support a new project. Then just outside the town there is a 350 million square foot smart siding manufacturing facility owned and operated by Louisiana Pacific. These two facilities are driving harvest activity and a new investor can be confident that it will continue moving forward.”
“There is no competitor in the BDO Zone or the competition zone. The nearest competitor is 240km North of the Town of Swan River. This is a huge asset for the BDO Zone.”

Derek Poole, Chief Administrative Officer, Town of Swan River:

“We have decades of experience in the forest industry. The available lot in our industrial park has access to natural gas, power, water and sewer. It’s a fully serviced utility site and is zoned for heavy industrial development.”
“We are well connected to TransCanada and the Yellowhead highway is just south of us. In terms of rail lines, the primary CN line runs adjacent to our chosen industrial site.”

For more information on the Grenada, MS, BDO Zone, click here, and for their slide deck, click here.

For more information on the Swan River, MB, BDO Zone, click here, and for their slide deck, click here.

Contact Information:

Matthew Harrison, BDO Zone Local Development Leader (LDL) and President/CEO, Greater Grenada Partnership (matthew@grenadameansbusiness.com).

Derek Poole, BDO Zone Local Development Leader (LDL) and Chief Administrative Officer, Town of Swan River (dpoole@townsr.ca).

Aryn Garswood, Head of the BDO Zone Initiative (aryn@ecostrat.com).

Originally published at bdozone.org.