WebinarNov 6, 2025

BDO ZoneCONNECT Webinar: Macon County, Alabama & Southwest Colorado

On November 6th, 2025, Ecostrat Inc. and the BDO Zone Initiative, in collaboration with TheDigest, hosted the BDO ZoneCONNECT webinar, highlighting two investment grade BDO Zone communities in North America: Macon County, Alabama, rated A for Woody Biomass, and Southwest Colorado, rated BBB for Woody Biomass as well.

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 Joe Turnham, Director, Macon County Economic Development Authority (MCEDA); Laura Lewis Marchino, Executive Director, Region 9 Economic Development District of Southwest Colorado. The webinar underscored the regions’ abundant biomass resources, robust infrastructure, shovel-ready sites and attractive local incentives, positioning these BDO Zones as prime locations for biobased projects seeking a reliable supply of biomass 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

Marcin Lewandowski, Senior Director, Operations & Risk, Ecostrat:

“We’ve rated 1 million bone-dry tons per year of low-risk woody biomass in Macon County, AL” with pricing from “$60-$90 per bone-dry ton, including $60-$70 for sawdust and bark residuals.”
“There is a growing forestry industry and that’s of course due to the large availability of sustainable and affordable sawtimber and pulpwood.”

Joe Turnham, Director, Macon County Economic Development Authority (MCEDA):

“MCEDA was established by a legislative act of the Alabama Legislature and is designated as the official entity responsible for fostering economic development, investment and industry in Macon County.”
“In addition to just targeting forest products, we have a CSX select site, which is a Platinum site” representing “one of the strongest sites in the Southern United States for forest products.”
“The Macon County labor shed (within 50 miles of Tuskegee) includes over 1 million people with roughly half a million in the workforce.”
“One of our biggest incentives is through the Alabama Industrial Training Institute (AIDT)… They actually do industry-specific training programs… equipment, CDLs, skidders, mass harvesting.”

Marcin Lewandowski, Senior Director, Operations & Risk, Ecostrat:

“This community is defined as a 75-mile driving radius around Mancos, Colorado, where 60,000 bone-dry tons of low-risk biomass are available at prices ranging from $55–$100 per bone-dry ton delivered.”
“There’s existing logging and grinding equipment capacity, which is sufficient to supply those quantities that are rated.”

Laura Lewis Marchino, Executive Director, Region 9 Economic Development District of Southwest Colorado:

“We represent five counties, ten cities and towns, and the only two tribes in southwest Colorado.”
“We are centrally located in the Four Corners, equidistant from Albuquerque, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, and Denver.”
“We have 100,000 people in our entire region, which is only 3% of the state’s population.”
“We pursued a BDO Zone rating to help diversify our rural economy and revitalize our timber industry potential.”
“30% of our workers commute across state lines, giving us an incredibly flexible labor force and cross-state collaboration opportunities.”
“Our BDO Zone includes three hospitals, a four-year college, two community colleges – including a CDL training program – and strong tribal community partnerships.”

Contact Information:

Joe Turnham, Director, Macon County Economic Development Authority (MCEDA), (joeturnham@aol.com).

Laura Lewis Marchino, Executive Director, Region 9 Economic Development District of Southwest Colorado (laura@region9edd.org).

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

Originally published at bdozone.org.