Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current, March 08, 2019, Page 2, Image 2

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CapitalPress.com
Friday, March 8, 2019
People & Places
From drywall to soil amendment
Urban Gypsum
opens new facility
in Portland
EMPOWERING PRODUCERS OF FOOD & FIBER
Established 1928
Board of Directors
Western
Innovator
By GEORGE PLAVEN
Capital Press
PORTLAND — An exca-
vator sits atop a large pile of
crumbled drywall at a North
Portland warehouse, where
Casey Lane, president of
Urban Gypsum, explains
how the rubbish is actu-
ally a valuable commodity
for farmers looking to grow
healthier crops.
Rather than sending wall-
board to the landfill, Urban
Gypsum is reaching out to
local building contractors
to bring the material into its
75,000-square-foot facility,
where it is processed into a
flour-like powder consisting
of nearly 100 percent recy-
cled gypsum for agricultural
and industrial uses.
Gypsum, a soft mineral
composed of calcium sul-
fate, is a widely used fer-
tilizer that provides plant
nutrition while improving
aeration in compact soils,
allowing better drainage and
deeper root penetration.
It is also the primary
ingredient in drywall, of
which 15 million tons is
currently sitting in landfills
across the U.S., Europe and
Asia.
Lane is familiar with the
struggle. Urban Gypsum is
just one division of Willa-
mette Construction Services
Inc., which includes gen-
eral contracting and demo-
lition. Lane figures the com-
pany was spending upwards
of $500,000 a year haul-
ing heavy drywall to the
dump.
Not only does weight at
the landfill equal dollars,
but Lane said a potentially
lucrative business opportu-
nity was slipping through
their fingers.
“To turn our garbage into
a commodity, and to turn our
waste stream into a reusable
(product), really was the
key,” Lane said.
URBAN GYPSUM
President: Casey Lane
Opened: 2018
Location: North Portland
Size: 75,000 square feet
Services: Processing
drywall into recycled
gypsum
Capacity: 140,000 tons
annually
George Plaven/Capital Press
Casey Lane, center, is president of Urban Gypsum, a Portland-based company that
recycles drywall to make agricultural gypsum. His son, Taylor, and mother, Bonnie,
also work at the family-run business.
The company
It was Lane’s parents,
Jerry and Bonnie, who
established the family’s
first business, Lane Con-
crete Cutting, in 1977. From
there, they began to diver-
sify, adding demolition ser-
vices in 1994 and branching
further out across multiple
divisions.
Willamette Construction
Services now includes Lan-
eco, which does demolition,
concrete cutting, under-
ground utilities and exca-
vation; GDSI, which han-
dles demolition and asbestos
abatement; JDL General
Contracting; and Urban
Gypsum, a single-source
drywall recycling center.
The company moved into
its new building in 2018,
with more than 10 times
the space of its former loca-
tion in Portland. After just a
few months, Lane is already
envisioning
nationwide
expansion.
“We expect to open mul-
tiple facilities around the
U.S.,” he said.
Patent pending
The patent is pend-
ing for the recycling pro-
cess at Urban Gypsum, but
in essence drywall is run
through machinery that sep-
arates the gypsum from the
paper backing and collects
the resulting powder in large
bags. The paper is also col-
lected and can be used to
make products such as ani-
mal bedding and packag-
ing, making the process zero
waste.
Urban Gypsum has a fleet
of trucks and Dumpsters that
can haul drywall directly
from the construction site to
its facility, ensuring mate-
rial bypasses the landfill.
Lane said the product is rig-
orously inspected, and com-
panies that send loads must
fill out a survey to ensure the
gypsum meets a minimum
purity of 99.3 percent.
“We can categorically say
that we have done all of our
proper testing and planning
before one load even enters
this facility,” Lane said.
Scott Freeman, opera-
tions manager at Urban Gyp-
sum, said it took months of
planning and working with
the Oregon Department of
Environmental Quality and
Metro, which covers land
use and development across
the Portland metro area,
to get the recycling center
permitted.
“It’s something they’ve
been wanting for a long
time,” Freeman said. “This
has been tried before and
failed by other companies.”
Urban Gypsum has a
full-time agronomist, Wade
Schirmer, on staff reach-
ing out to agricultural sup-
pliers who have expressed
interest in carrying the prod-
uct. Gypsum is 150 to 200
times more soluble than
lime, Schirmer said, and its
aeration properties could be
especially useful in the wet,
heavy soils of the Willa-
mette Valley.
“The growers have a real
keen interest,” Schirmer
said. “Just getting them
trained, it actually has the
potential to displace sig-
nificant other products as a
plant food.”
Cost-effective
By capturing gypsum
from local drywall scraps,
Schirmer added the com-
pany can provide a much
more cost effective supply
of product, as opposed to
buying and shipping it from
mines in Nevada, Utah and
Canada. He said the added
freight makes gypsum twice
as expensive from those
sources as it would be from
their company.
Employees: Approxi-
mately 180 across all di-
visions under Willamette
Construction Services Inc.
“It’s a rather inexpensive
product, but the handling
and trucking makes it cost
prohibitive,” he said.
Tom Wimmer, chief
operating officer at Marion
Ag Service in St. Paul, Ore.,
says they have had conver-
sations with Urban Gypsum
since the new drywall recy-
cling center opened. While
there have not yet been any
field tests between Urban
Gypsum and Marion Ag
Service, Wimmer said he
does believe there could be
a profitable market.
“There is a lot of bene-
fit for that, to help build the
soil integrity,” he said. “I
think the market is there, if
you have a readily available
source.”
At full capacity, Urban
Gypsum will create up to
140,000 tons of gypsum
powder annually. Lane
said the goal is to get to
full production, and envi-
sions opening a second
facility within the next
year.
“We have turned a lot
of heads and gained a lot
of attention in a very pos-
itive way,” he said. “This
will be a nationwide
product.”
CSS Farms grows seed potatoes as part of its portfolio
By ERICK PETERSON
For the Capital Press
With seed farms and pro-
duction facilities in nine
states, CSS Farms stretches
across the U.S. and it prides
itself on having a culture of
“doing it right.”
Its vision statement
includes a commitment
toward “cultivating people,
leadership and new technol-
ogy,” as it seeks to be their
customers’ preferred sup-
plier. It also defines its core
values as a commitment
to excellence, teamwork,
integrity,
entrepreneurial
drive, innovation and farm-
ing lifestyle.
For Laurie Widdowson,
CSS marketing and devel-
opment manager, that vision
statement and core values
are not mere filler material
for the company website’s
“About” section. They rep-
resent strong feelings that she
and other CSS employees
feel toward their company.
CSS, she says, is a special
organization that is devoted
to quality.
In 1986, CSS began by
the Carter and Spevak fam-
ilies in the small town of
Watertown, South Dakota.
Soon afterward, it expanded
to Nebraska, Texas and other
states, while creating new
said. CSS strives to zero
infection, even when legal
requirements are less strict.
The CSS commitment to
order is on display at its seed
farm and sorting facility in
Ione, Ore. The company
moved into the location five
years ago. Protective masks,
booties and gloves are worn.
Conditions are clean and
tidy.
“We maintain a ster-
ile environment here,” said
Don Atwood, Ione seed farm
storage manager, speak-
ing of the operations at the
Boardman sorting facility
that he helps to oversee.
He explained that clean-
liness is especially import-
ant for Ione operations,
since that place deals in
seed, rather than food prod-
uct. Seed is grown in Ione,
distant enough to avoid con-
tamination from other potato
growers. There, it produces
chip, russet and specialty
varieties on 750 acres before
trucking them to a sorting
facility in nearby Boardman.
Mick Peck, Ione seed
farm
manager,
shares
Atwood’s pride concern-
ing cleanliness. He has been
with the company five years,
and he boasts of sterilization
processes, employee safety
and many other aspects of
CSS. He is impressed by
much of the company’s
work, including the decision
to begin operations in north-
eastern Oregon.
He started at CSS just
when it was develop-
ing the concept of its cur-
rent Ione work. Starting a
seed farm just outside the
Columbia Basin was inge-
nious, he said. Its position,
upwind from other ag pro-
ducers, provided low insect
and disease pressure. This
would be beneficial to mak-
ing good seed, and this plan
has turned out well, accord-
ing to Peck.
“Many people were skep-
tical when our owners had
the plan to grow seed pota-
toes this close to the Colum-
bia Basin,” he said. “All of
their reasons for why they
thought it world work have
turned out to be true.”
For Peck, the CSS fore-
sight in knowing good
opportunities is a large part
of what makes it an excel-
lent company. He is also
impressed with the technol-
ogy that preserves product,
the professionalism of his
coworkers, the long ship-
ping schedule and the will-
ingness to take chances on
good opportunities.
“I feel really good about
being here,” he said. “We all
do.”
SATURDAY, MARCH 16
FRIDAY, MARCH 22
Amity Daffodil Festival:
8 a.m.-5 p.m., Amity Daffodil Fes-
tival, 401 S. Trade St., Amity, Ore.
View numerous varieties of daf-
fodils showcased by the Oregon
Daffodil Society. Children through
adults are encouraged to partici-
pate by bringing in a home-grown
daffodil for judging by 11 a.m.
Grab lunch at one of the local eat-
eries and round out the day with
wine tasting at the local wineries.
Experience the fun of a small town
festival, celebrate spring and learn
about daffodils. Eve E Silverman,
eesilverman@yahoo.com, 503-835-
0374. www.AmityDIG.org.
Oregon FFA Convention:
Deschutes Fair & Expo Center, 3800
Southwest Airport Way, Redmond, Ore.
This convention is the culmination of
the year’s work for FFA members across
the state. https://bit.ly/2EarKxo
Northwest Horse Fair and
Expo: Linn County Fair and Expo
Center, 3700 Knox Butte Road,
Albany, Ore. Horse-related edu-
cation, entertainment and shop-
ping. http://equinepromotions.net/
northwest-horse-fair/.
https://bit.ly/2EarKxo
Northwest Horse Fair and Expo:
Linn County Fair and Expo Cen-
ter, 3700 Knox Butte Road, Albany,
Ore. http://equinepromotions.net/
northwest-horse-fair/.
Clackamas Tree School: 8:15 a.m.-
5:15 p.m., Clackamas Community Col-
lege, 19600 S Molalla Ave., Oregon
City. Oregon’s largest forestry and nat-
ural resource education event. There
are 650 spots available and this event
typically fills up fast. Tree School
attendees can choose from a range
of topics to support successful man-
agement of their woodlands Clacka-
mas County taxpayers $55; non-resi-
dents $70; ages 6-20 $25. http://bit.
ly/TreeSchoolClackamas.
CSS FARMS
Founded: 1986
Locations: Colorado, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Oregon, Idaho,
Texas, Washington, Florida and South Dakota
Acres: 14,000 (nationwide), 750 (Ione Seed Farm)
Products: mostly potatoes, but also organic green peas,
sweet corn and wheat
Employees: 300 (regular full-time nationally), 800 (season-
ally nationwide)
partnerships and building
its customer base. Today,
CSS operates on a total of
14,000 acres of farmland
and employs 300 full-time
employees through the year.
When Widdowson and
other CSS management
speak of company staff,
they are particular about the
words they use. They are not
just “employing workers,”
they are “cultivating” and
“nurturing” them.
“It takes quality people to
create a quality product,” she
said. And in order to have
quality people, a company
must assist them in devel-
oping skills, leadership abil-
ities and community activ-
ism. “Our communities are
everything,” she said.
As part of nurturing staff,
CSS sends its employees
through training courses,
such as annual agron-
omy programs. Leaders,
researchers and workers
gather for studies and dis-
cussion. They learn about
the condition of the year’s
potato crop, and they seek
methods for improving their
company.
Other employee educa-
tion programs include stud-
ies in new technology and
worker safety. Widdowson
said that this learning is vital.
“This is how we go from
good to great,” she said.
In addition to having top-
notch people and programs
to develop those people,
CSS also concentrates on
technology. Widdowson said
that the company has excel-
lent “clean seed protocols.”
That is, it excels at keeping
its product virus free.
“We make a large finan-
cial and personnel invest-
ment to accomplish,” she
CALENDAR
SUNDAY, MARCH 10
Community Supported Agri-
culture Share Fair: 10 a.m.-3 p.m.,
Ecotrust’s The Redd, 801 SE
Salmon St., Portland. Share Fair
gathers more than 40 regional
farmers, ranchers and fishermen
who serve the Portland area. The
Portland Area CSA Coalition pro-
motes Community Supported
Agriculture by connecting local
CSA farmers with households,
educating the public about the
CSA experience and the bene-
fits of healthy eating and pro-
viding farmers with opportuni-
ties to learn, grow and meet their
business and sustainability goals.
www.portlandcsa.org.
Home Orchard Society
Annual Fruit Propagation Fair:
10 a.m.-4 p.m., Clackamas County Fair-
grounds, 694 NE Fourth Ave., Canby,
Ore. Hundreds of varieties of free sci-
ons and cuttings will be available. If
you graft, this is paradise. Or you can
choose custom grafting by experts
for only $5. Free with admission are
hundreds of varieties of apple, pear,
cherry, plum and persimmon scions;
cuttings of grapes, kiwis and figs; and
experts to answer your fruit grow-
ing questions. Joanie Cooper, host-
rees@gmail.com, 503-434-7643. $5
for members (family $10), $7 for
non-members (family $12). Admission
is free if you join HOS at this show.
www.homeorchardsociety.org.
SATURDAY, MARCH 23
Oregon FFA Convention:
Deschutes Fair & Expo Center, 3800
Southwest Airport Way, Redmond, Ore.
Mike Forrester
Steve Forrester
Kathryn Brown
Susan Rana
Harrison Forrester
Mike Omeg
Cory Bollinger
Jeff Rogers
Corporate Officers
Heidi Wright
Chief Operating Officer
Rick Hansen
Chief Financial Officer
Capital Press Managers
Joe Beach ..................... Editor & Publisher
Elizabeth Yutzie Sell ... Advertising Director
Carl Sampson .................. Managing Editor
Jessica Boone ............ Production Manager
Samantha McLaren ....Circulation Manager
Entire contents copyright © 2019
EO Media Group
dba Capital Press
An independent newspaper
published every Friday.
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Index
Dairy ......................................................10
Livestock ...............................................10
Opinion ...................................................6
Markets .................................................12
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