Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 23, 1994 TAG: 9401240258
SECTION: ECONOMY PAGE: EC-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KATHLEEN WILSON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
\ When the Montcalm Co., a Michigan-based alternative-fuel company, announced in November that it planned a $2 million expansion in Bedford, the firm said its groundbreaking could happen as soon as February and operations could begin by March.
Everything is going as planned, according to Sue Gilbert, a Bedford administrative analyst.
The company has hired Coleman Adams Construction of Forest and a design is in progress.
Gilbert said the construction company is still shooting for a March opening.
Montcalm described the facility - on 12 acres in the Little Otter Business Park on U.S. 221 - as an "enviro-station" that will create 20 semiskilled jobs.
The company chose the Bedford site for its first expansion outside of Michigan because of its proximity to Georgia-Pacific Corp.'s Big Island Pulp and Paper Mill, a large source of paper byproducts. At Montcalm's plant, the byproducts will be ground, then formed into dense pellets that can be burned.
Montcalm has been in business for four years and caters exclusively to government and industrial clients. Its customers include Upjohn Co., a pharmaceuticals maker; the state of Michigan; and General Motors Corp.
Bedford officials hope the addition of an environmentally conscious company will help attract industries like it to the area.
\ MONTCALM CO.
A NEW NAME
The company: Montcalm converts paper waste into pellets that can generate almost as much heat as coal.
Headquarters: Grand Rapids, Mich.
Roanoke Valley operation: An "enviro-station" in Bedford is slated to begin operating in March.
by CNB