Media Contact:
Brian Doudna, Executive Director
Eau Claire Area Economic Development Corporation
brian.doudna@eauclaire-wi.com
Office: 715.834.0070
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
February 22nd, 2013 (Eau Claire, WI) – The Eau Claire Area Economic Development Corporation (EDC) awarded Hi-Crush Proppants, LLC the 2013 Paragon Economic Impact Award today at a press conference. Hi Crush Proppants, LLC will also be recognized on Monday, February 25th at the EDC’s Annual Luncheon.
The Paragon Award is given annually to a local business that demonstrates excellence and positive economic impact in the Eau Claire area and is selected through a nomination process held every December. The award is sponsored by Royal Credit Union (RCU), which was the first recipient of the Paragon Award.
Evaluation criteria include impact through creation of new, quality job opportunities; recent expansion of an existing facility, construction of a new facility, or substantial investment in capital equipment; contributions to increasing the overall tax base; commitment to the continued education and training of employees; support or involvement in a broad range of community economic development activities; and innovations in the development of new products or technologies.
Hi-Crush Proppants, LLC is the first frac sand operation in Eau Claire County. The Hi-Crush business model targets projects that include on-site mining, processing, rail and reserves with expected life of 30+ years. By conducting all operations on-site, Hi-Crush is able to alleviate truck traffic on local roads. Hi-Crush acquired land for both a mine in the town of Bridge Creek and a processing plant in the City of Augusta. In addition to land acquisition, the company has invested approximately $100 million in state-of-the-art facilities including: wet plant, dry plant, conveyor system, rail yard and administration building.
Since starting operations in 2012, Hi-Crush has hired 60 Wisconsin residents with 30 of the employees having local zip codes. As part of the total employment, the company hired a Wisconsin based contract excavator which is also a unionized business. The company anticipates hiring another 10 to 15 employees in 2013, which is estimated to bring the company’s payroll to approximately $3 million in 2013.
“It is a great honor for Hi-Crush to receive the 2013 Paragon Award and to be recognized by the Eau Claire Area Economic Development Corporation,” stated Hi-Crush Proppants CEO, Bob Rasmus. “Since the initial decision to site a plant in Eau Claire County, our company has been very impressed with the quality and work ethic of the Chippewa Valley workforce – one of many reasons that almost all of our new employees are from Wisconsin. Hi-Crush is deeply appreciative of the efforts of the Eau Claire Area Economic Development Corporation. We are also grateful to County Board Chairman Gregg Moore and Augusta Mayor Del Thorson whose leadership and vision assisted us with building a state-of-the-art facility which produces high-quality sand in an environmentally-friendly manner. We are also pleased this facility has directly resulted in 60 new jobs – in addition to jobs created at our local suppliers.”
“The purpose of this award is to honor companies that have a positive impact on our local economy,” said Brian Doudna, Executive Director of the EDC. “The EDC is proud to recognize Hi-Crush Proppants, LLC for its expansion into Eau Claire County. The site chosen by Hi-Crush had been identified by the EDC as a prime location for such an operation, due to the services available and access to raw material. It is truly impressive that two businesses from the City of Augusta have received the Paragon Award the past two years. The City of Augusta has seen well over $160 million invested in their community.”
Hi-Crush Proppants, LLC was nominated for the Paragon Award by Market & Johnson, People’s Bank of Wisconsin and Weld, Riley, Prenn & Ricci, SC.
More information about the Paragon Award is available on the EDC website, located at:
http://www.eauclaire-wi.com/edc_service/impact_award/index.php
Past winners include: Bush Brothers & Company (2012), Dove Healthcare (2011), Curt Manufacturing, Inc. (2010), Menard, Inc. (2009), Minnesota Wire & Cable Co. (2008), Mayo Clinic Health System (2007), Sacred Heart Hospital (2006), Hutchinson Technology, Inc. (2005), Huebsch Services (2004), Nestlé (2003), and RCU (2002).
About hI-CRUSH PROPPANTS, LLC:
Hi-Crush Proppants LLC (“Hi-Crush”) is a low-cost, domestic producer of premium, monocrystalline sand, a specialized mineral which is used as a proppant (“frac sand”) to enhance the recovery rates of hydrocarbons from oil and natural gas wells. Hi-Crush produces a wide-range of frac sand sizes for use in all major U.S. shale basins and is one of the few Northern White sand producers with on-site rail capacity for unit trains. Hi-Crush was formed in 2010 and has a corporate office in Houston, Texas. Hi-Crush is the sponsor of Hi-Crush Partners LP a publicly traded company which trades on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the symbol HCLP. They currently own a mine and sand processing facility in Wyeville, Wisconsin, as well as the recently built facility in Augusta, Wisconsin. Combined, the facilities provide well over 100 jobs in Wisconsin alone. For more information visit their website at: http://www.hicrushpartners.com or contact Mr. Chad McEver, Vice-President of Operations, at 713-963-0099.
ABOUT ROYAL CREDIT UNION:
RCU, Royal Credit Union, is a federally insured credit union serving over 140,000 Members with 24 full service offices in Amery, Balsam Lake, Chippewa Falls, Colby, Eau Claire, Menomonie, Milltown, New Richmond, Osceola, Rice Lake, River Falls, St. Croix Falls, Somerset, Star Prairie, and Whitehall in Wisconsin and 3 full service offices in Edina, Coon Rapids, and St. Paul in Minnesota. You can open an account or apply for a low-cost loan at RCU if you live or work in 18 counties in Western Wisconsin, 12 counties in the Twin Cities Metro in Minnesota, or are a Realtor in Wisconsin or Minnesota. Visit www.rcu.org or call RCU at 1-800-341-9911 for more information.
ABOUT THE EAU CLAIRE AREA EDC:
The Eau Claire Area EDC, a nonprofit organization, is a public/private sector partnership that works to advance economic prosperity through business and job growth. The EDC does this by working with individuals, businesses, and communities seeking to create, retain, and expand business in the Eau Claire area. For more information contact the EDC at 715-834-0070 or visit www.eauclaire-wi.com.
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