The Greenville Area Development Corporation, South Carolina Department of Commerce and Waste2Energy Holdings, Inc. have announced the relocation of the company's corporate headquarters from New York City to Greenville, South Carolina, including the planned addition of at least 25 jobs over the next few years, as part of the organization's strategic growth initiatives in North America.
Waste2Energy is a worldwide supplier of proprietary gasification technology designed to convert municipal solid waste, biomass and other solid waste streams traditionally destined for landfills into clean, renewable energy. Waste2Energy designs, builds and installs waste-to-energy plants that generate "Renewable Green Power" and are scalable, modular, environmentally friendly and robust enough to operate in remote environments.
The Greenville headquarters initially will house administration, engineering, sales, marketing and customer service support to customers, primarily landfill owners / operators, project developers, municipalities, hospitals, military bases and mining sites, according to Peter Bohan, CEO for Waste2Energy Holdings, Inc. New capital investment in the headquarters operation is estimated at approximately $1 million. Bohan expects the Greenville headquarters, located at 1 Chick Springs Road in Greenville, to foster "substantial sales opportunities across North America in the near term, with significant opportunity to grow from there. Our products and services are ideally suited to resolving the proliferation of waste in landfills in and around smaller cities in particular," he noted.
Waste2Energy was drawn to Greenville by a combination of factors, including its plentiful engineering and project management talent pool, its accessibility and acclaimed regional airport, reasonable costs for conducting business, temperate climate and high quality of life factors, and Bohan's own familiarity with the region from past travels to the Upstate. The firm, previously headquartered in New York City, also considered locations in New York, Massachusetts and Florida before selecting Greenville.
"There's no doubt that the outstanding engineering and project management talent in this region, the Greenville-Spartanburg airport and the lower costs of doing business here were drivers in our selection," said Bohan. "This area is known for its top engineering talent, and the quality of life in this region makes it easy to attract and retain quality employees here."
The company's clients are international and diverse, noted Bohan, while reiterating that he sees a tremendous opportunity to expand its North American client base from the new Greenville headquarters operation. "Our customers span the globe – from Wake Island in the Pacific Ocean to Iceland and Scotland, and from military bases to municipalities and manufacturing campuses – and we feel we have barely scratched the surface of our potential in the contiguous 48 states," he added. "We are excited to establish operations here in Greenville County, and very appreciative of the support and leadership of the Greenville Area Development Corporation and Department of Commerce in making this announcement a reality."
The company's Batch Oxidation System, or BOS, provides a low emission and low labor approach to small and medium-scale solid waste disposal – ideal for small cities and private industry. Utilizing a gasification process which thermally converts waste products into a burnable gas, the two-stage process provides the lowest possible emissions and is the most environmentally sound method for waste disposal. By adding thermal recovery equipment, the hot effluent gas can be used to produce steam and electricity, and is ideal for processing waste streams up to 500 tons per day of waste processing.
For biomass and agro-industrial producers, Waste2Energy's Continuous Oxidation Reactor (CORTM) is a low-cost gasification and oxidation system which oxidizes at high temperature in either a single or double chamber, giving extremely clean emissions. It is ideally suited to large quantities of biomass or other consistent waste feedstock up to 1,000 tons per day, and can be supplied with or without energy capture for the production of steam or electricity.
"Waste2Energy, as a supplier of waste-to-energy, will enhance our growing alternative energy sector in the Upstate. The company's decision to bring its corporate headquarters to South Carolina is a strong testament that our business-friendly climate, skilled workforce and exceptional market access are working to attract new investment and create new job opportunities for South Carolinians. Thanks to the team effort of state and local officials, Greenville County will benefit from this investment now and in the future," said Joe Taylor, Secretary of Commerce.
Chairman of Greenville County Council, H.G. "Butch" Kirven, remarked, "We are excited because this enterprise will complement and enhance Greenville County's already robust interest in economically viable energy businesses. For example, Greenville County provides methane gas from the closed Enoree Landfill that is converted into commercial electricity. This company's decision to locate here confirms that conditions for innovation, enterprise, and opportunity are excellent in Greenville County."
The company expects to begin hiring for the headquarters operations in mid-fourth quarter of 2009, added Bohan, who noted that most positions to be filled will be in the engineering, project management and finance arenas. The company expects to invite applications for positions via their website, located at www.waste2energy.com. Wage specifics were not released.
"Waste2Energy is a great example of how a company that combines world-class technology and innovative engineering processes with an Upstate location can grow their business in North America," said Mike Buiter, Chairman of the Greenville Area Development Corporation Board. "The company is research-based, innovative and growth-oriented, and a wonderful reflection of the opportunities to be found in Greenville County and South Carolina."
"We are excited by Waste2Energy's relocation to Greenville," stated Greenville Mayor Knox White. "Greenville continues to rank nationally as having one of the highest concentrations of engineers, and companies like this are a perfect match to the skills in our community. I am pleased to see that we continue to attract companies that are at the leading edge of technology."
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