Bioscience in Junction City
Edenspace™
Brings Biofuel Research to Junction City
March
19, 2007
Edenspace
Brings Biofuel Research to Junction City
State
and local economic development leaders announced
today that Junction City will be the location for
another biotechnology firm in Kansas. Edenspace,
a leading company in the use of plants for environmental
protection and renewable fuels, will be relocating
its headquarters and operations from Dulles, Virginia,
to Kansas. The move will facilitate completion of
the development of its Energy CornTM, a product
that can double the yield-per-acre of ethanol from
corn.
“Kansas
is quickly becoming a leader in renewable energy,
and we’re pleased to have Edenspace join our
efforts,” Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius
said. “The work of Edenspace to increase the
ethanol yielded from corn follows our state’s
long agricultural tradition of getting the most
from our resources. This is good news for farmers,
good news for the environment, and great news for
Kansas.”
The
20,000 sq.ft. Junction City facility is expected
to be completed by late 2007. It will anchor the
new Tom Neal Technology Park on the expanding western
edge of Junction City. The firm will support 30
professional jobs in agricultural biotechnology
and renewable energy in the growing biotechnology
cluster in the region. The Junction City facility
will be a “green” building with environmentally
friendly features and will be designed with a 20,000
sq.ft. expansion option.
Bruce
Ferguson, Edenspace President, said that Kansas
and Junction City were selected over more than a
dozen other possible sites. “The major factors
in our decision,” he said, “were Kansas’s
strong support for agricultural biotechnology and
Junction City’s drive and determination to
create an important technology center. We believe
that our new Junction City facility and development
team will help to accelerate introduction of crucial
new products for the ethanol industry.”
Cellulosic
ethanol has the potential to substantially reduce
our consumption of gasoline. Producing cellulosic
ethanol from corn leaves and stems (stover) as well
as from grain can more than double per-acre ethanol
yields, but with costs above $2.50 per gallon existing
cellulosic technologies are too expensive. Energy
CornTM, the proprietary product of Edenspace, will
dramatically reduce the costs of ethanol production
and will increase profits for farmers and ethanol
producers.
“I’m
thrilled Edenspace decided to locate in Kansas.
It highlights the powerful synergy that exists between
our longstanding agricultural traditions, advances
in the biofuels industry and the growing bioscience
presence in Kansas,” said Adrian Polansky,
Secretary of the Kansas Department of Agriculture.
Edenspace
is the newest in a growing number of biotechnology
firms locating in Kansas. The state’s success
is due in large part to the team of agencies that
partner with local communities attract high technology
firms. Kansas Bio, the Kansas Bioscience Authority,
KTEC, the Kansas Dept. of Agriculture, and the Kansas
Dept. of Commerce along with university and local
community partners are selling the strengths of
the state’s agriculture, research and development
capacity and innovative local communities to recruit
companies like Edenspace. Junction City has made
biotechnology recruitment a priority of its economic
development, working with the state team to successfully
land several firms within the last year.
“Junction
City is proud to be the new home of Edenspace,”
said Mayor Terry Heldstab. “This innovative
firm adds another dimension to our growing community
and to the entire region. This is an example of
great partnerships and strategic economic development.
Junction City and Edenspace have a bright future
together.”
About
Edenspace
Edenspace...
- commercial leader in the use of plants for environmental
protection and renewable fuels
- projects
throughout the United States and Japan
- 2006
revenues of $1.4 million
- transforming
the energy, environmental and agriculture industries
with proprietary plants and plant-based services
The
company goals are to provide the best possible service
and value to clients, to advance environmentally
friendly uses of living plants, and to provide a
stimulating and progressive work environment for
its talented staff.
Edenspace
seeks to become a key technology supplier to the
rapidly growing $9 billion renewable fuels industry
by engineering crops that enhance cellulosic ethanol
production.
Edenspace’s
market strategy is to develop a technology platform
for engineering corn, switchgrass and other crops
as cellulosic feedstocks to address the rapidly
growing worldwide fuel ethanol market. Enhanced
corn varieties will integrate the use of corn stover
into existing corn grain ethanol production facilities,
introducing an improved product into an existing
customer base. Eventually switchgrass is expected
to supplement the use of corn for ethanol production.
CONTACT:
Carol Gould
City of Junction City
Voice Phone Number: 238-3103, ext. 303
FAX Number: 210-1911
carol.gould@jcks.com
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