US Aggregates adds 2 quarries

US Aggregates has acquired two new quarries and another fine grind facility in Indiana.

The company owns and operates the former Meshberger Brothers quarry and a fine grind operation southwest of Portland.

The latest acquisitions are quarries known as Deer Creek and 243 near Cloverdale, west of Indianapolis, and a fine grind plant operating under Mid Calcium Carbonates.

“They are a great fit for both our current aggregates and fine grind businesses,” said John Schmidt, president of US Aggregates, in a prepared statement. “We gain a strong team that shares the same values related to safe and environmentally responsible production of quality materials.”

With this latest acquisition, US Aggregates now has 20 quarries and two fine grind operations in Indiana. 

Bottle contract

Ardagh Group, which has glass container plants in Dunkirk and Winchester, has signed a long-term supply agreement to be the exclusive supplier of glass bottles for Mountain Valley Spring Water. 

Mountain Valley has been bottling spring water since 1871.

Ardagh manufactures Mountain Valley Spring Water's green glass water bottles for its Spring Water, Sparkling Water and Sparkling Essence varieties in 333ml, 500ml, 750ml and 1L sizes.

Glass bottles are 100 percent recyclable and can be recycled endlessly without any loss in quality or purity.

Expanding

Frank Miller Lumber has launched what is potentially a $3.4 million investment at the headquarters in Union City. The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2022.

The company will transfer its Salem, Indiana, operations to Union City, relocate its Memphis, Tennessee, brokerage facility to be in-house, add a walnut steamer, upgrade its Hurst boiler and add extra capacity to its kilns.

After all phases of the project are complete, about 15 additional jobs will be created.

Power sold

Scout Clean Energy, which is in the final planning stages for Bitter Ridge Wind Farm in southwestern Jay County, has found a buyer for power to be produced by a wind farm in Minnesota.

Minnesota Municipal Power Agency will purchase 200 megawatts of renewable energy annually from Three Waters Wind Farm in Jackson County over the next 20 years.

Construction of the wind farm is expected to take place in 2021.

Scout officials have indicated the company is nearing an agreement on the purchase of power from Bitter Ridge, though no announcement has yet been made.

The Minnesota project calls for the installation of up to 71 wind turbines.

“We are excited to announce our agreement with Minnesota Municipal Power Agency to purchase power from the Three Waters Wind Farm,” Michael Rucker, chief executive officer and founder of Scout Clean Energy, said in a prepared statement. “MMPA has agreed to purchase the entire capacity that will be generated by the Three Waters Wind Farm. The project distinguishes MMPA as a renewable energy leader in Minnesota.”

New staff

Julie Towery has joined the staff of Family LifeCare, Berne, as a nurse practitioner.

She will be assisting chief medical officer Dr. Edmond Bendaly and nurse practitioner Deb Fiechter.

A native of Marion, Towery has a master of science degree in community health nursing from Indiana Wesleyan University and completed post-graduate work as a primary care nurse practitioner. She resides in Van Buren.

Completed

Tyson Foods Inc., parent of Tyson Mexican Original of Portland, this week announced it has completed the acquisition of four production facilities in Thailand, one in The Netherlands and one in the United Kingdom.

The four plants in Thailand produce a range of fresh and frozen, raw and fully-cooked poultry products, including highly specialized cuts for retail and food service customers throughout Asia and other markets.

The processing plants in The Netherlands and the United Kingdom are supported by in-house innovation capabilities for developing further-processed chicken products for retail and foodservice customers throughout Europe.

These businesses build on the company’s growth strategy to expand offerings of value-added protein in global markets.

“We’re now strategically aligned to better serve customers in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, building on our global strategy,” said Noel White, president and chief executive officer, in a prepared statement.

It has been estimated that about 90% of future global protein consumption growth will occur outside the United States with 60% of the volume growth coming from Asia over the next five years.

New marketer

Noelle O’Mara has been named as the new chief marketing officer for Tyson Foods, Crain’s Chicago Business reported this week.

Based in Chicago, she will be responsible for overseeing all of Tyson’s brands, including those produced by Tyson Mexican Original of Portland.

Previously, she was the general manager and senior vice president of Jimmy Dean and Tyson.

She has more than 17 years of food marketing experience and is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business, Crain’s reported.

More hubs

CVS Health plans to expand its new health hub concept to 1,500 of its pharmacy stores across the U.S., Forbes reports.

Earlier this year the company began to pilot three such locations in Houston that dedicate more than 20% of the store to health services that include new durable medical equipment, supplies and various new product and service combinations. 

CVS is adding thousands of new personal care items as well as additional services at its MinuteClinics in the health hub stores, Forbes said.

This year, the company will open additional HealthHUBs in Houston, Atlanta, Tampa and the market that includes Philadelphia and southern New Jersey.

Historic site

First Financial Bancorp, parent of First Financial Bank, will undertake a $20 million redevelopment of a historic building in the Walnut Hills section of Cincinnati later this year.

Cincinnati Business Courier said the bank holding company plans to open a 3,000-square-foot branch in Model Group’s Paramount Square redevelopment in September.

“We understand that one of the keys to vibrancy in a community is access to core services, including banking,” said Archie Brown, president and CEO of First Financial, in a prepared statement.

The branch will combine two of the building’s storefronts at the intersection of Gilbert Avenue and East McMillan Street into one space.

He’s happy

POET’s chief executive officer is happy about the Environmental Protection Agency’s final decision on renewable fuels.

Jeff Broin issued a statement calling the year-round #15 rule “a huge win for farmers, clean fuels and consumer choice.”

“Millions of drivers will now have the freedom to choose cleaner-burning E15 and enjoy greater savings at the pump when they need it most – during the summer driving season when fuel prices peak. Nationwide adoption of E15 will drive the production of 7 billion gallons of biofuels, creating an additional demand for 2 billion bushels of corn each year,” his statement said.

POET is the parent of POET Biorefining-Portland.

Profit grows

Comcast Corp. reported the fastest profit growth in more than a decade in its cable TV division, according to the  Philadelphia Inquirer.

Comcast said that first-quarter profits jumped 14 percent to $3.6 billion, or 77 cents a share. 

Its first-quarter revenue fell 3.3 percent to $26.9 billion, mostly because of the unfavorable comparison with the year-ago quarter when Comcast-owned NBC benefited from broadcasting the advertising-rich winter Olympics and the NFL SuperBowl, The Inquirer said.