Green Dot Bioplastics, Inc. held a groundbreaking ceremony last week, celebrating the start of construction on its expansion project at the Green Dot facility in Onaga, Kans.
Green Dot is known for creating the world’s first biodegradable elastomeric rubber, Terratek® Flex, as well as a variety of other biocomposites and biodegradable resins to replace traditional plastics. Located in the heart of the scenic Kansas Flint Hills, the company’s mission to create a new generation of plastic supports a biobased economy.
As Green Dot enters its second decade, the company is preparing to introduce two new product categories for use in compostable packaging applications, including film. The expansion to the Onaga facility, adds floor space to accommodate additional equipment and warehouse space inorder to double production capacity. The project is being led by KBS Constructors, leaders in critical environment construction, and is expected to be completed in September 2021.
People who symbolically broke ground include Green Dot CEO Mark Remmert, Director of Research & Development Mike Parker, Engineering Manager Amanda Childress, Plant Manager Bill Barnell, and Dan Foltz, President of KBS Constructors. Lydia Kincade, co-founder of iiM, and Dave Nelson represented Green Dot’s Board of Directors and investors, respectively.
“Green Dot has enjoyed exceptional growth during our first decade and we are poised for even bigger things in our next decade,” Remmert said. “This expansion comes in advance of adding two new product categories to our portfolio of sustainable plastics and effectively doubles our production capacity. It’s an exciting time to be in bioplastics!”
The project aligns with Green Dot’s values of sustainability and innovation. Partnering with KBS Constructors, another Kansas-based firm committed to the same values, means the expansion not only benefits Green Dot, it has a positive impact on the local economy.
“We wanted to work with a local company who understands our needs and the needs of the Onaga community. Dan Foltz and his talented team at KBS are absolutely the right people for this job,” Remmert said.
“We are excited to put our 30+ years of experience to work on this expansion project,” Foltz said. “This is a great example of innovation flourishing in rural Kansas and we are thrilled to be a part of it.”
Production at the facility will continue during construction with expanded capacity coming online in Fall 2021.
