White Energy Earns OSHA's SHARP Award, a First for an Ethanol Production Facility
Dallas-based White Energy Inc. became the first ethanol company in the United States to earn OSHA's SHARP Award. OSHA officials and Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius presented the award to the company's ethanol and wheat gluten facility in Russell, Kan., for upholding high standards for workplace safety and health.
“We are very honored and proud to be the first and only ethanol production facility in the country to earn this distinction,” said White Energy CEO Kevin D. Kuykendall. "Our staff in Russell deserves credit for not only earning this award, but also for their strong sense of pride and commitment to maintaining our company’s high standards for workplace safety. Our Russell plant and team set the standard by which all of our new and future plants will be emulated and measured. As our company continues to grow and becomes one of the leading ethanol and renewable fuels companies in the United States, we will lead the industry--strategically, responsibly, and safely--with the best employees in the industry."
White Energy's Russell facility employs more than 70 people and produces 50 million gallons of ethanol (MGPY) and 40 million pounds of wheat gluten annually. The plant opened in October 2001 and was purchased by White Energy in May 2006. Its safety program is administered by Quality Control and Safety Manager Barb Elliot, who is supported by the management team of Ron Dunbar, VP of Ethanol Manufacturing; Regis Weiss, Wheat Gluten plant manager; Mike Ernst, plant manager (Ethanol); G.J. Long, maintenance manager; and Paula Haley, controller.