RICHARDTON -- It was a cold December day when the Red Trail Energy LLC ethanol plant started grinding corn to make ethanol.
However, it is a pre-autumn afternoon that marks the facility's grand opening.
The RTE grand opening is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 14.
Since production began, the plant has created a new eastern skyline for the town and a new interest for many others.
"The plant is a well sought out project with school groups, local visitors and business groups coming for tours," Plant Accounting and Marketing Manager DeEll Hoff said. "We constantly have bystanders coming off the interstate wanting to know what kind of plant this is and wanting to see it. People bring friends and families to see it."
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Plant staff is expecting 300-400 people for the grand opening, she added. After months of work, the plant is ready to officially welcome the public.
"We wanted to wait for nice weather and to make the grounds presentable," Plant CEO Mick Miller said. "Staff has worked diligently to make it look presentable. The main reason for having this event is to open up the plant to all the investors and give the public an opportunity to see the facility since we've had a lot of interest in tours."
In the beginning, employees were taking people through the plant as much as they could, but Miller said it wasn't efficient for employees. Tours were scheduled about once a month, he added.
"That's why we wanted to have a day for as many people to come and see it at one time and get as many through as possible," Miller said. "We also want our employees to meet their surrounding neighbors and people of interest."
Tours cover the basic ethanol-making process. As people walk through certain areas of the plant, employees indicate points of interest related to the process.
Tours are free and groups have included everyone from farmers and seed dealers to fire departments and legislators, Miller said.
"Since we've opened, we've probably had upward of 1,000 people go through the site already," he added. "Businesses and other organizations like to have meetings using our conference room and the opportunity to tour the plant. We're not sure if we'll continue tours as often or ongoing as we have. We are just doing what we can."
During the grand opening, tour groups will contain about 20 people leaving every 10-15 minutes from the administration building.
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Signs will point people in the right direction for tours and other things, and parking will be south of the office, Miller added.
A noticeably new addition to the landscape around the plant is about 25 acres of corn plots. Miller said RTE is growing 11 different corn varieties on the test plots.
"We want to see what grows best in our area," he added. "We can show what corn grows here and that we encourage it. Red Trail Energy LLC is a market, grinding 18-20 million bushels a year."
Along with tours, food is provided from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (CDT), and there are door prize drawings.
Other organizations involved during the day include American Lung Association and the North Dakota Ethanol Producers Association who will be there.
"The American Lung Association is doing an E-85 promotion at the local Cenex station and talking with people, educating them on the positive aspects of using E-85 which is 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline," Miller said. "The North Dakota Ethanol Producers Association will mingle with people and answer questions. They are more of a single voice from the ethanol industry than just hearing from people at Red Trail."
On the day the Richardton Cenex gas station will have E-85 gas available for $1.85, Hoff added.
"There will be governmental figures attending the event, but at this time those have not been nailed down," she said. "We did more of a formal event for the groundbreaking and decided to make this more casual."
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This is an educational event to make the public aware of what an ethanol plant is and how it can benefit the consumer, she added.
