Company, employees support their community
Apr 17, 2021
Most residents of the Fort Dodge area had never heard of CJ CheilJedang Corp. in late 2011 when the South Korea based company announced that it would build its first North American plant in Webster County.
It’s been nearly a decade since the company made that announcement. In that time the company’s North American venture, called CJ Bio America, has made such a huge positive impact that there are now few people who are not aware of it.
The impact of CJ Bio America, which makes amino acids for animal feed and a liquid soil amendment, can be described with numbers. In this case, the numbers are big. Those figures start with a $323 million investment in a new plant at Iowa’s Crossroads of Global Innovation, which opened in 2013.
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In the seven years since the CJ Bio America plant opened, its employees have made an impact in the community.
They have donated about $500,000 to various causes, according to Luke Palmer, the company’s senior operations manager. They have also provided about 20,000 hours of volunteer service, he added.
“If anybody asks or if we know about something, we try to get involved and help,” Palmer said.
The workers have adopted Hydro-Electric Park in Fort Dodge, where they have done extensive work to improve the ballfield.
They have also worked for the Badger Lake Dragon Boat Festival, the Brushy Creek Area Honor Flight, Bikes for Tykes, the Lord’s Cupboard and Meals on Wheels.