![]() ![]() SeQuential Pacific sells glycerin and the industrial oil referred to as boiler fuel oil to local distributors. Just as Schnitzer Steel can make new rebar out of old girders and Nike can make a sharp-looking football shirt out of spent plastic bottles, our biodiesel is primarily a second-use product: It gives used cooking oil new life and provides added value as a fuel and even down to further byproducts. Used cooking oil is a raw material (in energy production, we call it feedstock), but it’s not so-called virgin material. We do not want to be part of a different problem, mowing down forests for agriculture or laying claim to crops that could feed people. This sequence - food first, then fuel - is essential to our business model. Some are suppliers, some are customers, and some are both. SeQuential Pacific is fortunate to work with other Oregon businesses that share our passion for sustainability, including Burgerville, New Seasons Market, Nike, Safeway, Roth’s Fresh Market and McMenamins. In fact, some on our customers may be eligible for rebates for every gallon of oil we collect. There is no cost for restaurants to recycle their oil with us. We have more than 7,000 suppliers throughout the region including businesses, schools, restaurants and hospitals. Our biodiesel is made from used cooking oil in the Pacific Northwest. These jobs would not exist if the valuable resource of used cooking oil were getting buried away in the ground. Our nearly 100 employees in these markets pick up used cooking oil from local suppliers or refine the oil at our plant in Salem or distribute it to our customers throughout Washington, Idaho, Oregon and soon northern California. We have hubs in Seattle, Portland, Salem, and Spokane, and serve the surrounding areas to cover the entire region. We were squatting in a gas station on Highway 30 in Portland, but we could see a promising future ahead and were able to hire our first employee. We established the first commercial biodiesel production facility in Oregon, only the second commercial biodiesel production facility in the Pacific Northwest. By 2004 we were able to launch SeQuential Pacific Biodiesel LLC, a joint venture with of Maui, Hawaii. Like a growing number of people, I was interested in keeping pollution out of the air, waste out of the landfills, and energy dollars closer to home.Īs in high-tech and craft brewing, two other industries dear to Oregonian’s hearts, early adopters came out of the woodwork, and their support and enthusiasm helped us refine our product. Biodiesel made from used cooking oil is significantly cleaner than petroleum diesel, emitting up to 78 percent less carbon dioxide and other harmful gases. On the demand side, motorists and delivery fleets were paying the owners of petroleum wells in distant countries to send them fuel from thousands of miles away.Īs an Oregonian, I liked the way the numbers played out in the world around me. On the supply side, restaurant owners were paying to have cooking oil disposed of, as trash. Our first and primary refueling station is in Eugene, just a few miles down the road from the U of O campus.Īs a business major vetting a business model, I liked the way the numbers added up. The Riverfront Innovation Center provided me with the facility, resources and time needed to research how to take the concept of locally produced biodiesel to the reality of SeQuential Pacific Biodiesel as a viable, profitable business. When I was exploring the potential opportunities in the biodiesel industry, just over 10 years ago, I was lucky enough to be able to do so through the University of Oregon entrepreneurial incubator project. Recently we closed another loop, as we signed a contract to recycle cooking oil from the concession stands operated by the University of Oregon Athletics department. This year we celebrated our 20 millionth gallon of fuel produced and are approaching 100 employees. My partners and I wanted to provide Oregonians with an economically viable alternative to fossil fuels while also building a business that would grow over time and provide jobs in the region. Image Credit: Alexandru Nika/Shutterstock.įor those of us in the alternative fuel industry, what motivated us when we started is what motivates us today. ![]()
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