Wyoming City Passes Resolutions Supporting Development

The Torrington, WY, City Council approved a resolution which is geared to the stated official support for future development of the Torrington area as well as Goshen County, WY.

Economic Development Director Brad Sutherland presented three proposals to the council earlier this month, the first of which was a request for support of a technical assistance grant that would assist Heartland BioComposites with financing for testing of products at the University of Wyoming. The grant, which requires no financial commitment by the city, would be for as much as $7,500, with Heartland providing matching funds, according to the Torrington (Wyoming) Telegram).

Sutherland emphasized that the owner of Heartland wants to locate his factory in Torrington. The facility will make products from recycled plastics and straw. He added that the owner’s family has up to $1 million in private funds to back the project.

The company is still in the planning stage, with further studies and discussions with end markets continuing. After determining the feasibility of the project will the company look to begin assembling the financing needed to get the manufacturing facility built.

Heath Van Eaton, president and general manager of Heartland, said that company hopes to start manufacturing the plastics composite by the end of next year. End products would include fence posts, sign posts, and other types of plastic materials. The plastics raw material to be used to make the products would be primarily HDPE plastics collected from southern Wyoming, as well as from other regional areas.