Des Moines Register
11-03-06
Ethanol growth helps spur jobs in wide array of fields
Already, many Iowa workers in the biofuels industry possess unrelated
educational and training backgrounds.
By ANNE FITZGERALD
REGISTER AGRIBUSINESS WRITER
Nevada, Ia. - When Greg Derscheid and Randy Retleff grew up on their families'
Wright County farms, they never imagined working in an ethanol plant. Neither
did Julie Rohrdanz, another rural Iowan.
"I had visions that some day I would be a vet," said Rohrdanz, who grew up on
an acreage near Lake View in Sac County.
Ethanol was in its infancy when they were in school. Since 2000, the number of
U.S. ethanol plants has doubled to more than 100, with more than 30 additional
plants under construction.
Derscheid, Retleff and Rohrdanz are employed by Lincolnway Energy, a $90
million project located just west of Nevada that can produce up to 50 million
gallons of ethanol annually. It's one of 25 plants in Iowa, the leading ethanol
producer, with 10 more being built.
Economists disagree on the ripple effects of an ethanol plant. John Urbanchuk,
an economist at LECG Corp., a California-based consultant, says a 100 milliongallon ethanol plant can generate nearly 1,600 jobs across several industries.
Other studies calculate a much smaller impact, but agree that the industry
promises job growth in a wide array of fields, including crop genetics,
engineering, life sciences and construction.
"You're not going to replace a Maytag overnight, but every 50 or 60 jobs is a step
in the right direction," said Monte Shaw, executive director of the Iowa
Renewable Fuels Association in Johnston.
"Call any trucking firm in Iowa and see if they're hiring truck drivers, and the
answer will be, 'Yes.' There are a lot of reasons for that, but the biofuels industry
is a big part of it."
Each day, thousands of semi-trailer trucks deliver grain and other products to the
plants, while tanker trucks and railcars haul fuel to market.
At the same time, Shaw and others worry whether Iowa will have the necessary
work force to meet its needs. "Finding qualified people is definitely a challenge,"
Shaw said.
Industry leaders plan to push lawmakers next year to increase public funding for
job training in Iowa, and they intend to campaign for biofuels training to be a
beneficiary.
So far, biofuel manufacturers generally have been able to find the workers they
need. Before Lincolnway Energy opened last spring, for instance, 350 people
applied for 35 jobs, said Rick Brehm, president and general manager of the plant.
Applicants included people from other states and former Iowans who wanted to
return to their home state.
Lincolnway workers were employed in various industries before joining the
company.
Derscheid is a high school graduate who worked as a die caster and machine
operator in factories before going to work for Lincolnway. Now, as part of a team
of four people, he oversees the "cooking" process at the plant.
Retleff worked at a farmer-owned cooperative before earning a business degree
in 1997 from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls.
At Lincolnway, he is the team leader in the plant's computerized control room,
helping monitor the production process.
Among other tasks, he coordinates percentages of corn and enzymes used in
ethanol production, as well as how yeast performs.
Batches vary. It's like baking bread, Retleff said. "Every loaf of bread doesn't look
the same, does it?" he said.
After earning a bachelor's degree in dairy science in 1995 from Iowa State
University in Ames, Rohrdanz worked as a chemist, first for a soybean
processor, then for Dana Corp.
At Lincolnway, she manages the laboratory, which monitors the quality of water
used and expelled by the plant, as well as the condition of materials going
through the manufacturing process.
She also is in charge of safety and environmental management, monitoring air
emissions, among other things.
Rohrdanz and her co-workers are upbeat about job opportunities in Iowa's
biofuels business.
"I think that the ethanol industry is so full of opportunity right now," Rohrdanz
said.
"People who have any experience or education in this area at all, I think they'll be
very much in demand. ... I've seen a lot of young people in positions at ethanol
plants."