The Wyandot County Office of Economic Development (WCOED) was recently honored with the “Project of the Year” Award for the successful attraction project of Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC).
The award was presented by the Ohio Economic Development Association, the professional association for economic developers in the state of Ohio, during its Annual Summit event in Toledo on September 5th. This was the first time the event had been held outside of central Ohio and was its largest ever in terms of attendees. WCOED Executive Director Greg Moon was joined by close project partners to accept the award including Todd Trefren, Louis Dreyfus Company Head of Industry for North America; Jill Deck, LDC HR Manager; Kyle McColly, Upper Sandusky Mayor; and Scott North, Partner at Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLC.
The annual Project of the Year Award recognizes outstanding and innovative projects in economic and business development that retain or generate jobs and investment. The award is not dependent on the number of jobs created or retained or the amount of total investment, but showcases a unique approach to the project, which can include public-private partnership, local collaboration, innovative financing and/or incentives.
The WCOED’s successful nomination was based upon the unique partnerships between multiple public and private entities to bring the Louis Dreyfus Company project to fruition. The formulation of the local LDC project involved many “firsts” for the Wyandot County community and resulted in the single largest private investment project in county history. The Wyandot County soy processing facility is also LDC’s first entry into the state of Ohio. Currently, Ohio has the internal capacity to process approximately 66% of its annual soybean crop. After completion of the LDC project, the state’s processing capacity will increase to almost 90%.