SPRINGFIELD, GA. – City of Springfield and Effingham County officials toured the DRT America Springfield plant to learn more about the facility and its operations.
“We want the local community to see our processes first-hand because it’s an essential part of building trust with our neighbors,” said John Varonka, Vice President, Ingredients Special Projects. “Our goal is to be transparent and enable our talented team members to showcase the truly interesting work we do here.”
John Myers, the DRT Springfield plant manager, guided more than 20 people through the facility, discussing the process that upcycles crude sulfate turpentine (CST) – a renewable byproduct of the paper industry – into highly diversified and high-performance plant-based ingredients that are used by various business lines, including the fine fragrance, food and beverage, medical, automotive and adhesive industries.
Following the tour, participants, including Springfield Mayor Barton Alderman, City Manager Matt Morris, Effingham County Manager Tim Callanan, Effingham County Commissioners Phil Kieffer and Jamie Deloach, Effingham County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Yancy Ford, and area principals, among others, were able to ask questions about DRT processes, its plan to monitor and analyze odors in and around the facility and the best way for the public to notify DRT of odor concerns.