With many of the region’s largest electricity suppliers poised to impose double-digit rate increases, energy is the focus of a timely rural workshop for rural Idaho food processing companies.

In food processing, consistency is a crucial facet of long-term success. But in business, flexibility – the ability to adapt gracefully to customer needs -- is the key to survival.

As part of an initiative to meet the specialized needs of its rural members, NWFPA is bringing the Innovation Productivity Center’s innovation, energy and productivity show on the road to Twin Falls, Idaho. On Thursday, December 2, NWFPA and IPC will host the second Energy and Operations Efficiency Workshop for Rural Processors at the Canyon Crest Event Center in Twin Falls. The event is sponsored through a USDA Rural Business Opportunity Grant.

The agenda (click here for a copy) for the all-day workshop will include presentations on NWFPA’s Rural Initiative, the NWFPA Energy Roadmap and its goal (an industry-wide energy intensity reduction of 25 percent in 10 years), plant productivity and energy, rural energy efficiency resources, leadership development (developing energy champions), and rural financial and technical resources. Presenters will include NWFPA Energy Director Pam Barrow, Dave O’Connell of TechHelp, Nosh Makujina of Cascade Energy Engineering, Don Sturtevant of J.R. Simplot, John Sandin of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance and Randy Thorn of Idaho Power Co.

All Idaho food processors are welcome to attend this event. If you’d like to attend, please click on the following link, or contact John Thornton, NWFPA Energy Advisor, at 503-327-2200, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .