So on April 22, NWFPA’s Innovation Productivity Center (IPC)  brought its energy and productivity show on the road, conducting the first Rural Initiative energy/productivity workshop in Sunnyside, Washington, funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Business Opportunity Grant program. A total of 35 representatives from rural Washington food manufacturing companies, utilities, local municipalities and NWFPA took advantage of the opportunity to participate in a full-day workshop showcasing a full range of energy and productivity topics.

Participants heard presentations on the NWFPA Energy Roadmap and the Association’s goal of a 25 percent reduction in industrywide energy intensity over the next 10 years from NWFPA Energy Director Pam Barrow. Other agenda topics included plant productivity (led by IPC Advisor Jim Seufert) , energy champion leadership development (Sarah Hill, Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance), rural energy efficiency (Nosh Makujina, Cascade Energy Engineering) and rural financial and technical resources from Bonneville Power Administration, the City of Richland and various rural PUDs.

The workshop was attended by representatives from 13 Sunnyside-area food processing companies, including J.R. Simplot Co., SVZ-USA, Tree Top, J.M. Smucker Co., Del Monte, Darigold and Boardman Foods.

The Sunnyside workshop was the first of three events designed to bring IPC’s innovation, productivity and energy efficiency resources directly to food processing companies in rural Idaho, Oregon and Washington communities. The workshops are a part of the larger NWFPA Rural Competitiveness Initiative, designed to bridge the gap between rural and urban processors through events and online resources designed to address the unique needs of NWFPA’s rural membership.

The next IPC rural energy/productivity workshop is scheduled for October 20, 2010 in Idaho Falls, Idaho. For further information, or if you’d like to attend, please contact John Thornton of the IPC staff at 503-327-2200 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .