Hormel’s brand new Progressive Processing plant in Dubuque, Iowa, opened earlier this year and recently became one of the first new-construction manufacturing facilities to earn gold-level LEED certification. Given that Hormel has put itself squarely in the spotlight among processors maintaining and advancing a sustainable strategy, Chad Sayles, manager of mechanical and electrical engineering, sat down with Andy Hanacek, editor-in-chief of The National Provisioner, to discuss ways in which meat- and poultry-processors can continue to design more environmentally friendly, “green” facilities.
Hanacek: From the overall point of view, what was the single biggest challenge for Hormel in designing a prepared foods/meat processing facility to meet the qualifications of a LEED-certified facility?