TOTAL-WESTERN JOINS AS BDO ZONE STRATEGIC ALLIANCE PARTNER

PARAMOUNT, Calif., Jan. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ecostrat is pleased to announce that Total-Western has joined as a BDO Zone Strategic Alliance Partner in the Technology Group. BDO Zone Strategic Alliance Partners are best-of-kind companies that help de-risk biobased project development in BDO Zones.

"At Total-Western, our vision is to build and maintain a successful and sustainable future and partnering with the BDO Zone Strategic Alliance allows us to turn that vision into a reality," says Payman Farrokhyar, President of Total-Western. "We are thrilled to support new businesses that are eager to contribute to a sustainable future – especially local ones that can help our community thrive in the renewables space."

Jordan Solomon, President of Ecostrat, states, "A BDO Zone rating signals that a region has undergone rigorous and extensive due diligence using over 100 standardized, transparent, and validated risk indicators based on the BSCR Standards for biobased investment. 'A' and 'AA' BDO Zone Ratings identify areas in the country best positioned for low-risk bioeconomy project development.

BDO Zones do three key things: they help project developers identify new project locations easier and faster; they help investors more quickly deploy capital in these regions; and they help communities create new clean energy jobs. Oftentimes, small communities don't have the platform of the credibility to promote themselves as great areas for future biobased development. BDO Zone designations change that and raise the flag over these communities as some of the best areas in the country to build the next bio-based plant."

American biomass provides an economic development engine with the potential to create 160,000 jobs and nearly $15 billion of economic benefit. The BDO Zone Initiative can help the U.S. realize this potential by supporting new market development for American bioenergy, advanced biofuels, biobased heat and power, bio-materials, and clean hydrogen.

About Total-Western, Inc. (www.total-western.com)
Total-Western provides comprehensive design/build construction, fabrication, operations, and maintenance services to customers throughout the United States. The company was founded in 1972 and has six regional locations throughout California, Nevada, and Washington. On every job, Total-Western implements their PASS program to ensure that every task is performed with safety, qualify, cost effectiveness, and personal accountability in mind.

Total-Western has been involved with World Energy in Paramount, Calif. for more than 30 years, including the last nine years since converting to a biodiesel plant. World Energy is one of the world's first biofuel producers and distributers that helps to deliver low-carbon fuel solutions, enabling cost-effective steps toward sustainability and a reliable supply of high-quality advanced biofuels.

In addition, Total-Western is currently working on a renewable fuels project, UrbanX, in Bakersfield, Calif., where they are responsible for the construction of the project. The UrbanX project will be the first facility in California dedicated to producing low-carbon renewable diesel. The facility is expected to refine 5,300 barrels per day and generate over 75 million gallons/year of renewable diesel.

For more information about Total-Western, visit www.total-western.com. If you would like to connect with Reed Mitchell, Vice President of Business Development, please email [email protected].

About The BDO Zone Initiative (www.bdozone.org)
The BDO Zone Initiative (www.bdozone.org) is an economic development platform that enables local communities to deploy powerful economic development tools – BDO Zone Ratings—to achieve the goal of driving, accelerating and catalyzing biobased investment and commercial project development in BDO Zone designated regions for new biofuel, renewable chemical, biogas and bioproduct plants. BDO Zone ratings do this by carrying out credible technical evaluations on feedstock and infrastructure risk, and then enabling communities to effectively and easily signal and promote key feedstock and infrastructure "success" characteristics valued by biobased developers and investors around the world.

'AA' or 'A' rated BDO Zones identify the best areas for low-risk bioeconomy project development. BDO Zone ratings enable distressed communities to add capacity to support deployment of innovative technology and infrastructure, and this drives regional economic development to areas where poverty has been persistent for generations, harnessing natural resources to support biobased manufacturing and renewable energy production.

BDO Zones have the ability to move the needle on job creation, decarbonization, and social justice. By achieving the goal of 1,000 BDO Zones in four years across the U.S., this initiative has the potential to create over 160,000 clean jobs, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2.59 percent, and provide $30 million/year into the local economy.

BDO Zone Strategic Alliance Partnership is divided into four groups: Capital Markets Partners, Project Partners, Technology Partners, and Supply Chain Partners.

For more information on the BDO Zone Initiative, please visit www.bdozone.org.

About Ecostrat (www.ecostrat.com)
Ecostrat led the USDOE/BETO funded project to develop the new investment Standards and Ratings for Biomass Supply Chain Risk. Its Biomass Supply Group has more than 25 years of experience in sourcing and supplying over five million tons of biomass feedstock for bioenergy, biofuel, and biochemical projects across North America. Its Advisory Group combines the BSCR Standards with powerful predicative analytics to understand and minimize supply chain risk.

Jordan Solomon is Chairman of the BDO Zone Initiative and President of Ecostrat. He has overseen development and operation of biomass supply chains for more than five million tons of feedstock over two decades for bioenergy, biofuel, and biochemical projects.

Jordan Solomon can be reached at [email protected].

For more information on Ecostrat, visit the company's website at www.ecostrat.com/standards.

SOURCE Total-Western