Beasley Forest Products, Inc.
Hazelhurst, Georgia
Section 9006 Grant: $118,000
2005
Beasley Forest Products is a hardwood sawmill, producing lumber for flooring, siding, cabinetry and furniture. Because green hardwood lumber has a short shelf life before it begins to stain, Beasley had to either deliver it to customers or send it off-site to be kiln-dried. In order to grow as a business, Beasley wanted to be able to kiln-dry and warehouse its lumber on-site.
But the rising cost of natural gas forced the company to rethink its plan. Working with an energy specialist from Georgia Tech, the company decided to install a wood-fired boiler utilizing a portion of the sawdust produced at the facility. The capital costs of a wood-fired boiler are higher than a gas one, so Beasley applied for a Section 9006 grant to offset this cost difference.
The result is not just a boiler that’s more economical to operate, but an opportunity to increase revenue by $3 million per year while utilizing a waste product that would otherwise be landfilled.
Darrell Beasley, Vice President of the company, said “this project was absolutely crucial to the future viability of the company.”