Wichita Eagle, The (KS) September 9, 2006 Section: BUSINESS & MONEY Edition: main Page: 6B ETHANOL COMING TO CONCORDIA PHYLLIS JACOBS GRIEKSPOOR, The Wichita Eagle Everton Energy, a new Wichita company, plans to build a $170 million ethanol project near Concordia. Everton, formed by Leon Trammell, chairman of Tramco Inc. in Wichita, and Steve Cloud, president of Tramco, will produce about 100 million gallons of ethanol a year and will be built by ICM of Colwich, a leading ethanol design company. Trammell said the plant will be financed through private equity and will be built on 160 acres of land south and east of the Cloud County fairgrounds. He said the project team is working with the city, a hydrologist and a Kansas water rights attorney to secure sufficient water for the project. If the city agrees to provide the needed water for the plant, Everton Energy will request that the land be annexed to the city. CloudCorp, a private sector economic development organization in Cloud County, has supported Everton's efforts to build a plant in Concordia. Trammell said he has been working with the group since May to facilitate the project. Kirk Lowell, executive director of CloudCorp, said he thinks the plant will provide a tremendous regional economic boost in north-central Kansas, supporti ng local farmers, businesses, governments and residents. The initial economic impact of construction alone will be significant, generating hundreds of local jobs. The completed plant will employ between 50 and 60 people and will generate hundreds more jobs in trucking, railroads and other support services, officials said. A 100-million-gallon facility will spend an estimated $88.2 million for goods and services and use 36.4 million bushels of grain, according to economic impact studies for other ethanol projects. Cloud, who will serve as vice chairman of Everton Energy, said he was impressed with the amount of construction support available in the Concordia area and with the local businesses who contributed to the construction of Cloud Ceramics' new brick manufacturing plant. Bert Farrish, a former deputy administrator of commodity operations in the Farm Service Agency, has joined Everton Energy as president and chief executiv e. He will represent the Concordia project at the Ethanol Finance and Investme nt Summit in New York next week. Farrish said Everton Energy hopes to develop a positive working relation ship with the local community and will develop an active program to buy grain from area producers and grain handlers. Construction is expected to begin in May 2007. Reach P.J. Griekspoor at 316-268-6660 or at pgriekspoor@wichitaeagle.com. Copyright (c) 2006 The Wichita Eagle