Business Spotlight: Chow hounds - Biproducts Inc.

Expansion is the buzzword these days at Bioproducts Inc. in Aurora, which manufactures liquid and dry flavorings for leading national dog and cat food manufacturers. Last year, the company opened a 10,000-square-foot spray-dry facility, which increased employment at the plant by 13 percent, according to Bob Adamov, vice president of human resources at the company's headquarters in Fairlawn, Ohio.

The company's growth spurt has continued in 2002. Recently, a second shift was added at the spray dry facility in Aurora, and plans are underway to add a third shift.

Bioproducts operates several plants nationwide. In addition to the plant in Aurora, Bioproducts has manufacturing facilities in California, Louisiana and Kentucky. These facilities manufacture and market a variety of different nutritional animal products ranging from choline chloride to specialty dairy feed.

Although Bioproducts manufactures a wide variety of nutritional animal products, the Aurora plant only manufactures BioFlavor palatability enhancers for pet foods. These natural flavorings are manufactured in both wet and dry form to meet the needs of the company's customers.

"Some of our customers spray liquid flavors on the pet food, while others coat the pet food with dry powder," said Adamov. "The pet food companies use different methods, depending on the flavor they are trying to deliver."

The flavorings sold by Bioproducts are developed in the company's research and development facilities, which are located in Naperville and St. Anne, Ill. The company also operates a Palatability Testing Center in St. Anne, which contains hundreds of cats and dogs that act as taste testers.

"We really strive to provide the best product and the best service at the best price for our customers," said Mark Scheid, plant manager in Aurora.

"Value is extremely important to pet food manufacturers. They want the best palatability product for the lowest cost because consumers want pet food that their pets will enjoy, which is also a good value." According to Scheid, developing and delivering cost-effective products always has been the company's core value.

However, the 75-year-old company has evolved and changed in other ways.

Originally, the company sold cod liver oil to poultry feed producers. Early success led to the establishment of an Animal Nutrition Division by National Oil Products Company, which was located in Richmond, Calif.

In 1964, NOPCO merged with Diamond Shamrock in Cleveland, Ohio, and became the Animal Nutrition and Health Division of Diamond Shamrock. In 1981, Mitsui and Co. of Japan acquired Diamond Shamrock. In 1989, the corporation adopted the Bioproducts name.

Bioproducts' history in Aurora dates back to 1984, when the company opened a plant in downtown Aurora, which employed 25 people. In 1997, the plant underwent a significant expansion, almost doubling its floor space, said Scheid. Working conditions also were significantly improved, and the plant was retooled with computerized equipment, which allowed it to significantly increase its production capacity, he added.

Bioproducts is Aurora's fourth largest employer with 44 employees, according to Dawn Oplinger, human resource and safety administrator at the plant.

Oplinger said she's proud of the company's health and safety record. Currently, the Aurora plant has gone 18 months without a lost-time injury. The company's previous record was four years.

The company's commitment to health and safety hasn't gone unrecognized.

In 2001, Bioproducts received a first place award for the "Most Improved Safety Record" from the National Safety Council. Bioproducts won a second place award for the "Most Effective Safety Committee" in 1999.

Bioproducts also is a good corporate neighbor. Scheid said Bioproducts has spent more than $1 million on odor control equipment, in part because the manufacturing plant is located in downtown Aurora.

In 1996 and 1997, Bioproducts in Aurora received a silver award from the Missouri Water Environment Association for its consistent industrial wastewater pretreatment compliance. The company again was recognized in this category in 1999, 2000 and 2001, and received a gold award each year.

Although Bioproducts has received many awards, the company still faces its share of challenges. Scheid said some positions have taken up to six months to fill, and while many employees have at least five years of tenure, it has been hard to attract workers in recent years because of the tight labor market in southwest Missouri.

Last year, Bioproducts was recognized for best practices in employee benefits, and for the last three years, Bioproducts has been recognized as one of the 99 best companies to work for in northeast Ohio. Both awards took into account Bioproducts' operations nationwide and were presented by Employer's Resource Council.