From pod to printer: Office puts soybeans to work

SALEM, Ohio – The Ohio Soybean Council and Ohio Soybean Association plan to move across town next week, into a brand new building built, literally, from the ground up.
The new office, just inside the Columbus outerbelt in Worthington, will feature a handful of uses of the council and association’s lifeblood: soybeans.
“We felt that in our role representing Ohio soybean farmers and preaching new uses, why not use them ourselves?” said Jamie Butts, communications director for the council.
Out on our own. Both groups have outgrown the office they currently rent off Morse Road, thanks to the addition of three new staff members, Butts said. The boards of both groups then voted the most cost-effective solution was to build and own an office themselves.
In addition to rental savings, Butts said the move also qualifies the commodity groups for a tax abatement from the city that will allow them to save more than $100,000 over 10 years.
Featured. The most widespread use of bean-based technology in the office will be carpet with high-performance BioCel backing, which contains soybean polymers.
The office’s wood accents were colored with soy-based wood stains, and the groups plan to use soy-based toner in their printers.
The offices will be situated on a single story, though the building has two levels to accommodate future growth, Butts said.
Not exclusive. Butts said although there were many more soybean-based products available for the construction, the association and council passed them up in an effort to be fiscally responsible.
Products and uses not put to work in the construction or operation of the office won’t be forgotten, though.
The groups plan a display in the office of many of the soy-based products available commercially, along with a showcase of biobased products like polyols, powder coatings, soy foam and soy furniture currently in the works at Battelle Memorial Institute.
The council and association staffs plan to settle into the new structure the last week in January.
(Reporter Andrea Zippay welcomes feedback by phone at 800-837-3419 or by e-mail at azippay@farmanddairy.com.)