COUNTRYMARK VOLUME 16, ISSUE 1 E M I Capital Idea CountryMark is meeting new fuel quality

demands after completing a capital • improvement project.

“It gives us the opportunity to make products we couldn’t make before and allows us to adjust or raise the severity of our product.” // PAT WARD, VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS

CountryMark’s new reactor is pictured in the middle; it was part of the $80 million investment in its Mt. Vernon, Ind., refinery.

[ BY KAT ZEMAN ] refinery in Mt. Vernon, Ind. The refin- to convert the high-boiling, high-molec- After making a major capital invest- ery is fitted to process roughly 30,000 ular-weight hydrocarbon fractions of ment into its oil refinery, CountryMark barrels per day of light sweet crude crude oils into more valuable has created the flexibility to meet its oil, much of which comes from the gasoline, diesel and other products. customers’ changing product demands. Basin, a series of small oilfields “Replacing the reactor allows us to The Indianapolis-based company in southeastern Illinois, southwestern run at a much higher temperature and invested roughly $80 million into its oil and western . The severity,” says Pat Ward, vice president largest part of the capital improvement of operations. “That’s the way we de- project involved replacing a reactor scribe how much high-value products

PROFILE in its fluid catalytic cracking units we can make. The reactor is the heart (FCCU), one of the refinery’s nine pro- of the unit.” CountryMark cessing units. The reactor takes oil heavier than www.countrymark.com | Headquarters: The FCCU is one of the most im- diesel but lighter than asphalt and con- Indianapolis | Employees: 470+ | Specialty: Oil portant conversion processes used in verts it into a high-value product like exploration and production petroleum refineries. It is widely used diesel and gasoline.

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“For us, this project is unique make up its cooperative. It is one of because we replaced some of the key only two oil refineries in Indiana, and equipment in the unit pretty much the fuel it produces is used by nearly wholesale,” he adds. “A lot of com- 65 percent of farmers and 60 percent panies just go in and modify equip- of school corporations within its ment. We replaced it and changed its service area. design. It gives us the flexibility to “That makes us unique,” Ward says. change our product slate to meet the “We are owned by more than 100,000 changing demands of our customers.” farmers through our cooperative, and our owners are also our largest cus- “You only really have tomers.” CountryMark’s service area an opportunity to includes Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, make an investment Ohio and Kentucky. every five years when In addition to refining crude oil, CountryMark also specializes in oil you shut down. We exploration and production. The use this opportunity company manages nearly 1,400 oil to upgrade and im- wells in six states that produce about prove equipment.” 2,500 barrels of oil a day. The com- pany’s full integration is one of its ECO-FRIENDLY UPGRADES strongest advantages, providing it CountryMark completed its capital with the ability to supply its cus- investment project last fall when tomers with high quality products at it shut down two of its processing competitive prices. units for routine maintenance, which The company’s oil refinery puts is does every five years. “You only roughly $30 million in yearly wag- really have an opportunity to make an es into Posey County, Ind.’s economy. investment every five years when you The company places high value on shutdown,” Ward says. “We use this maintaining a strong bond with its opportunity to upgrade and improve community. “We do not take our our equipment and facilities. That is relationships with the community for customary in our industry.” granted,” Ward says. “We work every In addition to replacing the reactor, day to earn it and maintain it. We meet CountryMark completed a number of with them several times a year to let other capital project improvements them know what we’re doing and get to its oil refinery. That included new their input. At the end of the day, they air coolers, modified pumping sys- give us our license to operate.” tems and new cyclones. Based on its 2016 revenues, It also featured environmental CountryMark was ranked by the In- upgrades such as the addition of an dianapolis Business Journal as the electrostatic precipitator to reduce 12th-largest private company with air emissions. “It was a significant headquarters in Indiana. It has been a part of our overall investment,” Ward farmer-owned cooperative since 1919 says. “It was about $13 million out of and was recognized in 2012 as the the total.” 12th-largest agricultural cooperative in the nation. EMI

FOCUS ON FARMERS + TMI Contractors is dedicated to providing excep- tional quality products and services while exploring CountryMark produces nearly 450 continuous growth opportunities, establishing million gallons of gasoline and diesel beneficial and sincere relationships with our cus- tomers, shaping favorable lives for our employees, fuel each year for the farmers that and forging a positive difference in our community.

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