Outline Of Need:
Bangor is a small town located in southwest Michigan.  Some years ago a biodiesel production facility went out of business, leaving the community with fewer jobs and idle equipment.

How Rural Development Helped:
USDA Rural Development provided $10 million through its Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan program. This allowed Marrone Bio Innovations, a California firm, to purchase and refit the facility to produce bio-based products.

Marrone Michigan Manufacturing, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Marrone Bio Innovations, used the funding to add 6,600 square feet to the 11,400 square foot facility.

The Results:
Now fully operational, the plant is supporting three product lines: Regalia and Regalia Rx (biofungicides), Grandevo (a bioinsecticide) and Zequanox (a biomolluscicide to control invasive zebra and quagga mussels).

Zebra mussels have plagued the Great Lakes for years.  An invasive species brought in by overseas cargo ships through the St. Lawrence Seaway, they have caused extensive damage to fisheries and the local ecosystems.  Given Michigan’s biodiversity, manufacturing expertise and skilled workforce, Dr. Pamela Marrone (CEO and founder of MBI) said the idea of opening a manufacturing facility here made perfect sense. 

Marrone Michigan Manufacturing has already generated 20 jobs out of a projected total of 50.