VOLNEY — A Georgia firm expects to take ownership of Sunoco LP’s (NYSE: SUN) corn ethanol plant and grain-malting operation near Fulton during the first quarter of 2019.

Attis Industries Inc. (NASDAQ: ATIS) on Jan. 22 announced that it plans to pay $20 million in cash for the property at 376 Owens Road in the town of Volney.

Its overall plan for the site includes adding up to 100 new jobs.

The plant, which produces 80 million gallons of ethanol annually, will become the “essential element” of Attis’ “expanding” technology portfolio as it develops the site into the “most comprehensive Green Tech campus for renewable fuels in the country,” the firm proclaimed in a news release.

Milton, Georgia–based Attis Industries describes itself as a “diversified innovation and technology holding company.” Attis’ management team has a “long-standing” relationship with Sunoco and the operational team in place at the Volney ethanol facility, per the release.

Attis Industries’ plan

Attis plans to spend $80 million to renovate the facility into a research and development campus for renewable fuels. As part of this plan, the company also expects to add up to 100 new high-paying, skilled jobs in the region.

The Volney plant currently has 75 employees and spans more than 90 acres, according to the plant’s page on the Sunoco ethanol website.

The deal also involves a 10-year agreement for Sunoco to purchase all ethanol produced at the facility, which Attis considers “the key to the success of this transaction.” 

The improvements made at the facility over the next 24 months will transform the site into a renewable-energy campus. 

For its part, Sunoco said in a separate news release that it expects to use the proceeds of the ethanol-plant sale to “repay indebtedness as it continues to maintain its targeted leverage ratio.” 

“The acquisition of Sunoco’s Fulton ethanol plant is a significant step in Attis establishing a foothold in the renewable fuel space, while accessing the fourth largest gasoline market in the United States,” Jeff Cosman, CEO of Attis Industries, said in the release. “Attis’ familiarity with the facility as well as the progressive business environment in the state of New York provide us with a unique opportunity to transform an asset with incredible potential into an innovative campus for bio-based fuel that is consistent with our short and long-term growth strategy.”

Attis believes the demand for low-carbon energy sources will “continue to increase” in the coming years and Attis is “well positioned to be able to grow with that trend,” he added. 

“The Fulton ethanol facility generates significant revenue for our growing company, it greatly changes the perspective of our investors in Attis and enables Attis to roll-out additional technology platforms under the innovations division to expand our revenue and cash flow projections over the next two years. Having an established asset like the Fulton, NY ethanol plant on the books allows us greater access to financing opportunities, as well as provides us with a shovel ready site to begin the development and commercialization of some of our previously announced technologies,” said Cosman.

1886 Malt House

Included within the acquisition is the 1886 Malt House, which is a “direct beneficiary of incentives” designed to promote the local farm to brewery industry, Attis said. 

The 1886 Malt House is located on the site of the Sunoco agri-business complex in Volney, per its website. Sunoco in 2015 announced the creation of the craft-malting facility co-located with the Sunoco ethanol plant.

In 2013, New York created a farm-brewery law to provide licenses only to those farmers whose beer is made primarily from locally grown farm products, Attis said. Under this program, the Malt House will receive some tax-exempt status and contribute to the $4 billion per year craft-brewery business in the state of New York.      

OWEGO — The Leadership Tioga program announced that it held the kick-off session for its 2019 class on Jan. 9 at the Belva Lockwood Inn in Owego.

The Leadership Tioga Program, run by the Tioga County Chamber of Commerce, says it is “committed to inspiring and connecting participants to services in our community by promoting personal growth, leadership development, networking, and skill building.” The organization hosts classes at various locations across the county to give participants the opportunity to learn more about what Tioga County has to offer. Speakers cover topics ranging from volunteerism, performance management, public safety, and human services.

At the Jan. 9 event, the class heard from speaker Robert Williams on the importance of community and volunteerism. Facilitator Jill Teeter introduced the class project for this year, which will include community service for a nonprofit organization in Tioga County. The class was provided with a comprehensive list of organizations, agencies, and groups in Tioga County from which to choose. Upon completion of their community service, they will be expected to give a class report on the details of their experience. 

This year’s Leadership Tioga class has 21 attendees and includes a student from Owego Free Academy. “We are excited to have a student with us this year; I think it will bring a fresh new perspective and viewpoint to our discussions,” Teeter said in a news release.       ν

ONONDAGA — SRC Arena and Events Center on the Onondaga Community College (OCC) will be among eight regional sites to host games in The Basketball Tournament (TBT) coming up this summer.

Boeheim’s Army, a team of former Syracuse University men’s basketball players, will play its first three games in the local venue between July 26 and July 28, OCC said in a news release.

Game tickets will be available through the TBT website. 

The Basketball Tournament is a $2 million summer event that ESPN televises. The TBT features 64 teams competing in a single-elimination, 5-on-5 tournament. The eight regional winners advance to championship weekend in Chicago beginning Aug. 1.

“Syracuse is a basketball city and we are honored to be chosen as a host site for the TBT Tournament,” OCC President Casey Crabill said. “The SRC Arena has established itself as one of the region’s premier facilities for intercollegiate and scholastic athletic competitions, graduation ceremonies, trade shows and countless community-focused events. We look forward to welcoming teams and fans into our air-conditioned arena to watch hotly contested basketball which has become a hallmark of the TBT Tournament.”

The SRC Arena and Events Center is a 60,000-square-foot recreational and athletic complex that includes a 6,500-seat performance arena (4,000 for basketball games). The venue opened in 2011.

For the first time in its six-year history, TBT is admitting eight “host” teams before opening its application period, “creating memorable, college-like atmospheres for home and visiting teams alike for rounds one through three,” TBT said.

Named after Syracuse basketball’s longtime head coach Jim Boeheim, the Orange alumni team will return to the court for the fifth straight summer, per the TBT website. 

In the 2018 edition of the tournament, Boeheim’s Army advanced to the Round of 16 from an initial field of 72 teams. In 2017, the tournament had 64 teams and Boeheim’s Army made it all the way to the national semifinals.

A number of the teams competing in the TBT are composed mostly or exclusively of alumni of a particular school.

“One of the things we’ve tapped into is the passion college basketball fans have for their former players,” Jon Mugar, founder and CEO of TBT, said. “We’ve also found that visiting teams have had a blast playing in front of raucous crowds cheering against them. This year’s Regional hosts include some of college basketball’s most passionate fan bases.”

Joining OCC and the SRC Arena as regional sites are the cities of Columbus, Ohio; Greensboro, North Carolina; Lexington, Kentucky; Memphis, Tennessee; Richmond, Virginia; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Wichita, Kansas.