The Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce is pleased to welcome Sunflower Wind, LLC to the local manufacturing community. Today Sunflower Wind, a start-up company based in Goodland, Kansas, signed a contract which will lead to ownership of the east portion of the Eaton complex of buildings on East 4th Avenue. Although the building is in excellent condition, it was scheduled to be demolished as part of the 2006 effort to retain Eaton's hydraulics plant.

"This deal is a true win for the entire community. Not only were we able to retain 300 jobs at Eaton, but also we have saved 260,000 square feet of prime manufacturing space as an economic development tool to create new jobs," said Dave Kerr, Chamber President. Since May 2007, the Chamber has been coordinating efforts between Eaton, the City of Hutchinson, Reno County, and Sunflower Wind to complete the deal.

On Tuesday, December 18, both the City Council and County Commission voted to convert funds that were originally paid as an incentive to keep the downsized Eaton operation in Hutchinson to a purchase of excess space. Growth, Inc., a development corporation of the Chamber, has taken ownership of the property until renovations are complete. The renovations include separating the building from Eaton's remaining building and restoring utility systems to make the buildings independent of one another. This work will be completed by Sunflower Wind and Eaton. After those improvements are complete, Sunflower Wind will take ownership of the property.

Sunflower Wind intends to build wind generation equipment including turbine blades up to 180 feet long. By the end of 2010, the company plans to be in full operation with as many as 250 employees.

The availability of an appropriate building, the close proximity to the wind market, and Hutchinson Community College's training programs were factors assisting in bringing the project to Reno County. Composites are a key component for manufacturing wind generation equipment, and the strides Hutchinson Community College and training entities in Wichita have made in composites training were attractive to Sunflower Wind.

"We looked in Wichita and other areas of Kansas but did not find another property like this one. The building is long, narrow and fits what we need to produce the long blades. In addition, Hutchinson puts us in a great location for transporting the turbines to 90% of the US wind industry," said Dan Rasure, managing director.

"We are please we could save a significant portion of Reno County's manufacturing base, and we look forward to seeing Sunflower's progress in an exciting industry," Kerr concluded.