The goal for Robert Anderson has always been to create an environmentally sound alternative to diesel fuel. It has been a pursuit for Anderson since he was 15 tinkering around with biodiesel in his father’s garage.
Now, over a decade later of perfecting a formula, Anderson, along with his business partner, Woody Woodbury, will bring biodiesel to area school districts.
Anderwood Ventures is dedicated to the objective of “supporting Utah’s economy and keeping high air quality by investing in sustainable, clean, renewable fuel projects,” according to the website.
The company is the brainchild of Anderson and Woodbury, who met at church and respectively act as president and vice president. “It’s been a lot of trail and error,” said Anderson, referring to his work with biodiesel. “I had to find a system I like myself, and then expand on that.”
Woodbury has always believed in preserving the environment, this interest originating from his time growing up in Southern California as a surfer.
Anderwood Ventures generates biodiesel fuel from recycled material that produces no waste. Unlike most biodiesel, which can be fashioned from crops and soybeans, the fuel Anderson and Woodbury promote uses 100 percent vegetable oil waste material.
“What initially caught my eye about the whole project was the benefits it has on my environmental concerns,” said Woodbury.
The company plans to break ground on its first refinery in September 2016, which will produce 2.5 million gallons of biodiesel. Construction on a larger, state-of-the-art refinery to boost production to 20 million gallons is scheduled for completion in three to five years.
“Our biodiesel should have a huge impact on mitigating the risks that diesel fuel has on southern Utah and its children,” said Woodbury.
Since the Anderwood Ventures biodiesel releases no emissions, both Anderson and Woodbury thought it would be ideal to replace the particulate producing diesel fuel that currently powers the school bus fleets in Washington County. “We felt that it is important to reach out to a larger market,” said Anderson.
The first refinery will be a community plant, providing the region jobs and improving the local economy, and supply fuel for the Washington County and Iron County school districts. With the second plant, Anderson and Woodbury will bring their biodiesel business to surrounding states like Nevada, Arizona and California.
