New Diamond V plant designed to thwart bioterrorism

A new manufacturing plant in southwest Cedar Rapids incorporates measures designed to thwart potential bioterrorism.

John Bloomhall, president and chief executive officer of Diamond V Mills, said the 64,000-square-foot plant at 2575 60th Ave. SW is unusual in the fermented nutritional products industry.

“We're one of the few companies in our industry with plants that have HACCP (hazard analysis critical control point) certification,” Bloomhall said. “We believe very strongly in the safety of the food supply.

“We have sized our bins for bioterrorism so that every truckload is its own batch. God forbid that we would ever have a recall, but it would greatly aid us in that respect.”

Diamond V Mills, with about 90 employees, has operated a plant at 436 G Ave. NW for 65 years. The new $25 million manufacturing facility will enable Diamond V to meet growing demand for its nutritional products in all species of animals and aquaculture.

“Every product we sell is made in Cedar Rapids,” Bloomhall said. “This expansion is not only driven by demand in the United States, but also demand in China, Europe, Mexico and wherever we sell our products.”

Diamond V Mills broke ground for the new plant three months after Cedar River floodwaters inundated the G Avenue NW plant and its corporate headquarters at 838 First St. NW.

“The design was well under way when the flood occurred,” Bloomhall said. “The question was whether the flood would divert time and resources and possibly delay us breaking ground.

“We couldn't let it delay us. We had to move ahead and get this new plant done on schedule.”

Bloomhall said quality control is critical at Diamond V's new plant.

Automated control systems monitor incoming raw ingredients and the manufacturing process. The facility also is equipped with state-of-the-art drying systems and technology to ensure product consistency.

“It's been a tremendous job by our team and all of our vendors to pull this together,” Bloomhall said. “This facility is designed to greatly improve our efficiency with raw materials coming in the west end of the plant and finished product leaving the east end.”

Diamond V's corporate headquarters is located within a proposed “green space” area intended to mitigate future flooding. Bloomhall said the plant on 60th Avenue SW is located on 77 acres of land that could accommodate a new headquarters building should that become necessary.

Diamond V operates a research facility at Kirkwood Community College in addition to two manufacturing facilities in Cedar Rapids. A subsidiary, Embria Health Sciences, opened a $10 million corporate headquarters and human dietary supplement plant in Ankeny in 2007.

Diamond V Mills will host a grand opening for its new manufacturing plant at 3 p.m. today. Gov. Chet Culver is expected to attend.