Washakie Renewable Energy

Founded in 2007 by Jacob Kingston of Plymouth, Utah, Washakie Renewable Energy stands as one of the prominent biofuel operations in the United States. Within only a few years of its establishment, Washakie Renewable Energy became the most expansive biofuel producer of the Intermountain Region, and began operation of the largest seed crush press in the United States, creating over 10,000,000 gallons of biodiesel annually.

Some industry experts were skeptical of opening such a facility far from any soybean fields, the most common biofuel source, but WRE supplements its production with recycled greases and oils, producing fuel from common commercial and industrial waste products. In addition, its location allowed Washakie to receive nearly a half million dollars through the USDA Rural Energy for America Program in 2011, updating its biofuel operations and creating 65 new jobs for Plymouth, a town of only 300 residents.

Washakie Renewable Energy contributes to the welfare of its community not only through the production of cleaner-burning fuels, but by offering over $25,000 annually in scholarships to promising engineering students at the University of Utah. Over the 2014-15 basketball season, WRE partnered with the Utah Jazz NBA team and another local company, Miller Sports Properties, to raise scholarship funds for each point scored that year by the Jazz, which amounted to over $50,000.