FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 23, 2015
For more information:
Amanda Shell Jennings
Moxley Carmichael
(865) 255-0661
Former Plant Manager Justin Freeark promoted to new corporate position
US Nitrogen announced that Andy Velo has been promoted to plant manager at the state-of-the-art Greene County facility. Velo assumed responsibility for daily operation and maintenance of the ammonium nitrate plant on Nov. 30.
“While serving as construction and maintenance manager at US Nitrogen, Andy stood out for his exceptional leadership skills and attention to detail,” said Austin Powder Chief Financial Officer Jim Boldt. “Under Andy’s leadership, US Nitrogen will continue its laser focus on safety, as well as give back to the community as a good corporate citizen of Greene County.”
Velo joined US Nitrogen in March as a construction and maintenance manager with more than 20 years of experience in facility operations and management. Prior to joining US Nitrogen, Velo served as the lead for the corporate-wide maintenance and reliability at Rentech Nitrogen Partners. Velo began working with Rentech in 2006, and served as the site general manager at Rentech’s fertilizer facility in Pasadena, Texas, from 2012 to 2014.
Velo previously held various maintenance and reliability engineering roles with Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) and International Specialty Products. Before entering the private sector, Velo served as a nuclear submarine officer in the U.S. Navy and was an instructor at the Virginia Military Institute located Lexington, Virginia.
Velo is a graduate of the Naval Nuclear Power School, and holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Former US Nitrogen plant manager Justin Freeark has been promoted to director of nitrogen engineering projects for Austin Powder Company. Freeark will continue to reside in Greene County and will provide on-going engineering technical support to US Nitrogen and oversee integration of co-located facilities on the US Nitrogen campus.
“We are also pleased to announce that former plant manager Justin Freeark will be using his significant knowledge and experience in a larger corporate role in overseeing Austin Powder’s nitrogen engineering projects,” said Boldt. “We are grateful for his leadership of US Nitrogen through the construction and startup processes.”
About US Nitrogen
Located in Greeneville, Tenn., US Nitrogen is a state-of-the-art facility producing ammonium nitrate for industrial purposes. US Nitrogen’s 500-acre campus represents a more than $200 million investment in the Greene County community – the largest capital investment in the county’s history. The company provides 85 technical jobs to the region and provides more than $4 million in annual payroll. In addition, US Nitrogen is an involved corporate citizen donating more than $260,000 to local nonprofits, organizations and schools since 2012.
US Nitrogen LLC is a subsidiary of Cleveland, Ohio-based Austin Powder Company, a global leader in industrial explosives used in mining operations around the world.