An agriculture industry professional with nearly 30 years of experience in oil seed processing and engineering has been named CEO of the Platinum Crush soybean crushing plant in Buena Vista County.
Erik Lightner previously served as vice president of international construction and manufacturing for a Florida-based architecture, engineering, construction, and consulting firm. Lightner also spent 21 years with the ADM food processing company.
In a news release, Lightner says he looks forward to taking what he’s learned from his previous experiences and apply them to building a culture of safety, quality, and community at Platinum Crush. The plant will offer a market for locally-grown and locally-processed soybeans. It also has the ability to be nimble in responding to market needs, and Lightner says he’s excited to help Platinum Crush maximize those opportunities.
The Platinum Crush soybean crushing plant is under construction between Storm Lake and Alta, and will become operational in the spring of 2024. The plant will crush nearly 40-million bushels of soybeans annually, or 110-thousand bushels daily, and will create between 50 and 60 high-quality jobs.
