Iowa State University President Wendy Wintersteen made a stop in Storm Lake on Tuesday afternoon to learn how a university program is impacting a local business.
The TransAgra International agribusiness company in Storm Lake utilizes ISU’s Center For Industrial Research and Service, or CIRAS. The program is meant to improve the quality of life in Iowa by helping businesses and their communities prosper and grow, working with companies to fashion solutions specific to their individual needs. TransAgra President Lisa Sakai said the program is especially essential to small businesses…
TransAgra has done 14 different projects with CIRAS. Wintersteen said it’s nice to hear how CIRAS is benefiting the company…
Wintersteen said Iowa State does a lot of research in different areas…
Sakai said she’s been concerned that CIRAS funding could disappear due to governmental issues, but Wintersteen doesn’t believe it’s at risk.
TransAgra Vice President of Operations Becky Quesnell said it’s been great to learn about all the available resources, and credited ISU with helping them expand their presence…
Quesnell said they train a lot of interns, and want to give them as many tools as possible.
TransAgra began partnering with CIRAS in 2017. Several other local companies are also involved with the program. CIRAS and its partners have helped more than 44-hundred businesses in every Iowa county during the last five years, creating an economic impact of over three-billion dollars.
TransAgra’s Culbac, or cultured bacteria, product line focuses on animals, plants, and forage.
