Site director named for Richmond biomanufacturing plant
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New York-based Liberation Labs has selected a site director for its biomanufacturing plant currently under construction in Richmond. Rhys Dale, a native of east central Indiana, returns to the state after serving as director of process engineering and manufacturing at Amyris, a biotechnology company headquartered in Emeryville, California.
Liberation Labs said in a news release this week that Dale has more than 20 years of experience in developing and operating biomanufacturing facilities and biorefineries around the world.
“Rhys is a proven leader in scaling biotechnology through biomanufacturing development and operations, and it’s great to have him on board at this time in the project’s lifecycle,” CEO Mark Warner said in the release. “He has the perfect skill set to not only bring our new facility to life but to build the operations team and deliver products to our customers.”
The company’s $115 million plant, when operational, will produce alternative proteins, which are used in food products such as almond milk and plant-based meat, as well as agricultural products such as biopesticides.
The plant is being built on a 36-acre lot in Richmond’s Midwest Industrial Park and will have a fermentation capacity of 600,000 liters, the company said.
“It’s great to be able to return home and be part of something really important for Indiana, the biotech industry at large and the country. This facility is designed to be the standard for precision fermentation and will allow for the efficient and economical production of a wide range of synthetic bio-products at the industrial scale,” said Dale. “I can’t wait to see, and help bring, this great facility to life.”
Dale earned bachelor’s degrees in biology and economics from Earlham College in Richmond, as well as master’s degrees from Purdue University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Liberation Labs expects production at the new facility to begin by the end of the year. Earlier this year, the company announced a partnership with Ivy Tech Community College’s Richmond campus to launch a training program for future employees.