A grand opening was held Thursday, Sept. 18, for U.S. Silica’s Rochelle Innovation Center at 1951 S. Steward Road in Rochelle.

U.S. Silica is a mining company that has been in business for over 100 years with over 20 active mining and production sites across the country. The Rochelle facility, which recently was idle due to shifts in the industry, now has 10,000 square feet of new research and development lab space with a state of the art pilot plant facility. U.S. Silica representatives said it will be a “hub for innovation and scaling up new products for many years into the future.”

Speakers at the event included U.S. Silica Vice President of Products and Innovation Mason Borlik, Executive Vice President and President of Industrial & Specialty Products Zach Carusona and Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Bryan Shinn, along with Rochelle Mayor John Bearrows and Rochelle Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Tricia Herrera.

U.S. Silica has a hand in the making of items such as plates, absorbents and bourbon. Carusona said the Rochelle Innovation Center project began in 2020. The origin of the facility goes back to 2009 when it was built as a production facility for products used in the oil field market in drilling for oil and gas.

“Unfortunately due to changes in market conditions, a few years later this facility was idle despite being state of the art,” Carusona said. “The products were just no longer in demand. However, now with reinvestment in the facility, state-of-the art-equipment, world-class people and world-class scientists are here. We’re happy and proud to be back in Rochelle. This site will provide growth and innovation and allow us to have smart people in the right place with the right equipment that will help U.S. Silica and our industrial business supercharge our research and development efforts and bring more specialized products into the marketplace and further contributions to the business and the community.”

Herrera said she’s proud that the building is no longer idle and to have U.S. Silica back as a chamber member.

“The recent conversation I had with staff here and their first question was, ‘What can we do to help the community and the chamber?’ I was very inspired by that,” Herrera said. “We are proud to have you in our membership. We’re always proud when we can add industry to bolster our membership. We’re proud to have you and welcome you. We look forward to lots of future projects together.”

Bearrows thanked city staff, namely economic development, for its work on projects like U.S. Silica’s Rochelle Innovation Center.

“We’re very happy to have your business back here and it’s a great indication of the direction that our country and technology are headed,” Bearrows said. “This is a great thing for Rochelle. You’re right next door to our Rochelle Intermodal Transload Center, which has a $5 million expansion underway. I’m extremely proud of all the things we’ve been able to accomplish in Rochelle. There’s 140-plus employees behind and alongside me that make all of this come together. Congratulations and thank you for being a part of Rochelle.”

Shinn called the event “a momentous occasion” for U.S. Silica as it works towards doing more in research and development. Rochelle is close to one of U.S. Silica’s major mine sites in Ottawa and has access to scientists and “top-tier talent,” Shinn said.

“This is a defining moment for U.S. Silica,” Shinn said. “We’re really transforming our company from a more traditional mining company to a company that is focused on high-end products that we can make from our minerals. I think they will be world-changing, innovative products.

“There are lots of different innovations that I’m confident are going to come out of this facility. We’re really going to push the boundaries of science in some areas. A lot of patents are going to come out of this facility. I’m very excited about that. What we’re trying to do here is seize opportunities to really create a different kind of company in U.S. Silica. And it’s all going to happen right here in Rochelle.”