By Rebecca Bailey
FAPC Communications Services Graduate Assistant

(Stillwater, Okla. – May 9, 2013) Collaboration between Oklahoma State University’s Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center and US Roaster Corp led to the achievement of the 2013 Regents Business Partnership Excellence Award.

This award is designed to highlight successful partnerships and to further cultivate the higher learning environment through State Regents’ Economic Development Grants. This year, there were 27 successful partnerships, and all were recognized at a program on April 29, 2013.

“Each institution under the Regents for Higher Education is invited to submit one application for the grant and award,” said Chuck Willoughby, FAPC business and marketing relations manager. “The application includes a narrative not to exceed 240 words that describes how the institution has provided service or been a partner to a small business and assisted with that business to progress or succeed.”

Willoughby said this is the third year FAPC has received this award.

“The FAPC is a natural fit for the Regents Business Partnership program,” Willoughby said. “We often see our clients as ‘partners’ as they seek to improve processes or develop new products; whatever the case may be. Our mission leads us to be contributors to Oklahoma’s community, workforce and economic development. It is wonderful to be recognized by the Regents for Higher Education for our work with US Roasters. This award serves as an example of how FAPC meets its mission of adding value to Oklahoma.”

US Roaster Corp is an Oklahoma City-based company that specializes in roaster manufacturing. In 2006, they began the development of a new energy efficient coffee bean roaster, the Revelation. The creation of this roaster would mean releasing fewer emissions while producing beans that could be nationally competitive at providing better flavor.

In 2009, after being awarded a $209,833 matching grant from the Oklahoma Applied Research Support Program within the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology, US Roasters began working with FAPC to make slight design modifications and verify energy and pollution efficiency claims.

During this time, Tim Bowser, FAPC food process engineer, led the project research and technical components.

“From this project, we expect the same technologies that make the Revelation coffee roaster successful may be applied to other food and agricultural products that are roasted, such as coco beans, macadamias, peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, soybeans and wood chips,” Bowser said. “US Roasters is committed to continuous improvement of their products and to expanding their markets.”

The partnership between FAPC and US Roaster Corp has escalated into more than just the achievement of this award.

“I'm really blessed to be able to work with such a great group of people at FAPC,” said Dan Jolliff, US Roaster Corp owner. “I cannot tell you how much they have helped us progress the quality of the equipment while providing award winning flavor with our coffee roasters.”

- ### -

Oklahoma State University is a modern land-grant system of interdisciplinary programs that prepares students for success. OSU is America’s Brightest Orange. Through leadership and service, OSU is preparing students for a bright future and building a brighter world for all. As Oklahoma’s only university with a statewide presence, OSU improves the lives of people in Oklahoma, the nation and the world through integrated, high-quality teaching, research and outreach. OSU has more than 36,000 students across its five-campus system and more than 24,000 on its combined Stillwater and Tulsa campuses, with students from all 50 states and around 120 nations. Established in 1890, OSU has graduated more than 245,000 students to serve Oklahoma, the nation and the world.