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Our Story
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Our story begins with disability rights advocacy…
DON Processing, Inc. is the newest iteration of the group of affiliated companies operating under the DON moniker.
All DON companies share the same mission initially set forth by DON Processing, Inc.’s co-founder, Chris Lloyd: To generate local economic development with an emphasis on assisting persons with disabilities to live as independently as they choose.
Following medical retirement from the US Navy in 1998, DON's founder Chris Lloyd became active in the Independent Living Movement, which champions the rights of people with disabilities to choose to live independently. Chris created Disability Options Network (DON) in 2002 in Lawrence County, PA as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). Initially, the CIL provided disability rights advocacy and community-based services in 4 counties.
In 2005, recognizing the limited federal financial support offered to CILs, Chris created a second organization, DON Services, Inc., as an additional funding source for Disability Options Network (DON).
DON Services, Inc. is a non-profit corporation and the largest of the DON entities. This entity allowed the CIL to expand into 9 counties. The CIL also helped address the tremendous need facing persons with disabilities as they transition from institutional living to more independent, self-directed lives.
DON Services, Inc., a waiver service provider, offers in-home attendant care under the Pennsylvania Department of Services Program for Persons with Physical Disabilities (CSPPPD), Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA), Independence COMMCARE, in addition to Private Pay, Veterans services, and ACT 150 programs. DON employs 1,000 people, providing services in 9 counties. The company is currently expanding to reach a total of 27 counties in which DON is licensed to operate. This will give DON a geographic footprint stretching from Lake Erie to West Virginia.
As DON has grown, the tremendous scope of the issues in our region became more clear.
Which Led to Affordable Housing…
Chris observed the growing number of blighted properties and vacant houses in New Castle (over 800 dwellings on the demolition list). He also knew that thousands of persons with disabilities remained in nursing homes or in sub-standard housing. From these understandings, he had the idea of DON Enterprises.
In 2011, DON Enterprises, Inc., a 501(c)(3) corporation was added to the DON family. The entity was formed to expand DON’s mission to address the need for affordable, universal housing. DON Enterprise, Inc., was the first successful applicant for Federal Home Loan Bank funding in the local area in over 22 years. The entity has acquired over 58 properties and is currently constructing 17 new homes. To date, DON had completed and sold seven properties.
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And Business District Revitalization…
Acquisitions include the 77,000 square foot ‘Central Building’ located in downtown New Castle, Pennsylvania. DON also acquired five more buildings with over 180,000 additional square feet. These buildings are in various stages of renovation, with PA CareeerLink as an anchor tenant.
In addition to offering mixed-use residential housing, these buildings will house several other DON entities, including DON ReClaim!. DON ReClaim!’s mission is to support and promote conservation while offering employment by selling used and salvaged construction materials for less.
Which Brought Us to Hemp…
With long-time colleague and co-founder, Philip Berezniak, Chris was determined to invest in and build the processing infrastructure for industrial hemp fiber production. Chris wanted to bring the same opportunity to local farmers that the other DON affiliates bring to their western PA communities.
The partners have been active in the hemp industry since the passage of the 2014 Farm Bill. They are excited to bring industrial hemp back to Pennsylvania and the region as a great rotational cash crop. Industrial hemp will provide new valuable opportunities and emerging markets for western Pennsylvania’s local farmers and businesses.
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Understanding how quality raw materials will impact results, DON launched its Hemp Test Acres Program in 2019. In 2020, the program expanded to six farmers testing three varieties in two states with the support of Extension staff of Penn State University and The Ohio State University. In parallel, DON has been developing a diverse end-user pipeline through research collaborations and projects showcasing the uses of hemp. DON has a strong foundation in place to launch this business and be ready at the right time for the coming market demand.
Chris Lloyd:
“The recipe for success is replicable and scalable when inspired leadership, community buy-in, and smart investments coalesce around a common vision. What is different, in my view, about our approach is that we built the foundational layers first, which took time because we did it organically without incurring debt. We learned a lot and can help others to do the same critical foundation work, but probably faster by learning from our experience.”
Achievements
DON is recognized as a Center of Excellence
Our reputation for collaboration has helped us build a strong support network
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Project PA Hemp Home, a showcase for hemp construction materials, was under construction in the middle of DON’s affordable and accessible housing revitalization area. The project area received one of Pennsylvania’s two Elm Street designations.
DON retrofitted a balloon-frame 1957 residential construction with hempcrete and HempWood™ flooring manufactured from hemp produced in our 2020 Test Acres Program. This real life demonstration shows the market potential for locally produced industrial hemp in a “seed to structure” approach.
The project has been featured on Episode 2 of America By Design and WTAE Pittsburgh Channel 4’s Breaking News:
https://www.bydesignchannel.com/americabydesign/home#
https://www.wtae.com/article/hemp-house-history-lawrence-county-pennsylvania/36503048
https://www.wtae.com/article/national-hemp-tour-ends-journey-at-hemp-house-in-new-castle/37235144
The house is being designed by a Parsons School of Design architecture graduate student along with the co-directors of Parsons Healthy Materials Lab.
DON is driving the hemp construction materials market. DON was awarded a PA Dept. of Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Grant for research and testing on hempcrete to support an application for its submission to the International Construction Code (ICC).
Our research partners:
With funding from the PA Department of Agriculture, the workshop featured speakers from the US Hemp Building Association, tours of Project PA Hemp Home, and a hands-on hempcrete workshop.
Our Speaker’s Panel:
Cameron McIntosh, Principal, Americhanvre LLC
Ryan Dohm, Chief Development Officer, Groff N.A.
Joshua Hockman, COO, Green Bison Company
Shawn House, Owner and CEO, Lancaster Trading House
Mike McBride, DON Test Acres Program 1st Participating Farmer
Keynote Speaker: Deputy Secretary Fred Strathmeyer, PA Dept. of Agriculture
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Western PA Hemp Building Materials Workshop 2021
Western PA Hemp Fiber Education Series 2019
Project Western PA Hemp Fiber
DON sponsored and organized a free regional summit for over 130 farmers and local officials to learn about growing hemp and to engage with market end-users. The PA Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Fred Strathmeyer was the keynote speaker.
A Hemp Test Acres Program established in 2019 provides financial support and educational resources to regional farmers in Pennsylvania and Ohio.
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Our program partners:
News about DON Processing:
DON’s Project PA Hemp Home was featured on Episode 2 of America By Design:
https://www.bydesignchannel.com/americabydesign/home#
The National Hemp Tour Final Stop at Project PA Hemp Home:
https://www.wtae.com/article/national-hemp-tour-ends-journey-at-hemp-house-in-new-castle/37235144
Historic Hemp House in Lawrence County:
https://www.wtae.com/article/hemp-house-history-lawrence-county-pennsylvania/36503048
Celebrating Women in Hemp – Advocates & Educators Edition:
https://nationalhempassociation.org/celebrating-women-in-hemp-advocates-educators-edition/
Hemp Today “Pennsylvania Decortication Initiative Would Serve 2 States”:
https://hemptoday.net/pennsylvania-decortication-initiative-would-serve-2-states/
Lancaster Farming Industrial Hemp Podcast “DON Services: Building a Future with Hemp”:
https://www.lancasterfarming.com/community/podcasts_and_audio/don-services-building-a-future-with-hemp/article_c0c12a38-1ed3-11eb-9638-9fba138debee.html
Parsons School of Design Podcast Series “Trace Material”:
https://healthymaterialslab.org/projects/season-1-episode-12
DON Enterprises Awarded Grant to Promote Hempcrete Building Material:
https://www.ncnewsonline.com/news/lifestyles/don-enterprises-awarded-grant-to-promote-hempcrete-building-material/article_3d832602-eb99-11ea-8b02-b3a49b971974.html
Hartford Farmer Takes Part in an Area Agricultural Revival Program:
https://www.tribtoday.com/news/local-news/2020/08/hemp-harvest/
DON Gets Grant to Help Farmers Grow Industrial Hemp:
https://www.ncnewsonline.com/news/lifestyles/don-gets-grant-to-help-farmers-grow-industrial-hemp/article_56c2f180-eb4c-11ea-9e32-13eb16a00036.html
DON Forum Shows Multiple Uses of Hemp Plant:
https://www.ncnewsonline.com/news/local_news/don-forum-shows-multiple-uses-of-hemp-plant/article_3ac56857-e52b-573b-a5d6-1909710c5e20.html
Hemp Fiber Summit to Find Farmer Partners:
http://www.butlereagle.com/article/20191101/BUSINESS01/711019952
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Competitive Advantages
DON Brings Decades of Successful New Business Development
Our know-how includes both Emerging Markets and the Discipline of Public Company Experience
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1. Nimble, entrepreneurial company with proven record of successful Organic-Growth Startup Companies in several sectors; Able to manage complexity and scale quickly
2. Strategic geographic position near Key End-users of Hemp Fiber and Hurd in a center of manufacturing with experienced labor force and a low cost of doing business
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3. Centrally located in a Key Agricultural Region of PA, OH, and NY with experienced and motivated farmers, high-quality soil, and adequate rainfall
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4. Substantial Access to Raw Material–our Hemp Test Acres Program for Pennsylvania and Ohio is preparing for its 3rd Year; this investment established our reputation with regional farmers and provides immediate access to 5,000 acres with ability to scale quickly to 10,000+ acres
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5. Established relationship with Cretes, the top fiber processing equipment company, to put in place large-scale processing equipment lines
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6. Established relationship with Fibonacci to acquire one of the first two licenses offered to set up the production of HempWood™
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7. Strong support of government agencies and institutions including the PA Dept. of Agriculture and collaborations with Pennsylvania State University and Ohio State University Extensions
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8. Collaborations with Parsons School of Design and Pennsylvania Housing Research Center at PSU to drive the hemp construction materials market
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9. Significant grant writing experience with successful applications for major grant funds including USDA, FHLBank, PHARE, and PA Dept. of Agriculture; agribusiness companies are of high importance in PA with numerous tax credit and grants for new businesses/brownfield renovations available
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10. Easy access to transportation infrastructure including a 34-mile local rail system which connects to the regional and national rail systems
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11. Top business and management skills, resident expertise with in-house Legal, Accounting, Human Resources, and IT staff; No-frills, pragmatic professionals who make the impossible, possible
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Capacity
DON has Capacity, Stability, and Versatility
Our approach of "Do It Right" has served us well; We plan, pace ourselves, and deliver results
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Scaling a business in the right way, to the correct level, and at the right time is critical to managing an efficient and productive business that delivers results. DON’s record of organic growth demonstrates our ability to scale the right way and our capacity to take on and manage new ventures.
Other companies have ventured into the hemp fiber processing space, however, for a variety of reasons, they have not been successful. Therefore, DON studied these companies and learned. Being first doesn’t guarantee profitability. Timing is a critical factor, and we believe the market is now at the right point to proceed. DON believes our ability to stay focused on high quality fiber and hurd is what makes our startup different. DON is not trying to compete in all the hemp spaces–just fiber and hurd processing.
Our team brings decades of experience in managing very complex, geographically wide-spread, and multi-national businesses. These experiences give DON the discipline that comes with managing a public company. DON manages people-oriented businesses with a lot of “moving parts”. We also work “hands-on”, because our businesses require it. However, it is not a burden to our team, we enjoy it. The underlying component is that DON companies create jobs, offer opportunity, and drive local economies. Our passion for what we do and our commitment to deliver results runs deeply.
DON companies collectively employ over 1,000 people who work in diverse sectors throughout nine western PA counties:
DON Services: An in-home non-medical personal care provider serving 700 consumers
DON Enterprises: The only non-government PA entity administering USDA Housing Preservation Funds which provide rural residents assistance to make necessary home repairs and major FHLBank grant award recipient revitalizing blighted properties into affordable, accessible homes
Disability Options Network: A disability rights advocacy, community-based services, wellness program, and durable medical goods reuse program
DON ReClaim: A construction materials reclamation and reuse retail outlet
DON Recovery Services: A substance abuse treatment facility (startup)
DON Management: A back-office support services including Legal, Finance, Human Resources, and IT for residential and commercial construction
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Partnerships
We Partner with Experts
To be the best, we seek out partnerships and collaborations with the very best
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Project PA Hemp Home:
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A collaborative project completely renovating an existing blighted, balloon-frame house using hempcrete installed by Americhanvre, LLC, and HempWood™ by Fibonacci. The HempWood™ is made from the harvest of DON’s 2020 Hemp Fiber Test Acres. This home showcases these materials and is located in our ongoing neighborhood revitalization program, adding a whole new sustainable dimension to revitalization.
The PA Dept. of Agriculture awarded DON a $75,000 Specialty Crop Block Grant to fund research and testing of hempcrete. The grant was also awarded to support the submission of an application to the International Construction Code (ICC).
To conduct the research, DON collaborated with The Pennsylvania Housing Research Center and Parsons School of Design Healthy Materials Lab.
Our Collaboration Partners:
Hemp Test Acres Program:
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DON’s Hemp Test Acres Program began in 2019, providing seeds, permits, and support to Pennsylvania farmers as a low-risk way to learn to grow hemp. In 2020, we expanded to work with farmers in Ohio and launched a collaboration with agronomists and educators from both Penn State University and Ohio State University Extension. The 2021, the program had seven farmers testing five varieties.
Our Project Partners:
In 2021, DON was awarded $11,450 from the PA Department of Agriculture to support Project Western PA Hemp Fiber Education and to further build the program.
We are proud members of:
Contact Us
Address
DON Processing LLC
831 Harrison Street
New Castle, PA 16101
Contacts
Opening Hours
Monday - Friday
8:30 am – 4:30 pm
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