WEST HARRISON, INDIANA, U.S. — A ceremony to mark the opening of Whitewater Mill LLC was conducted April 17 in West Harrison, Indiana, U.S.  Whitewater is a joint venture of two existing milling companies — Siemer Milling Co. and H. Nagel & Son.

The program was attended by more than 200, including Indiana Lieutenant Governor Sue Ellspermann. Siemer Milling said the project received assistance from the state of Indiana, Dearborn County and the City of Lawrenceberg (Dearborn County seat) in financing and facilitating the construction of the mill.

Following speeches, two large cakes with fondant icing “ribbons” were ceremonially cut to officially open the facility.

West Harrison is about 25 miles west of Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S., and the mill will be supplied with wheat principally grown within 125 miles, from the states of Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky.

The 10,000-cwt flour mill construction was overseen by Siemer Milling executives Vernon “Red” Tegeler, vice-president of production, of Teutopolis, Illinois, U.S., and Sunil Maheshwari of Effingham, Illinois, U.S. Maheshwari will serve as plant manager of the West Harrison facility.

Primary contractors for the mill were Bühler, Inc. of Plymouth, Minnesota, U.S., equipment supplier; and Todd & Sargent of Ames, Iowa, U.S., which handled construction and installation. Wohltman Construction of Effingham built the flour warehouse.

Richard C. Siemer, president of Siemer Milling, explained the thinking behind the decision to build the mill in West Harrison.

“We are building a new mill rather than expanding our mills at Teutopolis or Hopkinsville, Kentucky, U.S., because the logistics of both supply and demand make the third location much more cost-effective,” he said. “Locating in the Cincinnati area has been of interest to us for a long time. Recent customer expansions, and the opportunity to partner with Ted Nagel’s company, gave the idea its final push.”

While long based in Illinois, Siemer and Siemer Milling have roots in Cincinnati dating back to the 19th century.

“Most Teutopolis ancestors lived in Cincinnati for a while before trekking west in the late 1830s,” he said. “My great-grandfather, Joseph Siemer, was born there in 1857.  So it’s almost like going home again.”

Siemer Milling, headquartered in Teutopolis, was established in 1882. Nagel is based in Cincinnati and was established in 1853.