Reuse and the Benefit to Community
Benfield Industries, Inc. Site
Executive Summary
Following a 1982 fire at the Benfield Industries chemical plant and EPA's listing of the facility on the Superfund
program's National Priorities List (NPL) in 1989, the property appeared to offer little value to the surrounding
Hazelwood community in Waynesville, North Carolina. Today, however, through collaborative community
efforts with EPA, the site has been cleaned up and is now home to a non-profit medical manufacturing facility, a
vocational training center and green space. This case study documents the site's cleanup and reuse, focusing on
the significant local impacts - jobs, increased property values, increased tax revenues and economic growth -
that are making a lasting difference in the community.
Introduction
Superfund site clean-up results in restored
value to site properties and the surrounding
community. Making a property ready for
reuse can revitalize a local economy with
jobs, new businesses, tax revenues and local
spending, as well as enhance recreational and
ecological opportunities. This case study
captures the economic impacts of Superfund
site reuse in Waynesville, North Carolina. The
small town, located in Haywood County in
western North Carolina, is home to 9,869
residents.
Positive Impacts
•	Cleanup and redevelopment of the Benfield Industries, Inc. Superfund site has transformed a formerly
contaminated area into a multi-use property addressing multiple community needs.
•	The Haywood Vocational Opportunities (HVO) company was able to increase sales revenues of medical
drapes and devices by 33 percent through its expansion at the site.
•	HVO's facilities employed 490 people in 2011. To date, the company has trained more than 1,440 people
at the facility.
•	HVO reports paying $12.5 million in wages to employees during fiscal year 2011.
•	The property is currently valued at $3.4 million.
*>EPA
www.epa.gov
Figure 1: Aerial view of the site. The training center is on the right
and the manufacturing facility is on the left. (Source: EPA)

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Waynesville, NC
Figure 4: A fire in 1982 destroyed Benfield Industries'
chemical plant at the site. (Source: EPA)
Within Waynesville, the site is located in the
community of Hazelwood, on the west side of
the town. Haywood Vocational Opportunities
(HVO) acquired a 6-acre parcel of land for its
expansion; the site occupied a 3.5-acre portion of
this parcel. Homes and commercial and industrial
businesses surround HVO's manufacturing facility
and training center.
Figure 2: Regional site location map
Site History
The site is located in a part of Waynesville with a long
industrial history. Previous site uses included two
furniture manufacturing companies, which operated
from 1904 to 1961. A lumber treatment facility
operated at the site from the 1940s until the mid-
1970s. In 1976, Benfield Industries, Inc. began its
operations. The company mixed and packaged bulk
organic and inorganic chemicals, using on-site buildings
and aboveground storage tanks for chemical storage.
Benfield Industries, Inc. handled and stored materials
such as paint thinners, solvents, sealants, cleaners, de-
icing solutions and wood preservatives.1 In 1982, a fire
destroyed the plant. EPA ordered the company to
remove all remaining chemicals and debris.
Figure 3: Local site map
During an inspection in 1985, the North Carolina
Division of Health Services detected high concentrations
of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil and
ground water at the site. EPA proposed the site for NPL
listing in June 1988 and listed the site on the NPL in
October 1989.* The contaminated media included soil
and ground water, and the primary contaminants of
concern included volatile organic compounds (VOCs),
semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs), PAHs and
metals.
|	Waynesville
Benfield Industries, Inc.
Superfund Site
1 http://www.epi.state.ric.us/epi/oee/hace/pdf/BenfieldSunimarvSheet.pdf
1 For more information on the site's discovery and listing, please see: http:/7www.eDa.gov/supgrfund/sites/rods/fulltext/r0492104.pdf.

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Property Cleanup and Renewal
EPA completed in-depth studies to identify the
nature and extent of site contamination in the
early 1990s. The site's remedy included
biological treatment of soils, extraction and
treatment of on-site ground water, ground
water monitoring and institutional controls.
Cleanup began in fall 1997 and soil treatment
ended in September 2000. The ground water
treatment system began extracting ground
water in September 2001. In 2008, EPA
determined that the system had successfully
reduced ground water contamination and
recommended a transition to monitored
natural attenuation.
At the time, HVO was interested in expanding
its facilities. Located nearby, HVO is the largest
manufacturer of custom medical drapes in the Rgure 5: Aeria, view of HvO's new training facility.
United States. The company also provides
vocational training and employment opportunities to people with disabilities. The vacant site next door provided
a convenient opportunity for expansion. However, HVO had safety and liability concerns about locating a new
facility on a Superfund site. EPA worked closely with HVO to address the company's concerns, leading to HVO's
acquisition of the site property at auction.
Building a facility on site would also require developing a design
that integrated the site's remedy, ensuring the protection of
human health and the environment. As HVO developed its plans,
the company continued to work closely with EPA. The Agency
provided information on site contamination and the cleanup
approach and reviewed site reuse plans. This working
relationship led to reuse plans that reflected the site's remedy in
several ways, incorporating additional fill, requiring that workers
digging at certain depths wear protective equipment, and
navigating around existing monitoring wells.
In the end, HVO developed two-thirds of the 6-acre site property.
The company built its new manufacturing and training facilities
with required parking lots on 4 acres. The company designated
the remaining 2 acres for green space. HVO completed the site's
redevelopment in 2004.
HVO Investment Pays Off
•	The new expansion led to a 33 percent
increase in sales revenue.
•	Increased revenues funded additional
HVO facility expansions in 2008 and
2010.
•	In 2008, HVO served a record-breaking
237 clients.
•	In 2010, HVO purchased and renovated
a former shoe plant nearby for
additional manufacturing and training
space.
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Local Impacts
"The greatest benefit of this
site's reuse ... an eyesore of a
fenced off, overgrown property
was transformed into an
architecturally beautiful building
and a naturally landscaped asset
for the community."
- HVO President
George Marshall
2011
HVO's initial 2004 expansion resulted in approximately 90 full-time
jobs and a 33 percent increase in sales revenue. In 2008, HVO
added a 3,100-square-foot product development facility to the
site. In 2010, HVO purchased and renovated a former shoe plant
also located in Hazelwood, adding 117,000 additional square feet
of space within a half-mile of the site for manufacturing,
production and training.3 Following these expansions, the
company currently employs 490 people, contributes over $12.5
million in annual employment income to the community, and has
increased its annual sales to approximately $31 million. In total,
HVO has more than 259,000 square feet of facility space. As of
2010, the site's estimated property value is $3.4 million.
There is also a compelling story behind these numbers. As a mission-driven social enterprise company, HVO
seeks to provide job skills and employment opportunities to local residents, including those with disabilities.
HVO works to remove employment barriers and offer a more flexible approach to work, providing employment
for people who traditionally have difficulty entering the work force. HVO's new Learning and Enrichment Center
helps to facilitate this part of the company's mission. HVO uses their revenue to sustain their social enterprise
practices. This distinguishes them from traditional non-profits, which rely primarily on philanthropic and
government support. HVO's operating budget is 96 percent from sales, 2 percent from public dollars and the
remaining 2 percent are from miscellaneous monies, including grants.
In addition to employing local residents, HVO provides training that enables job seekers to build their skills and
pursue employment opportunities with other companies. HVO has a strong reputation, in the local business
community, for both high-quality training and skilled employees. HVO works with companies to develop tailored
training for local worksites, and then provides follow-up assistance to help HVO trainees master their job
responsibilities and successfully transition into the workforce. These services are provided free of charge to all
employers.
Eye Sore Removal and Green Space
The cleanup and redevelopment of the
Benfield Industries, Inc. Superfund site has
replaced a vacant eyesore with well-designed
buildings and 2 acres of green space.
Employees benefit from a healthy working
environment and use the green space for
walks, lunchtimes and outdoor meetings. The
site property borders about 600 feet of a
local creek. Previously, the creek's banks
were overgrown, trash-strewn and fenced
off. Today, the creek has been cleaned up, its
banks have been cleared, reinforced and
restored, and the adjacent green space has
been landscaped with vegetation, trees and a
walking trail.
Haywood Vocational Opportunities, Inc. Provides
Jobs and Income
•	HVO employs 490 people and contributes over $12.5
million in annual employee income to the community.
•	Of the 490 HVO employees, 30 percent participated in
the HVO training program and have a certified
disability.
•	As of 2011, 53 companies have provided employment
ODDortunities to HVO trainees.
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Conclusion
The cleanup and redevelopment of the Benfield Industries, Inc. Superfund site has provided HVO and the
surrounding community with many new opportunities. Through HVO's collaborative efforts with EPA, all parties
were well-informed and engaged throughout the process, leading to cleanup and reuse plans that meshed well
together. Once a contaminated eyesore, the site is now home to a local business that provides much-needed
jobs and training services for the broader community as well as valued green space. The entire HVO facility in
2011 employed 490 employees and has trained 1,440 trainees since the expansion. The property is now valued
at $3.4 million, and HVO reports paying $12.5 million in wages to employees during Fiscal Year 2011. This site's
compelling story illustrates how communities and EPA can work together nationwide to sustain healthy
communities and advance environmental protection.
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