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The former Imperial Sugar factory in Sugar Land, Texas
Imperial Sugar offices in Sugar Land
Imperial Sugar Technology Center in Sugar Land
Imperial Sugar NASDAQ: IPSU is a major U.S. sugar producer and marketer based
in Sugar
Land, Texas with refining operations in California, Georgia, and Louisiana.
The company has, since its inception, been headquartered in
Sugar Land; the city itself is named for the company and the
company's crown logo is featured in the city's seal. The company
was founded in 1843 by Samuel May
Williams and passed through a series of owners until its purchase
in 1907 the I. H. Kempner family of Galveston. The company was later renamed
the Imperial Sugar Company, in an effort to emphasize quality.[1] Up
until 1988 the company had only
one plant, at its original location in Texas, when they purchased
the Holly Sugar Corporation—a beet processor
headquartered in Colorado Springs.
Since that initial acquisition the company has made several more
that effectively doubled the corporation's size each time.
On January 17, 2001, the company filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy
protection, attributing its problems to lower sales for refined
sugar as well as higher energy costs. Then on August 29, 2001, the
company emerged from Chapter 11 and has since turned its focus
inward as it downsizes its operations. In 2003, Imperial won the Wharton
Infosys Business Transformation Award for their innovative use
of web technology to help turn around their business. The company
no longer refines sugar at its original plant in Sugar Land (the
facility was closed in 2003) but their corporate headquarters are
still located in its founding city.
2008
explosion
On 7 February 2008, an explosion -– possibly caused by static
electricity igniting fine sugar dust that had become too dry -–
at a Port Wentworth, Georgia
Imperial Sugar refinery killed 14 people and injured over 40. OSHA had been criticized in a 2006 US
Chemical Safety Board report for lack of preparation for such
explosions and a safety program which "inadequately addresses dust
explosion hazards".[2] [1]
The plant was originally built as the Dixie Crystals
sugar refinery in 1916-1917. It was acquired by Imperial Sugar in
1997. At the time of its purchase, the Port Wentworth refinery was
the 2nd largest sugar refining operation in the U.S. [3] As of
August 26, 2008 the death toll had risen to 14, with 1 still in
critical condition. [4]
Brands
Imperial sells sugar under its own brand name as well as Dixie Crystals, Spreckels, Holly, Diamond
Crystal, and Wholesome Sweeteners brands.
References
Bloomberg News
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