Tri-State Biodiesel breaks ground on Bridgeport refinery

Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch and officials from Tri-State Biodiesel on Friday celebrated the start of construction on the company’s new manufacturing and distribution center in the Eco-Technology Park on the city’s West End.

The Bronx, N.Y.-based biofuel company expects to create 25 jobs targeted toward low-income residents within the first two years of operation, according to a city press release announcing the groundbreaking.

“In Bridgeport, we believe that cities need to take leadership on going green for the sake of future generations,” Finch said in a statement. “And we’re winning the future by developing Eco-Technology Park ”“ an incubator for business growth and home to hundreds of green jobs ”“ with the support of successful companies like Tri-State Biodiesel.”

Tri-State Biodiesel will manufacture and distribute biodiesel fuel at the new refinery, built with funding from the National Development Council’s Grow America Fund. The NDC partnered with the JPMorgan Chase Foundation through a program designed to help small-business lenders foster job creation in low- and moderate-income communities.