Sylvite Sales Opens Terminal in Lakeland, Florida

March 7th, 2008

Sylvite Sales announced the opening of its Sylvite Terminal & Distribution LLC (STD) facility in Lakeland, Fla. The former Florida Favorite Fertilizer blending site, which was purchased from Wedgeworth Fertilizer Inc. for an undisclosed sum, has a total storage capacity of more than 5,000 tons.

Sylvite also announced some management changes in its sales and marketing efforts at the Sylvite Southeast (SSE) office in Lakeland. SSE is now under the management of Pete Marovich, General Manager of SSE, and plans are underway to add additional on-site personnel at that location. SSE is the wholesale marketing arm for STD, and Marovich and sales representatives Gary Garcia, Stephen Driskell and Johnny Lambeth are handling all sales and marketing functions for both SSE and STD, effective immediately.

"The ownership and management team of Bob McNaughton and Hugh Loomans feel that STD enhances the options of the warehousing of materials and specialty fertilizers, which will benefit both the suppliers and customers within the Florida market in that it offers the opportunity for producers to position products into the market in a more timely and orderly manner" the company said.

Sylvite has been at the Lakeland terminal site for the past seven months, but the purchase from Wedgeworth was just finalized March 3. The facility is now part of a Sylvite terminal system that includes the Sylco terminal in Lewistown, Pa., facilities in Putnam and Hamilton, Ontario, and a range of other leased sites throughout the Northeast.

Now that the transaction has closed, Sylvite says it plans to expand the holding capacity and product range at the terminal. Current storage at the site is limited to dry products, and includes two grades of sulfate of potash magnesia from Intrepid Potash; two grades of SOP from Great Salt Lake Minerals Corp.; two grades of ammonium sulfate from the former Potash Import & Chemical Corporation, now doing business as K+S North America; and a small amount of DAP. Finished goods storage at the site includes a number of products from Sadepan Chimica, and a range of salt products from North American Salt. Sylvite has also leased some space at the facility to a feed additive packaging company.

The Lakeland terminal was built in 1921, and has had several owners. The blending site was acquired by Wedgeworth, which is based in Belle Glade, Fla., in early 2006 from PotashCorp of Saskatchewan Inc. as part of the Florida Favorite group. The location was declared a Superfund Site in 2000 after high concentrations of lead, arsenic and toxaphene were found on the property and in a nearby ditch. That resulted in a cleanup of 4,750 tons of contaminated soil.

Sylvite Sales was founded in 1989 and according to the company's website, Sylvite "plays a significant role in fertilizer distribution throughout the East Coast of the United States. Functioning as an extension of the manufacturer, the marketing arm of Sylvite is recognized throughout the industry as a reliable and dependable source of supply."

The SSE office can be reached at 863-647-1551. Any inquiries related to STD can be directed to McNaughton at 519-485-5770, or Marovich at 863-647-1551.