T-R PHOTO BY JAKE RYDER The building that was the longtime home of Richelieu Foods in Grundy Center has been purchased by Honary Enterprises for WAVEtek Process Technology LLC, a company owned by Environmental Lubricants Manufacturing (ELM) Founder Lou Honary.

GRUNDY CENTER — A local microwave processing technology business is in the process of moving into the former Richelieu Foods building in Grundy Center.

Honary Enterprises purchased the building in late December and will repurpose the 75,000-square-foot industrial facility at 701 A Ave. for WAVEtek Process Technology, LLC, a business initially formed as a subsidiary of Environmental Lubricants Manufacturing (ELM) of Grundy Center. ELM, which focused on creating and marketing soybean oil-based lubricants and greases, was acquired last September by Illinois-based BioBlend Renewable Resources.

Lou Honary was a founder of ELM and is the sole member of the independent WAVEtek LLC, which was founded based on technology developed at ELM.

“Our organization has had a good relationship with Lou at ELM, so we are looking forward to working with him on this next venture in the former Richelieu space,” said Jeff Kolb, executive director of the Butler-Grundy Development Alliance.

Kolb added that BioBlend will be relocating operations to the Grundy Center facility following the ELM acquisition: “I see opportunities with both BioBlend, and with Lou and his plans for the Richelieu facility. We will work with both companies to help them grow and provide employment opportunities in Grundy Center.”

Richelieu Foods announced the closure of the Grundy Center facility, which specialized in salad dressing production, last February. The resulting mass layoff affected 81 employees according to an Iowa Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notice.

“We are happy that the Richelieu facility will see new life after the closure last year,” Kolb said.