The Right Place assists Woodchuck.AI to choose Greater Grand Rapids for HQ

Climate impact startup announces new global HQ in Grand Rapids during Tech Week GR 2024

(GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Monday, The Right Place, Inc., in collaboration with Woodchuck.AI, Beckett Industries, High Alpha Innovation, and NorthStar Clean Energy, announce that Woodchuck.AI, a climate impact startup transforming waste to energy with the power of AI, is developing a first of its kind AI innovation environment and biomass processing facility at their new global headquarters in Grand Rapids, MI. 

“Woodchuck was founded with the goal to empower contractors, manufacturers, and biomass energy producers by streamlining wood waste diversion and biomass processing. We are committed to transforming waste into valuable resources, reducing landfill usage, and providing a steady, sustainable supply of biomass.,” said Todd Thomas, Founder and CEO of Woodchuck.ai. “With this funding, we will accelerate the development of our AI platform, helping contractors & manufacturers achieve their sustainability goals while contributing to the green energy grid. The future of the bioenergy depends on reliable sustainable sources of biomass” 

Woodchuck.AI was developed in partnership with NorthStar Clean Energy, a CMS Energy company, and High Alpha Innovation, to improve the biomass supply chain nationally. Woodchuck’s proprietary AI platform empowers critical waste reduction and sustainability challenges by efficiently diverting wood out of waste streams to produce a consistent reliable source of biomass. As decarbonization initiatives scale, access to high-quality renewable feedstock will be crucial in achieving net-zero targets across industries. Woodchuck is at the forefront of this effort, ensuring that the biomass industry has a reliable and sustainable source of high-quality feedstock. 

“Chuck represents a transformative platform at the intersection of sustainability and energy innovation,” said Danny Beckett from Beckett Industries. “Their innovative approach not only addresses critical environmental challenges but also provides a scalable solution that transforms waste into renewable energy or recycled content. This site in Grand Rapids will begin with wood waste and our vision is to leverage the technology with other verticals, setting a new standard for tech-enabled sustainability. We’re excited to partner with them as they redefine the future of renewable energy and waste diversion.” 

A Growing Energy Demand and Waste Crisis 

Global energy demand is expected to double by 2050, with energy leaders like NorthStar Clean Energy turning to a mix of solar, wind, and biomass to meet these needs. While solar and wind are excellent options, they suffer from intermittency and location dependency. Biomass provides energy producers a consistent reliable baseload energy production, making it a favored option for renewable energy. 

Simultaneously, construction and manufacturing companies are facing a critical need to reduce waste and dependency on landfills. The U.S. construction industry alone sent over 41 million tons of wood to landfills last year, a staggering waste of potential energy resources. 

Woodchuck’s Dual Solution: Waste Reduction and Renewable Energy 

Woodchuck effectively tackles both waste reduction and renewable energy needs through its innovative AI platform. The platform utilizes advanced deep learning image recognition to identify and process wood waste. Initially, the model is trained with captured images, allowing the AI to accurately recognize various types of wood and other materials.  The platform utilizes generative AI to produce 3D models of wood and other materials to accelerate the development of woodchuck’s proprietary image recognition algorithms; leveraging generative AI to accelerate deep learning AI.  By integrating generative AI into the deep learning models, WoodChuck.ai is not just improving image recognition accuracy—it’s redefining the boundaries of what’s possible in automated waste management. This technology enables Woodchuck to train the models faster and more efficiently, turning real-time data into actionable insights at unprecedented speeds. 

The Woodchuck.ai platform automatically schedules wood waste pickups, tracks diversion rates, and produces detailed custom sustainability reports.  By converting wood waste into biomass, Woodchuck creates a reliable supply chain for bioenergy producers and contributes to a cleaner environment. 

In its first six months, Woodchuck has already diverted more than 100 tons of CO2, produced 500 million BTUs of green energy, and achieved a 45% average monthly revenue growth. The platform is revolutionizing sustainability tracking, reporting, and validation, enabling businesses to minimize their environmental impact while contributing to the green energy grid. 

Partnerships and Future Growth 

NorthStar Clean Energy, Genesee Power Station, & Mid-Michigan Recycling, began a trial program with Woodchuck AI in March of 2024. As a result of this partnership, NorthStar has received 76.5 tons of waste wood products at their processing facilities in Livonia and Macomb, Michigan. Once processed this material was delivered to the Genesee Power Station in Flint Michigan as a fuel to produce clean biomass energy for residents in eastern Michigan. This collaboration underscores the Woodchuck platform’s potential to drive significant environmental benefits nationally while contributing to the green energy grid. 

“We believe that biomass with carbon capture and sequestration (BECCS) has a critical role to play in decarbonizing the grid and creating a sustainable energy system,” said Brian Hartmann, President of NorthStar Clean Energy. “With BECCS, the quality of the biomass supply is critical to ensuring you are making a real impact for the planet. Woodchuck’s one of a kind AI capabilities are a true differentiator for us because they ensure we are focused on the right biomass supply.” 

Woodchuck will scale its platform and expand its operations, aiming to divert even more waste from landfills and generate sustainable energy at a national scale. As decarbonization efforts intensify, the need for sustainable biomass sources will only grow, and Woodchuck is well-positioned to lead the charge. 

“The Right Place is excited that Woodchuck has chosen greater Grand Rapids as its headquarters,” said Jennifer Wangler, Vice President of Technology at The Right Place, Inc. “The company is a great example of how AI image recognition can work seamlessly with data collection to generate cost-effective waste solutions. Companies using Woodchuck’s AI service will become more sustainable and innovative while cutting waste costs. We are eager for them to integrate into the community, especially during Tech Week!”

"We're thrilled to see Todd and team continue to grow the Woodchuck.ai platform, both helping construction firms achieve lofty but necessary carbon emissions goals and energy providers with their ongoing efforts to provide green energy to the masses,” said Elliott Parker, CEO of High Alpha Innovation. “We look forward to seeing how Chuck evolves and scales in the years ahead and continues to make its mark in the sustainability space."

About Woodchuck.AI

Woodchuck is a climate impact start-up dedicated to empowering contractors, manufacturers, and biomass energy producers by streamlining wood waste diversion and processing. We are committed to leveraging advanced AI technologies to transform waste into valuable resources, reduce landfill usage, and provide a steady, sustainable supply of biomass. Based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Woodchuck is funded by Beckett Industries, NorthStar Clean Energy and High Alpha Innovation. For more information, visit https://woodchuck.ai/. 

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About The Right Place, Inc.
The Right Place, Inc., is a regional nonprofit founded in 1985 with the mission to drive sustainable economic growth and shared prosperity for all in the Greater Grand Rapids Region. The Right Place works to achieve this mission by focusing on three core areas: People, Place, and Prosperity. The Right Place is an Accredited Economic Development Organization (AEDO) as designated by The International Economic Development Council. Find out more by visiting www.rightplace.org, liking us on Facebook, and following us on LinkedIn. 

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