Ozinga Energy is offering 2014 Green Fleet Conference attendees an opportunity to tour its newest CNG fueling station located in Des Plaines, IL., on Tues. Oct. 28. Fourth generation co-owner & president Marty Ozinga IV will officially open the fast-fill CNG station and discuss the process of implementing CNG. The Des Plaines station will be open for vehicles ranging from commuter vehicles all the way up to Class 8 trucks.  

The family-owned company has four CNG fueling stations open to the public and plans to open more in the future.  

Ozinga has been serving Chicagoland since 1928. Originally getting their start as a coal and coke yard, Ozinga later transitioned into building materials and are now best known for their red and white striped concrete mixers. The company has grown further to include construction materials, architectural products and most recently natural gas. The company’s President Marty Ozinga IV came to a crossroads when gas prices were steadily increasing and Chicago’s emissions regulations were becoming stricter. After looking into several options the company decided in 2011, that natural gas was the best option. “We tested out two CNG trucks and quickly realized the values and benefits,” Ozinga says. “It’s an American fuel and that resonates well with us because we are proud to be an American family owned business.”

Ozinga’s signature red and white concrete-mixing trucks can be seen throughout the Chicagoland area. Out of the Ozinga’s 600 trucks, nearly 25 percent of its fleet is running on natural gas. By 2020, the company hopes to have all of its fleet converted to CNG trucks.

Ozinga Energy’s inception came from its fleet’s conversion to natural gas. Ozinga took the experience gained from transitioning their fleet and building stations and leveraged that to offer natural gas to the public and provide services to others looking to make the switch.

“When we started heading down the path of natural gas, there was nothing that fit what our company was looking for,” Ozinga says. “There are a lot of fleets and companies who don’t want to be held to a long-term fueling contract and that’s why we help companies have control of their own destiny.”

Besides designing and constructing custom fueling stations, the company offers training on how to operate a CNG fueling station, maintenance, facility upgrades and online monitoring systems for stations. 

“There’s a lot of uncertainty when it comes to CNG and the options out there, so we just want to go over some of the best practices as far as station design and construction go and provide an example to the industry of what this kind of station can be like if they were to choose to build one,” Ozinga says.

Ozinga operates the largest CNG concrete mixer fleet in the country and is one of the ready mix concrete industry’s leading producers.

For more information about shuttle pickup and other conference events click here.