May 11, 2026 –
ADM celebrated the opening of its new food-grade Truck Wash Bay facility in Decatur Monday, marking a major investment in food safety, transportation logistics, and workforce development at the company’s sprawling Decatur complex.
The new six-bay wash facility, located on North Brush College Road, will operate 24 hours a day and is designed to clean and sanitize tanker trailers transporting food-grade products, oils, and syrups used throughout ADM’s operations.
ADM leaders said the project is part of the company’s ongoing commitment to modernizing infrastructure in Decatur while improving efficiency and reliability across its supply chain.
“This is all about taking care of the food-grade products that we send to our customers every day,” said Chris Cuddy, who serves as president of ADM’s Carbohydrate Solutions division and ADM North America. “Our customers expect on-time deliveries, but they also expect everything to be clean and inspected.”
Cuddy highlighted ADM’s long history in Decatur, where the company has operated since 1939 and now employs approximately 4,000 workers locally, along with nearly 1,000 contractors daily.
The truck wash joins several other recent ADM investments in Decatur, including the company’s Animal Nutrition Technology Center, Protein Innovation Center, and the renovation of the former Mueller Pharmaceutical building downtown into research and laboratory space.
“This is a team effort,” Cuddy said. “We continue to grow around Decatur, continue to put money into the community, support new jobs, and new investments.”
According to facility manager Rusty Snyder, construction on the new wash bay began in October 2024 and was completed in late 2025, with operations officially beginning in January 2026.
The upgraded system significantly improves turnaround times for tanker cleaning. Snyder said some trailers previously required up to two-and-a-half hours to wash, while the new system can reduce that time substantially depending on the product hauled.
The facility handles an estimated 60 to 70 trailers each day and employs 25 workers operating around the clock, shutting down only on Christmas Day.
“It’s very important to run 24/7 just to keep things moving,” Snyder said. “The plants don’t shut down, and most of the customers we work with don’t shut down either.”
ADM officials also emphasized the environmental improvements included in the project. Waste oils collected during the cleaning process are reclaimed and sold back to biodiesel plants, while wastewater is processed through ADM’s treatment systems.
Local leaders praised ADM’s continued investment in Decatur and its role as one of the city’s largest employers.
Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe called ADM “an incredibly important partner” for the community. “The innovation and the things that keep happening within this company keep Decatur moving forward,” Moore Wolfe said. “It is incredibly important to our city and community that ADM continues to prosper.”
The ribbon cutting also highlighted ADM’s growing workforce development initiatives. Company officials said the wash bay operation partners with Decatur Public Schools and six area high schools through a co-op program that gives students hands-on work experience and career opportunities.
Shannon Jedlicka, ADM Training and Development Manager, said the program has helped students build careers without accumulating significant college debt while developing skills inside ADM operations.
“This ribbon cutting represents more than a new wash bay,” Tudliska said. “It represents what happens when an organization and a community choose to invest in people.”
