I happened to dig up a report called “Quantifying the Economic Value of
Alberta’s Recycling Programs“. I was trying to find ANY mention of “Eco-Flex” being an “industry leader” as Alan Champagne likes to brag in his promotional material.
There is ONE mention of “Champagne Edition” on page 78:
The first thing we see is that, indeed, a LOT of crumb rubber is shipped out of province – bolstering my theory that Alan actually might be shipping all this crumb rubber 2,200 miles to Lampasas.
The second thing we see is some OFFICIAL usage numbers for Champagne Edition – not Alan’s bullshit numbers he tells to Mandy Walsh or posts on his website. Two years ago, his OLD website said they “recycled” 6 million tires. In actuality, they don’t recycle SHIT. They use the crumb rubber created when REAL recyclers process tires into usable pieces.
The report says that Eco-Flex USES (not “recycles”) 7,000 to 8,000 tons of material. Which sounds like a lot – call it 15 million pounds. But since the average tire weighs around 22 pounds, this only comes out to about 682,000 tires (and far LESS if there are a lot of 30 and 35 pound truck tires!). A FAR cry from the 5 million he currently has posted on his website.
Also, once again, they DO NOT recycle anything. They take the crumb rubber from ALREADY-RECYCLED tires and mold it into other products. Just like dozens of other companies do. Alan and Mike seem to have trouble telling the truth on this. Here is a copy of their bullshit press release from two years ago when they were stringing the LEDC along the FIRST time:
The above press release from May 2020 encapsulates every reason why I refer to Alan and Mike as lying scumbags:
(1) they were NOT about to break ground on any recycling plants – that was a lie.
(2) they do not recycle tires at all, and thus cannot be a “leader” in that endeavor. It’s about as truthful as me saying I’m a “leading receiver in the NFL” – a complete and utter psycopathic fabrication.
(3) they slipped up when they sent this to Mandy Walsh by forgetting to fill in the CITY and XXX-square feet – even though they gave Mandy and the LEDC the idea that Lampasas was their only choice for location.
(4) they can’t even get their lies straight on how many square feet they need. Mike Cour said 10,000 in his presentation to the LEDC and another fake press release said 25,000 square feet.
(5) There is no way in HELL they will employ 200 people. Their Alberta plant employs less than 50 – and THAT plant is 35,000 square feet and has been there for years. Yet somehow a SMALLER plant here in Texas is going to employ FOUR TIMES that number? BULL SHIT. Absolute fucking lie.
The fact that Alan Champagne and Mike Cour are so loose with facts and the definition of “recycling” should send up red flags for the LEDC and anyone else dealing with these morons.
Lastly, it is now clear that there WERE subsidies at some point. I have no idea when they ended or how much was handed out, but one company immediately went under when they ended – as most of these “green” companies do (see: A-123, Solyndra, etc)
I have zero doubt that Eco-Flex was a beneficiary at some point – despite Mike Cour telling me “we have not received any funding from anyone, and we intend for this to be a private effort.”
Of course, Mike Cour then immediately asked the LEDC for $1.85 million in cash and land to basically pay for the entire startup of this charade here in Lampasas.
The only thing I HAVEN’T figured out yet is who is paying for the rent on that brand-new warehouse on Pecan Street and financing the buying/leasing of the rubber press machines. There is NO WAY Mike Irvin is stupid enough to allow Mike Cour in there without paying some serious rent. Empty promises of a future payout might work on dummies like Talbert, but Mike Irvin would never swallow that tripe.
If anyone has a good explanation on that, feel free to email me at lampasshole@protonmail.com
Oh well. It’ll ALL come out eventually as I chew this bone down to nothing.
