BEAM Circular has selected Modesto’s Beard Industrial District as the location for California’s first Bioeconomy Innovation Campus. This facility is designed to transform agricultural waste into valuable products while creating jobs across the Central Valley.
The $180 million campus will provide shared pilot and demonstration facilities where companies can scale circular bioeconomy technologies. The multi-tenant center aims to help businesses transition from research to commercial manufacturing by offering shared infrastructure, technical resources, and commercialization support.
When fully operational, the campus is expected to create 100 to 140 permanent jobs, plus construction employment. Beyond direct hiring, the project aims to catalyze regional economic growth by attracting biomanufacturing companies and helping agricultural industries convert underutilized materials into revenue streams.
The Central Valley generates substantial biomass waste, including nut shells, winery byproducts, orchard wood, forestry residues, and food processing sidestreams. The campus will connect these resources with technologies that convert biological materials into renewable fuels, sustainable materials, chemicals, and food ingredients.
Modesto’s location offers strategic advantages. The North San Joaquin Valley sits between the San Francisco Bay Area’s technology hubs and the Sierra Nevada Mountains, within one of America’s most productive agricultural regions. This positioning allows the campus to bridge innovation, agricultural production, and food manufacturing sectors.
Karen Warner, CEO of BEAM Circular, called the site selection a major milestone for sustainable manufacturing in California. She emphasized the campus would help breakthrough technologies reach market while supporting rural economies and establishing the Central Valley as a bioeconomy leader.
Mayor Sue Zwahlen said the campus aligns with Modesto’s existing agricultural and manufacturing strengths, calling it a forward-thinking investment the community deserves.
The phased project will create an innovation ecosystem connecting research institutions, entrepreneurs, manufacturers, and workforce partners focused on scaling circular solutions that reduce waste while generating economic opportunities.
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