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Tnemec Announces People’s Choice 2021 Tank
Protective coatings manufacturer Tnemec Company Inc. announced the People’s Choice winner of its 2021 Tank of the Year program—a water tank in Rochester, Minnesota that resembles an ear of corn. The water tower, which was recently repainted, reportedly received more than 5,000 votes from the public.
The 50,000-gallon, 151-foot-tall steel tank was constructed in 1931 and supplied water for the Reid, Murdoch and Co. cannery in Rochester. The water tower was reportedly restored this year as part of a $2.2 million effort by Olmstead County, the otwoer owner, to prepare the former Libby Foods and Seneca Foods canning facility site for development. Restoration work inluded abrasive blast-cleaning and recoating of interior and exterior surfaces, though the tank has reportedly been capped and stands empty, serving as a local landmark.
According to Tnemec, nearly 300 water tanks from across the U.S. and Canada were nominated for the 2021 Tank of the Year award. The People's Choice Award-winning ear-of-corn water tank will now be considered alongside the other 11 Tnemec-determined finalists for the 2021 Tank of the Year.
Tnemec plans to announce the Tank of the Year award winner and runners-up Friday, Oct. 22; stay tuned to PaintSquare Daily News for coverage.
2020 Tank of the Year
Last year, a municipal water tank in Destin, Florida won the 2020 Tank of the Year. The tank won out over nearly 300 other water tank nominations, with more than 23,000 online votes from across the United States and Canada cast this year.
Designed and painted by longtime water tank mural artist, Eric Henn, the water tank showcases a one-of-a-kind seascape mural, paying homage to local wildlife that call the Gulf of Mexico home—most notably, sea turtles and dolphins.
The tank was coated using Tnemec’s UV-resistant, long-lasting fluoropolymer finish, Series 700 HydroFlon, which the company reports will help preserve the color and design for a long time, even in Florida’s hot and humid climate.
Henn was also recognized with one of the Top People awards for Contractors (In the Field) as part of the 2020 PaintSquare Pretige Awards program, with his work on the Destin tank cited by his nominator as one of Henn's major accomplishments. (Nominations for the 2021 Prestige Awards are being accepted through Oct. 31; for more information, click here.)
The first 2020 Tank of the Year runner-up, a water tank in Bossier City, Louisiana, was painted to honor all military, police and fire department personnel and features a main logo that reads, “We Salute Our First Responders.” The Bossier City tank was also the was the winner of the People’s Choice competition, receiving 6,281 votes.
The tank project was also reported to use Tnemec’s UV-resistant, long-lasting fluoropolymer finish, Series 700 HydroFlon, and features the silhouette of a B-52 Bomber on top of the tank. The aircraft is regularly seen flying over the city, given the city’s proximity to the nearby Barksdale Air Force Base.
Other water tanks among the top 12 finalists for 2020 were in Hot Springs, Arkansas; Muscatine, Iowa; Cumming, Iowa; White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Grafton, Ohio; Hutchinson, Kansas; Troy, Virginia; Jansen, Nebraska; Pain Court, Ontario; and Kansas City.
