New Pantex field office, hunger campaign, district ADDY among this week's business news

NNSA establishes Pantex Field Office, new federal office for the Pantex Plant

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has established a new field office to oversee operations at the Pantex Plant.

The NNSA Pantex Field Office (PFO) replaces the NNSA Production Office, which was previously responsible for oversight of operations at Pantex and the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The Y-12 Field Office has also been established to oversee Y-12 operations. Both new NNSA field offices began operations on Tuesday, April 2.

PFO’s mission is to ensure safe, secure and cost-effective operations at Pantex, which is operated by Consolidated Nuclear Security (CNS) for NNSA. Pantex is a key facility in the U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise and is responsible for the final assembly, dismantlement and maintenance of nuclear weapons.

CNS will continue to manage and operate both Y-12 and Pantex for NNSA until a new contractor is named for the Pantex Plant. The CNS contract to run Pantex currently extends through September 30, 2024. CNS’s contract to run Y-12 currently extends through Sept. 30, 2025, with two 1-year option periods.

Jason Armstrong will serve as the Manager of the Pantex Field Office. He previously served as the NPO Pantex Manager and as the Manager of the NNSA Savannah River Field Office.

Follow NNSA News on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Flickr.

IGT donates $50,000 to help Texas Panhandle residents impacted by wildfires

AUSTIN – In response to the devastating impact of wildfires in the Texas Panhandle and Western Oklahoma, IGT has announced $50,000 in donations to provide crucial assistance to affected individuals and families in the region. The funds will be used to support and stabilize Texans grappling with the aftermath of these natural disasters.

First Baptist Church of Canadian, Texas, received a $25,000 donation that will go toward their Human and Household Relief Fund to help stabilize over 50 families who were displaced by wildfires that ravaged the community. Many of these families lack insurance coverage, making additional support and funding crucial for their recovery.

The TSCRA Disaster Relief Fund received a $25,000 donation to provide vital financial assistance to ranchers in disaster-declared counties in Texas and Oklahoma that fell victim to the wildfires and are in need of financial assistance.

"In times of crisis and disaster, Texas communities always come together to help those in need,” said Joseph Lapinski, IGT Account Development Manager in Texas. “We're proud to work with these important organizations and community leaders to help support residents of the Panhandle who have been affected by the recent wildfires, offering assistance to help them rebuild and recover.”

“With each act of kindness and support, we're reminded of the resilience and compassion that define both our community and Texas as a whole,” said Matt Phenix, Pastor at First Baptist Canadian. “IGT's invaluable support during this crisis helps us lend a hand to families impacted by the wildfires. Together, we're not just rebuilding homes; we're restoring hope within our community.”

“Thanks to the charitable support of partners such as IGT, cattle raisers in Texas and Oklahoma impacted by these wildfires have access to financial resources to aid in rebuilding their livelihoods and ranches,” said Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association President Carl Ray Polk. “The TSCRA Disaster Relief Fund directly supports these cattle raisers, and we are looking forward to getting these generous donations into the hands that need it most.”

IGT is a global leader in gaming, delivering entertaining and responsible gaming experiences for players across all channels and regulated segments, from Lotteries and Gaming Machines to Sports Betting and Digital. For more information, visit www.igt.com.

Cavender's Boot City partners with WRCA to raise wildfire relief funds

Cavender’s Boot City is partnering with the Working Ranch Cowboys Association by accepting donations to help victims of the recent wildfires, at all the chain’s 100 locations in 15 states and at https://www.cavenders.com/.

Cavender’s is accepting donations of $1, $5, $10, and $20 to support the WRCA's Foundation National Disaster Relief Fund. The WRCA’s Foundation Mission is to provide financial assistance to working ranch cowboys and their family members. All the collected donations will be given to the WRCA.

“Many of the ranchers affected from the February and March 2024 fires were also hit from the fires of 2017. Many have also had hardships with drought. This lifestyle can try you on a normal year even without natural disasters. The grass loss alone will take up to two years to come back and then these ranches need time to get fences back in working order before cattle can be restocked,” says Leman Wall WRCA Association Manager.

For more information, visit cavenders.com and www.wrca.org .

Walmart, Sam's Club launch 11th annual Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign

For the 11th straight year, all U.S. Walmart stores and Sam's Clubs are launching the Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign, with the goal of providing people facing hunger with access to the food and resources they say they need to thrive, including the Texas Panhandle. Since its inception in 2014, the campaign has generated over $186 million and helped secure nearly 1.9 billion meals for the Feeding America network of local food banks.

“The Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign comes at a crucial time, when 1 in 8 of our neighbors are struggling across the Panhandle,” said Zack Wilson, executive director for High Plains Food Bank. “This, coupled with the many natural disasters we have experienced over the past eight months, has led to a tremendous need.”

The campaign will run in stores and online from April 1-April 29, with three ways for shoppers to participate:

• By donating at check-out registers in stores or clubs or rounding up purchases made at Walmart.com and within the Walmart app.

• By purchasing participating products in-store or online at Walmart.com or SamsClub.com. For every purchase of a participating product, the supplier will donate the monetary equivalent of at least one meal ($0.10) on behalf of a Feeding America partner food bank at Walmart and five meals ($0.50) at Sam’s Club, up to applicable limits. See specially marked packages for full details.

• By donating at Feeding America’s Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign donation site at either www.FeedingAmerica.org/Walmart or www.FeedingAmerica.org/SamsClub.

Women to take part in exploration of technical careers at AC East Campus

Dozens of women who want to learn about technical-career opportunities long associated with the male gender will get that chance on Thursday, April 18 when Amarillo College hosts “Women in Industry” on the East Campus. The event is from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and participants will engage in intensive career exploration and hands-on seminars relevant to pursuit of technical careers.

Attendees at AC’s “Women in Industry” event – which is free and reached capacity during the pre-registration process – will have a chance to get their hands dirty at each of the career-specific stations on their tour of the East Campus. They also will be provided transportation and lunch.

AC programs to be highlighted include aviation, welding, law enforcement, fire protection, automotive technology, auto collision, diesel mechanics, truck driving, machining, and industrial technology. Additionally, women representing industry partners and affiliates such as Pantex, Amarillo Gear, Premier Truck Group, AC Police Department, and the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation will provide insights about their respective industries and, specifically, their experiences as women in industry.

City of Canyon communications wins district ADDY

CANYON - The City of Canyon Department of Communications has received two awards from the Tenth District of the American Advertising Federation (AAF) in the American Advertising Awards (AAA) competition. The AAA competition is a three-tiered creative communications competition where winners are forwarded from local to district levels, then to the national level.

In February 2024, AAF Amarillo, the local chapter of AAF, hosted the first tier of the competition and awarded local advertising and creative professionals and students. At the local level, the City of Canyon won the following awards:

• Gold ADDY for Social Media Campaign: Can’t Flush This Spotify Playlist

• Special Judge’s Award for “Thinking Outside the Box”: Can’t Flush This Spotify Playlist

The AAF Tenth District covers Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and half of Louisiana. The District AAA Awards received 522 entries and awarded 54 Gold ADDYs, 66 Silver ADDYs and 5 Special Awards for entries across all four states. At the District level, the City of Canyon won the following awards:

• Gold ADDY for Social Media Campaign: Can’t Flush This Spotify Playlist

• Special Judge’s Award: Can’t Flush This Spotify Playlist Social Media Campaign

“We are proud of Megan on her accomplishment of receiving a Gold ADDY Award on her Social Media Spotify Campaign of “Can’t Flush This” at the local and District level,” said Gretchen Mercer, Canyon City Secretary and Director of Administrative Services.

The campaign was centered around a Spotify playlist titled “Can’t Flush This” with the “hope that these songs will get stuck in your head and these titles won’t get stuck in your pipes”. Song titles were comprised of items that shouldn’t be flushed down resident’s drains, such as “Grease”, “Q TIPS”, “Bags” and “Bones”. The playlist was first posted on February 1, 2023.

“Her successful use of Spotify is a fun and educational way to engage citizens making them aware of what should not be flushed into city lines with a goal of limiting interruptions to service,” Mercer continued. “This is one of many awards for her innovative work and Megan continues to create new and impactful ways to maximize communications to our amazing community.”

This social media campaign will now be entered into the AAA competition at the national level.

Technical Solutions invited to attend Technology Assurance Group’s 23rd Annual Convention

Technical Solutions, a leading managed technology services provider, has received an exclusive invitation to attend and share valuable insight at the 23rd Annual Technology Assurance Group (TAG) Convention. The highly anticipated event is scheduled to take place in Las Vegas from April 29 to May 1, bringing together top industry experts specializing in cloud-based technologies, cybersecurity, voice, IT, and video surveillance/access control solutions.

Technical Solutions's selection stems from its distinguished reputation as a thought leader in the industry, its deep understanding of exceeding customer expectations, and its commitment to staying at the forefront of technology thereby benefiting the organizations they serve, according to a news release.

The theme of the convention is "Maximizing Personal Performance to Achieve Excellence." The convention aims to empower attendees to reflect, reenergize, and define their desired results and the actions necessary to achieve elite levels of personal and professional success.

As Gene Wells, President of Technical Solutions, said, "Your professional success…your personal success…your team’s success…however you define it is dependent upon you! Your drive to grow, to learn, to excel and achieve has an extraordinary impact on your company, your customers, and your community.”

For more information on Technical Solutions, call (806) 352-1309 or visit www.askts.com .

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service's fish management strategies webinar scheduled for April 16

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service experts will present an educational, how-to webinar focused on growing and supporting healthy fish populations in ponds and lakes from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on April 16.

Cost is $35, and advanced registration is required at https://tx.ag/FishManagement.

Todd Sink, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension aquaculture specialist and associate professor in the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, will be the featured speaker. Sink is also director of the AgriLife Extension Aquatic Diagnostics Laboratory in Bryan-College Station. A 30-minute Q&A session will conclude the hourlong webinar.

For more information, contact Brittany Chesser, AgriLife Extension aquatic vegetation program specialist and lead diagnostic scientist at AgriLife Extension’s Aquatic Diagnostics Laboratory, Bryan-College Station, at brittany.chesser@tamu.edu.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Amarillo area business news and developments for April 7, 2024