News

Officials with The Texas A&M University System announced Thursday that Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) will help address critical needs in the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile by providing technical expertise, workforce development and training at the Pantex Plant, the nation’s primary facility for the final assembly, dismantlement and maintenance of nuclear weapons. Learn more in the Texas A&M University System new release.

Pantex Plant’s Emergency Management Department will conduct an emergency exercise the day of November 13th. During this exercise, between 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. people in the vicinity of the Pantex Plant may observe emergency personnel simulating response activities as part of the exercise.

We apologize for the inconvenience; however, emergency exercises test the ability of emergency personnel to respond quickly and effectively to emergency situations, and ensure the public, Pantex employees and the environment would be protected in the event of an actual emergency.

Again, you may observe response personnel simulating response activities as part of the exercise, but if you observe suspicious activity before or after November 13th, please report your observations to 477-5000.

AMARILLO, Texas- The Engineering News-Record, (ENR), a 101-year old professional engineering publication, has selected Pantex’s John C. Drummond Center (JCDC) as the 2018 Best Project in its annual category of Government/Public buildings in the Texas-Louisiana district.

According to its website, ENR posted: “Designing a state-of-the-art, high-security complex in a remote location with a harsh climate forced the project team to get creative when it came to procuring materials and labor. The $115-million, 348,000-sq-ft JCDC, (formerly the Administrative Support Complex, or ASC) enables the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to relocate employees from its aging facilities into a modern, energy-efficient facility adjacent to Pantex.

The construction schedule was tight and with the site’s remoteness, materials and labor were distant. These challenges informed the design team’s selection of materials and building systems that could be fabricated off site in controlled environments to eliminate concerns about weather and the site’s distant location. The contractor pursued subcontractors from five different states and developed a strategy to enhance the capabilities of several small local subcontractors.

The end result was a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified, three-story, precast and glass building that uses flexible floor plates and contains offices to support 1,100 federal and contractor employees. The complex includes a 365-seat sloped-floor auditorium, cafeteria, medical facility, conference center, and meeting spaces. The project was completed on time and under budget.

Brad Roquemore, Lawler-Wood Vice President said, “The Pantex JCDC (formerly ASC) is the third building that Lawler-Wood and its core team members, Turner Construction Company and STG Design, have developed at two NNSA sites. Lawler-Wood is very proud to have the opportunity to participate in the modernization of these sites, which play a vital role in our national security. It is also proud to play a key role in introducing new, creative, and cost-effective financing and construction delivery methods into the government procurement system."

For more information on each site, visit www.pantex.energy.gov or www.y12.doe.gov. Follow Pantex on Facebook, X or LinkedIn. Follow Y-12 on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.

CONTACT
Steve Myers
Communications
Office (806) 573-0490
stephen.myers@pantex.doe.gov

AMARILLO, Texas- Pantex was recently named a veteran-friendly employer by the Texas Workforce Commission and Texas Veterans Commission. To be considered for the distinction, employers must employ a workforce of 10% or more veterans; more than 20% of the employee base at Pantex is made up of veterans, earning the award for large corporation veteran-friendly employer for the Panhandle area.

“Pantexans truly appreciate veterans,” said Heather Freeman, human resources site manager. “It is an honor to work alongside the heroes of our country. The experience they gain as a veteran is an excellent match for the important Pantex mission. It was very rewarding to be recognized as ‘vet-friendly’ before so many Texas employers at the conference. The recognition represents decades of Pantex valuing our vets.”

Pantex takes pride in its veterans and works closely with the Texas Veterans Commission to match and employ transitioning military servicemen and women into the workforce. This is not the first time Pantex has received an award focus on veterans. In 2012, Pantex was awarded the Department of Texas Veterans of Foreign Wars Employer of the Year for large companies.

“Military service builds skills that are very valuable to employers,” said Freeman. “Veterans have training in leadership, teamwork, loyalty, decision making and technical skills. They have real-life experience, work well under pressure, are responsible, have a strong work ethic and can interact with a variety of people. It is a great investment for both employers and those who have served our country.”

Pantex holds a special ceremony each year commemorating Armed Forces Day to honor and acknowledge veterans’ service to the country – both as veterans and as Pantex employees.

Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC (CNS) operates the Pantex Plant, located in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex, located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, under a single contract for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration. Pantex and Y-12 are key facilities in the U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise, and CNS performs its work with a focus on the performance excellence and the imperatives of safety, security, zero defects and delivery as promised.

For more information on each site, visit www.pantex.energy.gov or www.y12.doe.gov. Follow Pantex on Facebook, X or LinkedIn. Follow Y-12 on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.

CONTACT
Steve Myers
Communications
Office (806) 573-0490
stephen.myers@pantex.doe.gov

At the Amarillo Small Business Partnership Awards ceremony held Oct. 11, Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC recognized Hart Moving and Storage, Inc. of Lubbock as the company’s small business partner of the year.

“Each year, we highlight a small business that models our CNS values – integrity, trust, respect, teamwork, and excellence,” said Ryan Johnston, Pantex Small Business Program manager. “We are proud to recognize Hart Moving for their outstanding work this year in support of Pantex.”

Hart Moving transported more than 6,000 boxes of employee items from various plant buildings to the new John C. Drummond Center administrative building with zero incidents or injuries.

The award is part of CNS’s continued commitment to small business partnership at Pantex and the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tenn.

CNS Chief Operating Officer Michelle Reichert said, “Small businesses are a vital part of mission success at Pantex. They offer unique expertise, technology, and business solutions.”

During fiscal year 2018, Pantex spent $139 million on goods and services from more than 471 small businesses, which equates to 77 percent of the total Pantex procurements. Overall, CNS awarded 69.9 percent of subcontracts at Pantex and Y-12 to small businesses, surpassing the company’s goal of 50 percent. This includes those classified as small disadvantaged, woman-owned, veteran-owned, and service disabled veteran-owned small businesses.

This month, Pantex began the process of demolition and removal of excess facilities to continue efforts to reduce the size of the Pantex footprint. With the completion and occupancy of the John C. Drummond Center, vacated facilities were loaded on trailers and are in the process of being removed.

All four facilities totaling 51,327 square feet are expected to be removed by November. This marks just the beginning of more efforts in the future to reduce Pantex’s environmental impact.

Four Pantex teams were awarded the National Nuclear Security Administration NA-50 Award of Excellence for their exceptional accomplishments made in support of efforts to achieve NNSA’s mission. Members from Construction and Maintenance, Personnel Security/Access Control, Construction Management, and CNS Construction Field Engineering were recognized during a special ceremony in the Pantex John C. Drummond Center for their outstanding accomplishments involving innovation, effectiveness, teamwork, overcoming adversity and enabling future successes.

“Our people do extraordinary work every day ensuring the operability of the infrastructure at Pantex and Y-12 in support of the mission,” said Senior Director of Infrastructure Programs for CNS, Steve Laggis. “As I work with my staff on infrastructure issues we have a saying to guide our planning. That is, ‘we have to do the right things, to the right infrastructure, in the right way.’”

The team projects highlighted included a failing power transformer repaired at Pantex safely and within budget, the construction subcontractor access control process was streamlined and reduced paperwork from 31,290 pages to 2,235, Pantex and Y-12 construction work processes were consolidated setting the standard for future CNS Enterprise Manuals, and 1,024 sq. ft. of skylights were replaced for Sandia.

“The teams collaborated to do some really important things here. We very infrequently have the opportunity to give those kinds of awards out,” said Jim McConnell, NNSA Associate Administrator for Safety, Infrastructure and Operations. “I’m excited about that the work that is done here at Pantex can be recognized with these awards. I know that I will be back next year with another big stack of awards to give out for the things that are going on as we speak.”

Pantex Outreach and Leadership Organization (POLO) participated in Over the Edge, a fundraising event for Amarillo Family Support Services. The group raised funds to “Toss the Boss” sending Joe Papp, senior director for Pantex Engineering, over the edge of Amarillo’s Santa Fe building. Consolidated Nuclear Security matched the POLO donations for a $1,000 total gift to FSS.

The Pantex Safeguards & Security team was recognized once again for their protective force posture realignment with a Department of Energy 2017 Outstanding Security Team Award. You’ll remember the team was recently recognized for the same project by the National Nuclear Security Administration. The new changes leverage the use of technologies and more efficiently secure areas of the Pantex site.

The Pantex Special Response Team recently welcomed 13 new members during the Tactical Response Force II class graduation. The TRF-200 graduates completed five weeks of rigorous tests and evaluations and an extra week of Basic Tactical Entry training.

Kristy McWilliams, Pantex senior director for Safeguards & Security, said, “These graduates represent the best of the best. They were challenged mentally and physically, and I commend them for their dedication and hard work.”

The graduates completed 17 testable objectives and were evaluated each day on safety, task performance, and marksmanship. They applied their battle and marksmanship skills in live fire exercises and force-on-force scenarios under day and night conditions. The group spent more than 100 of their 240 course hours in the on-site shoot house, where they trained in live fire close quarter battle.