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The newly designated NA-50 Excellence Awards recently were presented at Pantex by NNSA Associate Administrator for Safety, Infrastructure, and Operations James McConnell and at Y-12 by NNSA Administrator Lt. Gen. Frank Klotz (Ret.). The award recognizes teams and individuals for outstanding accomplishments involving innovation, effectiveness, teamwork, overcoming adversity, and enabling future success.

CNS President and CEO Morgan Smith commended the honorees by saying, “The work we do is unique. We play a key role in the defense of the nation and the stability of the world. We face the challenge of meeting this important mission while working in facilities that are well past their intended life. Your work has helped tackle infrastructure issues that, if left unaddressed, could have exposed a risk to employees, the mission, or the environment.”

At Pantex and Y-12, the CNS Construction team was recognized for its operations with zero recordable injuries in fiscal year 2016, and the Development and Approval team for the Administrative Support Complex (Kirk McCutcheon at Pantex, Tom Smith at Y-12) was recognized for its work to develop the foundation and business case, as well as the extensive approval process.

One other Pantex award included the Outage Process Execution team, being recognized for the high-voltage distribution system outages conducted safely in support of the NNSA mission at Pantex.

Other Y-12 awards recognized: the team replacing some 700 fire suppression system sprinkler heads in Building 9204-2, the team that reroofed three Manhattan Project–era buildings as part of the Excess Facilities Disposition Program Roof Asset Management Program Risk Reduction project, the team that repaired the concrete beam in Building 9204-2, and the team that pursued multiple direct- and indirect-funded projects to reduce risks posed by excess facilities.

AMARILLO, Texas- Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC has partnered with West Texas A&M University, the City of Amarillo, and the West Texas A&M Small Business Development Center to recognize small businesses in the Texas Panhandle area at this year’s Amarillo Small Business Awards.

CNS has set a goal to award 60 percent of contracts to small businesses; including those classified as woman-owned, veteran-owned, small disadvantaged, and service disabled veteran-owned small businesses. CNS considers small businesses of paramount importance and continues to actively seek opportunities for them.

On hand for today’s event are Amarillo Mayor Ginger Nelson, CNS Vice President of Performance Excellence at Pantex, Tom Harrison, Director of Facilities and Construction at West Texas A&M University, Stan Peña, along with other noted dignitaries.

“CNS would not be able to achieve its mission without the support of small businesses; they truly are the heart of our economy,” said Ryan Johnston, the CNS Small Business Program Manager. “Today’s event will recognize some of the many great local businesses that help Pantex keep our nation safe and secure.”

As part of today’s program, a special award is being given out to the 2017 Pantex Small Business of the Year award.

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.

AMARILLO, Texas – Lightning is prevalent in the Texas Panhandle, and the lightning equipment used at Pantex produces meteorological data that are useful to many outside of the plant. In late August, Pantex began issuing meteorological lightning data to the National Weather Service and the public. This will allow Consolidated Nuclear Security, the managing and operating contractor, to provide additional capabilities and data to the National Weather Service and the greater Amarillo area.

Current lightning detection and location systems triangulate radio frequency signatures from lightning strikes using time of arrival mapping techniques. Due to inherent variability in the positional data obtained from these systems, a more definitive lightning location system utilizing visual data to confirm strikes is necessary.

A team of engineers and scientists from Pantex Systems Engineering designed a system that utilizes lightning capture cameras to detect and locate lightning strikes on or near Pantex, referred to as the Optical Lightning Detection System (OLDS). Six units will sit near the perimeter of Pantex, and images from these cameras will be downloaded through a cellular network for processing to determine the strike location if it occurs on-site.

Combined with the Lightning Map Array (LMA), which can detect cloud-to-cloud or inter-cloud strikes that usually preceded cloud-to-ground strikes by up to an hour, the system is vital to determining lightning patterns in and around the plant. This is important to Pantex given the prevalence of lightning in the Texas Panhandle and the criticality of the work performed at the Pantex Plant. (See Pantex Plant upgrades lightning sensors for more information.)

David Hattz and members of his Pantex Electromagnetics Group review the lightning data, including many photographs, and can map where lightning strikes occur and detect pre-strike activity. “It’s important we have this type of equipment given the criticality of the work we do. The LMA system detects the first inner-cloud strikes allowing us to notify employees up to an hour sooner when lightning is approaching the Pantex Plant,” Hattz said.

Since local law enforcement and meteorologists use the data produced by the lightning equipment as well, the group pursued getting the Record of Decision. In June, a local sheriff’s office called upon Pantex for help provide lightning data in and around the Blue Sky Airfield.

Pantex Engineer Wayne Blodgett said, “We found there were cloud to ground strikes in the airfield area, and we were able to provide data that shows the strikes and the time of the strikes. Requests like these are what makes having the Record of Decision in place easier. We are able to get the data to the requester sooner so they can use the information for their needs. Getting this exception to the review requirement allows us to provide data to the National Weather Service quickly. Our equipment is useful to many in the Amarillo area.”

The next phase of the development will give the system onboard computing and communications in the remote stations. The stations will process pictures in the field and send data on only cloud-to-ground strikes to a central server. The server will collect data from the remote stations and triangulate lightning strike locations in near real-time.

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.

The skyline around Pantex continues to change as work at the Administrative Support Complex progresses. What was a field of milo this time last year is now an expansive building that grows closer and closer to completion with each passing day. Currently, the ASC is on schedule, and several areas of the building are nearing completion.

With the exterior nearly finished, the work indoors has begun to ramp up. For example, on the third floor of the west wing, drywall, painting, the break room, and bathrooms are complete and will serve as the mockup for the remaining break rooms and bathrooms for the rest of the building.

Major mechanical equipment, such as chillers, air handlers, plumbing lift station, and electrical transformers, have now been installed, and the domestic water line between the ASC and Pantex is now in operation. Not only is the skyline changing but traffic and roads are as well. The acceleration and de acceleration lanes on FM 2373 were completed recently and will provide relief for traffic entering and exiting the ASC area.

Upcoming milestones include the completion of the overhead power and the exterior envelope of the building, which is scheduled to take place this month. This month, crews will begin installing furniture, and the parking lot should be completed.

With the progress comes more people working at the ASC site. The number of workers has reached its peak.

AMARILLO, Texas – Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC has chosen four employees for its Fellows Program, one from the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, TX, and three from the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, TN.

The program recognizes technical staff members at Pantex and Y-12 who achieved status as a national or international expert in their field. Each fellow serves a renewable two-year term acting as the technical expert in their competency area and mentor to other staff.

Those chosen are Pantex Component Analysis/Surveillance Fellow Lorelei Woods, Uranium Fellow Glenn Pfennigwerth, Metallurgy Fellow Alan Moore, and Y-12 Component Analysis/Surveillance Fellow Vincent Lamberti.

Woods began at Pantex in 1983 and holds an A.S. in electronics, as well as a B.S. and M.S. in chemistry. With more than 30 years at Y-12, Pfennigwerth holds a B.S. in chemistry and a M.S. in chemical engineering. Moore also has worked at Y-12 for more than 30 years and holds a B.S. in metallurgical engineering and a M.S. in industrial engineering. Lamberti joined Y-12 in 2001 and holds a Ph.D. and an M.S. degree in physical chemistry and an M.S. in computer science and numerical computation. Each fellow will continue to support mission work at the sites, while acting as mentors to other staff.

“The Fellows Program is essential to ensuring technical excellence across CNS through technology innovation,” said Ashley Stowe, former Y-12 Googin Fellow and program manager for the CNS Fellows Program. “Fellows are the cornerstone of mentorship and set the example for others.”

In addition to these four fellows, four more will be named in 2018. Potential upcoming fellows could be named in explosives, lithium/special nuclear material, advanced manufacturing, electromagnetic effects, and nonproliferation.

CONTACT
Allison Roberts
Public Affairs
Office 806.573.0501
allison.roberts@pantex.doe.gov

Amarillo, Texas—Emergency response personnel from the National Nuclear Security Administration and Consolidated Nuclear Security (CNS), will conduct an emergency management exercise August 24 at the Pantex Plant.

During this exercise, between 8 a.m. and noon, people in the vicinity of FM 683, between Hwy 60 and Sage Circle, and the Pantex Plant may observe response personnel simulating response activities as part of the exercise.

This event is part of emergency management exercises conducted on a regular basis by the U.S. Department of Energy Pantex Plant. These exercises test the ability of emergency personnel to respond quickly and effectively to emergency situations, and ensure that the public, Pantex employees and the environment would be protected in the event of an actual emergency.

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.com or www.y12.doe.gov. Follow Pantex on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. Follow Y-12 on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr.

Starting a new job can be anxiety producing. The situation can be nerve-racking unless you have a “coach” to support you.

POLO group during their Second Annual Hike and Bike at Palo Duro Canyon State Park.

For Trent Spivey, that coach was Courtney Waddell from Pantex Facility Engineering. Spivey spent considerable time awaiting his clearance in a trailer located just outside the protected area. Fortunately, Waddell stopped by regularly to ask how she could help make his transition into the company as easy as possible.

“Without Courtney, I would have known nothing about Pantex nine months after being hired,” Spivey said. “Coming to a place with more than 3,000 people that you don’t know, it helps to have a friend.”

Spivey learned about Pantex while attending West Texas A&M and as a student had the opportunity to take a site tour and meet with different managers. Once on board, he joined the Pantex Outreach and Leadership Organization, a group of early career professionals in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields, where Waddell volunteered to be his mentor.

“Having a mentor to introduce me to the people I’d be working with put me further ahead than those who came in blindly. That’s the number one success of the mentoring program,” Spivey said. “The mentorship really plugged me in and showed me what I can be within the company.”

Spivey now is on the POLO social subcommittee, and he looks forward to one day passing on what he knows to other new employees.

Chris Whitmer is one of the original organizers of POLO. Since its formation in 2014, POLO has grown to more than 100 members who participate in various networking, social, and community events. At a recent networking event, engineers toured the inside of a turbine at the Pantex wind farm, and at another, they heard an engineer talk about career paths, technical versus management, based on his own experience.

“POLO gives new hires, especially those coming from areas outside of Amarillo, the opportunity to meet other people, which gives them a reason to stay,” said Whitmer, who is from Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Barbara Vertefeuille from Safety Analysis Engineering, shares Whitmer’s viewpoint.

“If people have someone to go to—someone to ask questions and point them in the right direction—they are more likely to stay,” she said.

Vertefeuille has taught training for the last 20 years and has mentored those who are working toward their Documented Safety Analysis qualifications. She focuses on the specialized abilities they need for the work and helps them understand their role.

“People need someone to help them progress in their job and lives. I try to help them feel comfortable and confident in their own abilities,” she said.

AMARILLO, Texas – Twenty nonprofits in the Texas Panhandle are better able to expand or continue their missions thanks to grants from Consolidated Nuclear Security’s (CNS) Pantex Community Investment Fund, administered by the Amarillo Area Foundation.

CNS, which manages the Pantex Plant for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration, announced the recipients in its third round of charitable giving with funds totaling $175,000. The advisory committee gave priority to proposals from organizations located and operating in the 12 contiguous counties surrounding the Pantex Plant, which includes Armstrong, Carson, Deaf Smith, Donley, Gray, Hall, Hutchinson, Moore, Oldham, Potter, Randall and Swisher. Applications for next year will be due in early 2018 through the Amarillo Area Foundation.

“We are very proud to continue our employees’ legacy of giving by contributing to Panhandle area organizations through the CNS Community Investment Fund, “ said Pantex Site Manager Todd Ailes. “Pantex has always been committed to improving and supporting our surrounding communities.”

The company announced the latest round of availability in March as part of its commitment to Amarillo and the surrounding areas. A Pantex Community Investment Advisory Committee of CNS employees reviewed proposals from area non-profit organizations. After evaluations were made, the committee recommended grant awards to CNS management and the Amarillo Area Foundation.

With this year’s grants, CNS has donated $471,000 to area non-profit organizations since 2015 through the Amarillo Area Foundation.

“Our relationship with the Amarillo Area Foundation has enabled our employees to engage in the grant process in such an effective way,” said Jason Bohne, CNS Communications and Public Affairs director. “As a company, we’re happy to partner with community organizations for the betterment of Amarillo and the Texas Panhandle—where our employees work, live, and give.”

The advisory committee selected grantee organizations based on the following funding preferences and priorities: Basic Needs, Child and Family Development, Education, Community Development, Financial Literacy, and Health and Wellness.

Organizations and the funds they will receive are as follows:

CONTACT
Steve Myers
Public Affairs
Office (806) 477-6032
smyers@pantex.com

Amarillo, Texas – Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC (CNS) was recently honored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization. The company received an award for Facility Management Contractor Small Business Achievement of the Year at the 16th Annual Small Business Forum and Expo.

The Facility Management Contractor Small Business Achievement of the Year award recognizes the tangible, annual, organizational results of a DOE facilities management contractor. These results are measured in terms of dollars and percentage increases in small business procurement activity as well as policies, programs and procedures that promote small business use.

CNS operates the Pantex Plant in Amarillo and the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, for the National Nuclear Security Administration. For fiscal year 2016, CNS awarded 67 percent of all purchases to U.S.-based small businesses, exceeding a negotiated goal of 55 percent.

Scientific Sales, Inc., one of Y-12’s fiscal year 2016 Small Business of the Year honorees, also received an award as 8(a)/Small Disadvantaged Business of the Year.

For a full list of winners, please visit the DOE website: https://www.energy.gov/osdbu/annual-small-business-awards-fy2016.

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.

AMARILLO, Texas – Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC, the managing and operating entity of Pantex, recently received the Texas Workforce Solutions Local Employer of the Year Award.

The award annually honors one private-sector employer whose efforts and initiatives resulted in an extraordinary impact on the State of Texas as well as employers, workers, and the community in which the employer operates.

The award focuses on employer excellence and operational results that benefit employers, workers, and the local community and assumes a close partnership with and successful use of Texas Workforce system services.

Corey Strickland, Pantex deputy site manager, and Heather Freeman, Pantex Human Resources manager accepted the award.

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.