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Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC has partnered with the West Texas A&M Procurement Center and Small Business Development Center to provide local and regional small businesses with opportunities in the Federal arena with Pantex at this year’s Business Procurement Symposium.

CNS Small Business Subcontracting has set a 65% small business goal; including those classified as small disadvantaged, woman-owned, veteran-owned, and service disabled veteran-owned small businesses. CNS considers small businesses of paramount importance and continues to actively seek opportunities for them.

A partnership was formed with West Texas A&M University/Small Business Development Center to assist in getting the word out to subcontractors regarding opportunities. Today’s symposium is designed to inform potential businesses and vendors the methods and processes that are utilized including background and mission information, socio-economic programs and to answer any questions. There will be numerous presentations made by Pantex, WTAMU, Small Business Administration, the city of Amarillo and Mayor Paul Harpole designed to help walk attendees through the procurement process.

As part of today’s program, a special award is being given out: The 2015 Pantex Small Business of the Year award, recognized by Amarillo Mayor Harpole and a representative from 13th Congressional District Representative Mac Thornberry’s office.

Along with video of the event, a number of local small business owners have agreed to media interviews as well as officials from CNS and the SBDC. Their contact information is below and we would be happy to assist in setting those interviews up for you in a timely manner.

Available for Interviews:
CNS: Mike Vermeulen, CNS Supply Chain Senior Manager

WTAMU: Rick Palmer, Program Director, WTAMU SBDC Procurement Center

Businesses: Kristy Gomez/Batteries PlusBulbs, Karen Hicks/Casters of Amarillo, Inc., Belinda Waldrip/R. E. Waldrip & Co., Inc., & Michael Ramirez/High Plains Contractors and Management Group of Dumas

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.

It is the single goal for every professional sports team…to win a national championship. The prestige and pride is usually accompanied by a one-of-a-kind championship ring that is one of the most prized possessions in all of sports.

Now, Pantex can claim a championship ring, but not for what was done on a field of dreams, well, not directly anyway. It’s a congratulatory gift designed to acknowledge contributions made by Pantex to Kids Incorporated which helps out thousands of local kids with sporting events all year long.

Receiving this championship ring isn’t based on catching a touchdown pass or hitting a home run. It’s about how well Pantex performed off the field and the charitable contributions provided off the field to Kids, Inc. To be a member of this “Ring of Honor,” the contribution column of a business’ score card has to total more than $10,000 in donations.

The ring itself is named after Bus Dugger, the very first coach at Kids, Inc. At 95 years young, Coach Dugger was on hand at the ring ceremony to present his namesake championship finger-sized trophies. In fact, about 60 different businesses were honored as Champions, due to their donations and investment made back into the youth of Amarillo and the surrounding areas.

In 2014, Kids, Inc. had almost 16,000 kids involved in their events. This year, as they celebrate their 70th anniversary, they decided to recognize those organizations and their employees who make these programs possible.

“Pantex was one of the first companies to step up and assist us financially when we began providing medals for the kiddos at the end of each sport," states Jimmy R. Lackey, President & CEO for Kids, Incorporated. “We have many, many volunteers who are employed at Pantex. We are so grateful for the support they provide to our organization."

Pantex Site Manager Michelle Reichert expressed appreciation for the honor and stressed Pantex's commitment to Kids, Inc.

“Pantex and its employees have been long-time supporters of Kids, Incorporated and being recognized with this ‘Ring of Honor’ is something everyone out at the site can be proud of and I gladly accept this on behalf of each and every employee at Pantex,” said Reichert.

Any athlete will tell you that receiving accolades at the end of a successful season is not what competitive sports is all about. It’s about promoting and building team work, having everyone focus on a single goal and performing up to the expectations of what you and your team members committed to doing long before the season began. That is what it takes to become a true champion. In this case, just like the kids on the field of any Kids, Inc. event, Pantex and its employees can also share those same goals as they received a championship ring for their efforts of giving back to the community.

Pantexans are well known for their generosity and going “above and beyond” to help out in their communities and that spirit of giving was never more prevalent than at the recent Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) Bowl For Kid’s Sake. Besides Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC being a corporate sponsor for this year’s fundraiser, Pantex employees filled lane after lane with bowlers to help raise money and awareness for the mentoring program.

It’s an all-day event with teams coming and going at Western Bowl for bowling fun and bringing in sponsorships that go directly to the BBBS organization, which serves more than 250 young men and women in the Amarillo and Canyon area. Along with those successfully matched, at any one time, BBBS may have up to 150 little brothers and sisters on their waiting list, usually from single parent homes where a young man or woman might not get the one-on-one time with an adult that they need.

At absolutely no cost to the parent, the children, or “Littles” are signed up and then matched up with a “Big” who agrees to spend a few hours a week with their match. Their mission is to help children reach their full potential through professionally supported, one-to-one mentoring relationships. Through fund-raising efforts like Bowl for Kids’ Sake, they are able to keep the program up and running. It’s a huge undertaking for the staff at BBBS, but the rewards are worth every minute spent in fundraising.

“Bowl For Kids’ Sake is one of our agency’s largest fundraisers and accounts for over 30% of our annual budget. Proceeds from the event are dedicated to program costs that directly affect the lives of the children we serve. We are able to help more than 250 children participating in our programs, thanks to our Bowl For Kids’ Sake sponsors,” said Emily Shelton Nance, executive director, BBBS of the Texas Panhandle.

Pantex employees always make up one of the largest groups to be represented with multiple teams being the norm, rather than the exception. Having the site so highly represented is also something that BBBS never takes for granted, and is very thankful for when it comes time each year to let the bowlers roll a pair of games.

“Pantex has been a cherished supporter of Bowl For Kids’ Sake. In the last nine years, more than 147 teams have participated in Bowl and provided needed funding to serve virtually hundreds of children living in our community,” added Nance.

BBBS is planning new and diverse forms of fundraising through the coming months, but it’s a sure bet that Bowl for Kids’ Sake will continue on as usual, with a great feeling of accomplishment from everyone involved, including the Pantexans who will once again takes to the lanes to make a big difference and have a little fun for some “Bigs” and “Littles” who are the real winners.

While they are extremely dedicated to accomplishing the important mission of the Plant, Pantexans sure don’t mind a little friendly competition. They recently participated in a Push-Up Challenge as part of the ongoing Active for Life Challenge, a 10-week American Cancer Society program to encourage employees to be more active and eat healthier foods. During the event Pantexans completed a total of 5366 push-ups and each of the 144 participants received 100 bonus points to contribute to their respective team scores.

The 25 Pantex teams are competing against each other and against teams at Y-12 National Security Complex and other DOE facilities.

The winner of the men’s competition, Geoffry Evans, completed 127 push-ups in two minutes wearing a dress shirt, slacks and a tie. Julie Herman and Savannah Gates tied the women’s competition by completing 100 push-ups each in two minutes. Many of the participants set a personal record.

It is an annual passage of Spring in the Panhandle of Texas; trees blooming, grass greening up and members from Leadership Amarillo & Canyon making their way out to the Pantex plant northeast of Amarillo for their yearly tour of the facility.

This professional group, founded about 35 years ago is built on the strength of community leaders and business people who want to learn more about what’s happening in their own collective backyards. Designed to introduce leadership development, networking, community awareness and social consciousness to anyone wanting to make an impact in their community; they meet 10 months out of the year, experiencing a variety of businesses and industries while interacting with civic, business and non-profit agencies across the region.

This year, the group of close to 50 made its way to the main entrance building where they were greeted by Pantex Site Manager Michelle Reichert who offered up a Q&A session.

During lunch, they were introduced to Pantex Plant Agronomist Monty Schoenhals who gave an intriguing presentation on the storied history and timeline of the site. For those in attendance like Canyon City Manager, Randy Criswell, this is a rare opportunity to visit one of the area’s largest employers.

“One of the best things about this program is everything you get to see and be a part of… the familiarity with businesses and especially places like Pantex.”

After lunch the group was escorted around the perimeter of the plant along with the opportunity to get an up-close view of some of the security vehicles on one of their stops.

Then, to wrap up their day, the visitors were taken to a test firing site to experience first-hand what it looks, sounds — and feels like — to witness a planned test shot with high explosives or HE. Judging by the reaction of the crowd, it was a big hit, as was the entire tour.

Leadership Amarillo & Canyon members say they now have a better understanding of the mission here at Pantex.

“This leadership program is very diverse. It’s unique to be able to come to a place like this (Pantex) and see everything that we’re being shown. It’s something that ‘John Q Citizen’ will probably never get to see for themselves,” said Criswell.

Plans are already in the works for Leadership Amarillo & Canyon to visit Pantex again in 2016 with a new group of area leaders wanting to gain a better understanding of local businesses in the area.

The current Sandia Weapons Intern Program (WIP) class recently visited NNSA’s Pantex Plant as part of the six-month program curriculum. While at Pantex, participants visited several operational facilities such as training bays, pit staging sites and firing sites. Currently there are approximately 24 participants in the WIP from various labs and sites across NNSA.

Since the program’s inception, more than 300 individuals from the nation’s weapons community have gone through the program. Through a combination of classroom study taught by active and retired weaponeers, site visits, and individual and team projects, weapon interns have honed their skills, broadened their knowledge base, and expanded their network of colleagues in the nuclear weapons community.

The winds across the Texas Panhandle region are just about as famous as they are hazardous; especially for first responders battling area fires. Such was the case recently, when both volunteer and full time fire fighters joined forces to battle a blaze just a few miles from the Pantex plant, with emergency personnel from Potter County, Groom, Panhandle, and Pantex joining forces in response.

At risk: a house and its neighboring structures along with the potential hazard of a propane tank in the path of the flames. The winds whipped them up and the call for an emergency response went out. Luckily, within a very short time, the fire was out and there were no injuries reported.

Pantex maintains Memorandums of Understanding with the surrounding counties adjacent to the site and when requested, will render aid. Pantex fire and ambulance crews are on standby 24 hours a day, poised to respond to any plant emergencies and to assist surrounding municipalities through their mutual aid agreement.

For the Pantex fire department and its crew, this call was another chance to not only hone their firefighting skills, but even more, an opportunity to help out neighbors in distress. Pantex Fire Chief Mike Brock knows the importance of neighbors helping neighbors.

“All of our services hinge around caring for people. When someone calls for emergency medical or fire service it is likely one of their worst days. Because of our location and the services we offer, many times we can provide the closest emergency response to incidents near the plant As Spring begins, we will start to have wild fire season and having these agreements is key to providing enough resources to address the large fast moving wild fires in our area,” he said.

The Pantex fire department is certified through the Texas Commission on Fire Protection (TCFP) and regularly trains to ensure it meets or exceeds TCFP continuing education requirements. Members of the department maintain certifications so they are ready to respond to any emergency that arises, whether on-site or in a neighboring community.

“Our department provides emergency response for fire, emergency medical, rescue and hazardous materials. In order to satisfy the continuing education requirements of the Texas Commission on Fire Protection, Texas Department of State Health Services and the plant, the department personnel attend regular training to ensure their knowledge is current and to test their performance skills. This training ensures our personnel are ready to respond to all types of emergencies,” added Chief Brock.

For those firefighters, it’s a chance to help people in the area, protect the region including property and remain good stewards and more importantly, good neighbors. For area towns and cities along with their residents, all that training the Pantex Fire Department receives and their willingness to respond to situations before they become disasters is a true blessing.

Since the days of World War II, women have played an important part in accomplishing the Pantex mission. While their loved ones fought on the battlefield front lines, they did their part on the Pantex assembly line.

Women dubbed the “80s Ladies” worked the Pantex assembly/disassembly line during the Cold War.

Today, hundreds of women engineers, scientists, technicians and professionals, including the first female Pantex site manager, help ensure the safety, security and effectiveness of the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile.

In honor of Women’s History Month, we will look back at four historical articles about women at Pantex. The fourth and final part of the series is from the Winter 2013 Pantexan.

Back in the day, men worked the production line at Pantex. Then came the W80, the first weapons program in which assembly and disassembly were performed by women. Groundbreaking women, dubbed the “80s Ladies,” seized the opportunity to gain the skills necessary to perform mechanical work.

Called the “common warhead,” the W80 was developed as a multi-service, multi-application weapon and is used in a majority of nuclear-armed U.S. Air Force and Navy missiles.

One of the first women to enter the field in 1979, Peggy Crow, left her clerical job for a position as an assembler/inspector on the W80 program with the goal of earning more money.

“A woman really had to work hard to prove her worth and value,” Crow said. “One thing easier for women was using their hands in small places to complete a process. Also, women were generally more detailed oriented. In the early years in the production area, women had to be resilient and very open-minded.”

June Cooley recalls a spirit of teamwork and remembers the ladies working together for a common goal. “We had a good work ethic and took pride in doing a good job,” she said. “This took place during the Cold War and there was a common theme among the workers – ‘If we ever have to use one of these, and it gets through, it better work.’”

Bobbye Koenig preferred working with “girls” because guys had a tendency to take the tools and do the job while women watched. “It wasn’t their fault, most guys are raised that way – men did man’s work and women did woman’s work. The bad part of that deal was our work was mopping floors, sweeping and cleaning parts. Give me the tools, I want to do the fun stuff,” said Koenig.

For many, the production line was a jumping-off point for their careers. In 1992, Crow went on to become the first woman in the NNSA enterprise to become a weapons trainer for the W80 program. Another 80s Lady, Betty Whitfield, gained experience with 12 weapons programs while assigned to the line. “That experience got me where I am today,” said the quality engineer.

“There are so many more women on the line now performing the jobs once delegated only to men,” said Cheryl Phillips, former inspector. “It says something about the character of the women who came before, paving the way, making it possible for us to be able to perform these jobs.”

Today, women at Pantex serve as production technicians as well as engineers, scientists, technicians and managers.

“The years that I worked on ‘the Line’ are among my most cherished memories at Pantex,” said Twanda Taylor, former weapons inspector who carpooled with coworkers on the graveyard shift. “I interacted with coworkers who seemed like close-knit family who looked out for and helped one another.” Added Wanda Williams, former assembly operator, “We were like a close family and still share the closeness.”

Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC is committed to encouraging the next generation of technical professionals, skilled trade workers and first responders.

Engineers, sheet metal workers and firefighter paramedics from the Pantex Plant shared the education and skill requirements for their jobs at a recent Step Up to Success conference.

Area middle school students attended two sessions of their choice with professionals from career fields such as healthcare, business, engineering, agriculture science, criminal justice, law, communications, information technology, culinary arts and skilled trades.

“I’ve been representing Pantex at this event for about 12 years,” said Joe David Villarreal, Pantex Fire Department captain and shift officer. “My favorite part is seeing the students get excited when they can actually put their hands on the equipment and try it.

Joe David Villarreal, Pantex Fire Department captain and shift officer, helps a student test a fire hose at the Step Up to Success career conference. About 600 middle school students attended the conference to learn the education and skill requirements for a variety of career fields.

This year, Villarreal and Alvino Alvarez Jr., Pantex Fire Department firefighter and motor pump operator, brought a grass rig used for fighting brush and grass fires and allowed students to test a fire hose. They also handed out fire prevention and smoke detector literature.

Los Barrios de Amarillo, a civic organization established by Hispanic community leaders, hosted the conference for more than 600 middle school students in the Texas Panhandle. Los Barrios also offers a high school conference in the fall.

Since the days of World War II, women have played an important part in accomplishing the Pantex mission. While their loved ones fought on the battlefield front lines, they did their part on the Pantex assembly line.

Women dubbed the “80s Ladies” worked the Pantex assembly/disassembly line during the Cold War.

Today, hundreds of women engineers, scientists, technicians and professionals, including the first female Pantex site manager, help ensure the safety, security and effectiveness of the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile.

In honor of Women’s History Month, we will look back at four historical articles about women at Pantex. Part three of the series is an excerpt from the April 1943 Pantexan.

Matching lipstick and nail polish was a must for the glamour girl prior to Pearl Harbor. But, only a few months later, the most glamorous girls in the country were chucking those same hands into cotton work gloves, hiding their Joan Crawford lips behind weird looking masks, and exchanging their smart costumes for the uniform of the WOW.

Women are in the war with both feet and to do their production front jobs efficiently, without accident or injury, they must dress safely and work safely. Keeping these precautions constantly in the minds of women workers is one of the big jobs of safety engineers in war plants throughout the country. And, Pantex is no exception.

As a matter of curiosity, safety engineers were asked to break down the safety records of men and women workers at Pantex on a comparative basis. The picture which resulted was so alarming that even a casual glance at it should be enough to startle the women out of their lethargy and keep them on the alert from now on.

From September 1, 1942 to April 1, 1943, women accounted for 15.56 percent of the total hours worked at Pantex. During the same period, 23.58 percent of all accidents and injuries befell this same group of female workers. (The figures quoted to not apply to the employees of the administration, employment and hospital buildings since their exposure to hazards is comparatively slight.)

It is easy to understand why the ratio of mishaps to women was high in the early days of the plant’s history. Most of them were housewives, school teachers, etc., and very few had experience as industrial workers.

But women are quick to catch on. During the month of February, they accounted for only 16.61 percent of all accidents and injuries despite the fact that their percentage of hours worked remained approximately the same, 15.11 percent of the total. They had to learn how to do their jobs safely and realizing the danger element in their work, they were careful to use the protective equipment provided them.