Pantex Blog
Celebrating 20 years of the Gift of Gab
For 20 years, the Pantex Lunch Bunch Club has been working to develop the gift of gab.
This week, the members of the Toastmasters International club gathered at Pantex to celebrate two decades of learning to be better speakers and better leaders. About 20 members, including three who were there for the founding of the club, celebrated the achievement, said Roger Coffey, one of the charter members.
Coffey said the club started in 1993 as a way to create a Pantex speaker’s bureau. Members worked to develop better presentation skills to represent Pantex at other sites and in the community. Over the years, more than 100 Pantexans passed through the organization, improving their public speaking skills by creating speeches and presentations for other members.
Many of the Lunch Bunch crew advanced to area, division, district and regional Toastmasters competitions.
For much of the past decade, the club was honored annually as a President’s Distinguished Club based on the members’ high level of achievement and participation, Coffey said.
Pantexans Show Community Spirit
Pantexans showed their community spirit June 13 when employees, along with their families and friends, volunteered their time at two local nonprofit organizations.
More than 40 volunteers came to an America Supports You Texas event to assemble care packages for our troops in Afghanistan. America Supports You Texas was founded in 2005 to create awareness and support for active military men and women, as well as veterans in our area. Over 200 boxes filled with snacks, personal care items and books were mailed overseas the next morning.
Another group of Pantexans and their families went to the High Plains Food Bank to lend a hand with its community garden. The garden was severely damaged in hail storms last month. The majority of the garden’s produce benefits children and afterschool programs throughout the year.
The garden has only two full-time employees and relies heavily on volunteers to help out. With the help of the Pantexan volunteers, the garden is expected to recover and produce fruits and vegetables well into the fall season.
Armed Forces Day 2013
More than 100 Pantexans attended the annual Armed Forces Day Celebration at Pantex Wednesday. For more than 15 years Pantex has hosted a lunch and ceremony to honor those who fought to keep our country free. This year, the Pantex Fire Department Honor Guard presented the colors, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and the singing of the National Anthem.
More than 700 Pantexans are veterans of the armed forces.
Leadership Amarillo
Leadership Group Visits Pantex
Leadership Amarillo and Canyon program participants visited Pantex May 9 and viewed a security weapon display, toured the Firing Site, and experienced the Visitor’s Center. They also received an overview on the history of Pantex. The 10-month Leadership Amarillo and Canyon program is designed to introduce leadership development, networking, community awareness, and social consciousness to those who desire to make a difference in their community. Because Pantex tours are not open to the public, this visit was a unique opportunity to learn about one of the top three employers in Amarillo.
B&W Leaders Visit Pantex
Senior executives from The Babcock & Wilcox Company visited Pantex today to tour the facility and meet with key leaders. Here, executives pose with “Freedom,” the Plant’s 125-pound fiberglass American Quarter Horse sculpture.
About the photo:
Left to right: B&W Senior VP, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary James Canafax, B&W Pantex General Manager John Woolery, B&W President and CEO Jim Ferland, and George Dudich, B&W Technical Services Group president.