Pantex Blog
We Are Mission Success: Richard Dumas and Samuel Sturkie
Take 5 minutes and learn about CNS’s Richard Dumas (left) and Samuel Sturkie (right), Pantex production technicians. All views and opinions are the employees’ own and do not necessarily reflect those of CNS.
The Pantex Production Optimization (PPO) effort was commissioned to lead and establish a path forward to deliver and maximize our production throughout this year and into the future. Since its launch, the PPO team has made significant progress in tackling actions to maximize the current weapons workload deliverables. In a recent CNS Connect from Chief Operating Officer Colby Yeary, he said, “We’ve gone from having significant concerns regarding our ability to deliver to reinstating customer confidence and demonstrating that our processes will help us continue to deliver in the future.”
A large part of the progress is attributed to the work of the production technicians, the employees who do the actual hands-on work to ensure the nuclear deterrent is safe, secure, and effective. Production technicians have a wide variety of responsibilities, including assembling/disassembling nuclear weapons, testing components associated with the stockpile, keeping accurate records, operating equipment, performing repairs, and more. Pantex has made it a priority to hire more than 200 PTs by fall 2022 to improve production output and deliver planned future weapons work.
Samuel Sturkie and Richard Dumas are two production technicians representing opposite ends of the nuclear security experience spectrum. Sturkie has worked with Pantex for 16 years, while Dumas is relatively new to Pantex with 18 months of experience serving as a production technician. Prior to employment with Pantex, Sturkie was a machine operator at a local Amarillo container board facility. Dumas had spent a couple years working on the road building gas plants, and many years managing a local family-owned BBQ restaurant in Amarillo. Both provide a unique perspective to what it means to be a Pantexan and be part of the PPO efforts.
What daily task lets you know you’re helping achieve the CNS mission?
Dumas: I think a great thing is getting to meet some of the pilots that use the things we create here at Pantex and see that they are excited about what we are accomplishing here. They come in and thank us, when we should be thanking them for putting their lives at risk by doing what they are doing. We get to go home every day and spend time with friends and family. I believe all service members past and present need to be thanked.
Sturkie: I would say stand up/stand down is the greatest indicator. It’s like a real-time report of how all the pieces are fitting together and what page everybody is on.
As an employee, what do you want to be remembered for?
Dumas: I wouldn’t really say that I want to be remembered for anything specific; I believe that if you come to work and put forth your best effort and teamwork that it will show on its own when you are gone.
Sturkie: Probably my packaging skills. I want someone to look at a MKQ (Mark Quality) part and say, “the guy who packaged this part really cared.”
Are you doing what you envisioned as a young adult?
Dumas: I never imagined I would have an opportunity to work here at Pantex, but things work in mysterious ways. And hope that I can make it another 20 years and retire here in Amarillo.
Sturkie: Yes, ever since I wrote a research paper on nuclear winter in high school, I became interested in doing something in the nuclear field. My dad worked at Pantex for almost 30 years, so growing up I always wanted to work at the place that my dad worked.
What work advice would you offer someone who is new to Pantex?
Dumas: I would say be patient. You aren’t going to know and pick up everything the second you walk in the door. And for new PTs, trust in your team as in your trainers. Senior PTs, trust your core team guys. Most of these guys have been here a while and are very knowledgeable about what we are doing; if you have questions ask them. This is probably a very different job than what a lot of us came from, and it takes some adjusting. But these guys are very helpful at helping you when needed.
Sturkie: If you have a new idea or a different way of doing things, don’t be shy; bring it up.
What’s your favorite outside-of-work activity and why?
Dumas: I enjoy golfing, cooking, and traveling. These are all things that make me happy. Golf for the outside fresh air, cooking for an inside or out (BBQ), and traveling get to see a lot of history all over.
Sturkie: I would have to say playing video games. They help me relax and recharge my batteries, so I can come back to work refreshed.
Pantexans attend UW Legacy Induction
Pantex Site Manager Jeff Yarbrough and Deputy Site Manager Kenny Steward were recently in attendance at the inauguration of the lifetime givers into the newly founded Community Chest Society of the United Way. This elite society is comprised of corporate donors and individual donors who have given $25,000 and above. Since 1996, as a company Pantex has donated over $1 million to United Way of Amarillo and Canyon. This number does not reflect the millions of dollars that have also been donated by employees over those years, and several Pantexans were also in attendance to be honored for their individual contributions.
Pantex donates to Discovery Center
On June 29, senior director for Pantex Engineering, Joe Papp visited Don Harrington Discovery Center to get a firsthand look at how the center is using a $10,000 donation from Pantex.
$5,000 of the funds went towards helping sponsor STEM Summer Camps. The center runs week-long camps all summer long, and this particular week’s camp was “Make It or Break It - Robots, buildings, and roller coasters.” Students answered questions such as, how do we build them? What can be built to withstand an earthquake? What does it take to destroy a well-built house? They tested ‘Make It or Break It’ abilities through engineering, coding, and brilliant building ideas.
“Because of Pantex support, DHDC has been able to enhance our STEM programming, which has been great for this week’s camp,” DHDC Deputy Director Regina Ralston said.
“I am so impressed with the cubits and how the campers can create with them,” Papp said.
The remaining $5,000 from the donation will be used for the “Discover Through Time Life and Earth Science Exhibit.” This exhibit will highlight the various animals and plants of the region, correlating them to the progression of ecological development throughout our rich history. It will feature breakout spaces with learning opportunities such as reading nooks, hands-on exploration activities, and a life science observation lab.
Summer interns arrive to work, learn at Pantex and Y-12
Senior Director of Communications Jason Bohne explains facets of the Y-12 mission during a site tour for new summer interns.
The CNS summer interns have arrived to begin learning and working in organizations across Pantex and Y-12. A total of 52 interns, 35 at Y-12 and 17 at Pantex, began their summer with an orientation. Cristy Landrum, who coordinates the internship program at Y-12, said the interns represent 20 universities and 11 states, ranging from Florida to New Mexico. Of course, most hail from Texas and Tennessee, 18 and 25, respectively.
Chief Human Resources Officer Diane Grooms told the Y-12 interns that they should feel proud to have been selected from among 1,000 applicants. The internship program is integral to CNS’s recruitment efforts.
“The goal here is to see how you do,” Grooms said. “If you like us and we like you, we hope to hire you one day.”
Grooms asked the group, who got up at 4 a.m. that day, to get ready for the start of orientation at 6 a.m.
Alexander, a junior studying nuclear engineering at the University of Tennessee, raised his hand, saying he plans for the worst and needed a coffee, which drew a laugh from the group. At 28, he already holds a degree in political science from the University of Michigan, but wants to focus on nonproliferation.
“Policy and history are interesting, but this is more of a hands-on experience,” Alexander said.
Joshua, a senior studying finance and management at West Texas A&M University, is joining Pantex’s Operations Support in Project Controls. He said his duties align closely to his studies, thanks to careful matching by his Pantex internship coordinator Zuleyma Carruba-Rogel.
“Executing the internship program requires yearlong coordination efforts, which all come together when those students take their first seat at New Employee Orientation,” she said. “Their enthusiasm, inquisitiveness, and eagerness to learn is infectious.”
Joshua said he has worked several unrelated jobs to help pay for college and is happy his internship role mirrors his studies.
“I’m most excited about gaining an entirely new, professional skill set,” Johsua said.
Riley will be a senior at the University of Tennessee studying business analytics. Her father also works at Y-12. Her internship in Occupational Health Services might not seem like a good match. However, OHS's Gary Hall and Karen Lacey jumped on the chance to have Riley analyze CNS's COVID-19 database to study now the sites dealt with the pandemic. While making sure Riley’s experience is enriching, Hall said a secondary goal of the program is producing value for the organizations.
“I’m really looking forward to getting into the data and being able to showcase how well OHS has been handling Y-12’s employees’ safety during the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said.
Meet the NOC/SOC
Personnel are shown in the NOC/SOC Control Room, surrounded by monitors used to assess the quality and security of the CNS network.
If you imagine Consolidated Nuclear Security’s network as an overall body of systems, applications, and workstations, the Network Operations Center/Security Operations Center (NOC/SOC) would be its central nervous system. Tasked with a combination of responsibilities from processing network information, monitoring, and alerting any instabilities of our network, the NOC/SOC runs a 24/7 operation with 14 personnel to ensure that everything from web based applications to computer systems are protected and functioning as normal.
Established in 2019, the NOC/SOC consists of a team of information technology experts as part of Information Solutions and Services’ (IS&S) IT Operations organization. While based at Pantex, the NOC/SOC is an enterprise wide service that plays an essential role for the continuity of business operations for both Pantex and Y-12. From server equipment and firewalls to telecommunications and dashboards, the team uses their primary system to proactively observe the state of our network around the clock.
The NOC/SOC was built from the ground up. Staff have gone from working out of conference rooms to having a centralized control room with modern equipment and technology.
With security being the top priority of our network, the NOC/SOC is integral to our sites’ cybersecurity posture as they are responsible for proactively monitoring any issues that could potentially impact or threaten our computer systems. As protocol, the NOC/SOC is also notified of any planned updates or maintenance impacts to our network in order to closely monitor its performance and ensure nothing is out of the ordinary.
Every case is treated with equal value, whether investigating a suspicious email or troubleshooting an application for enhanced performance. From application management, threat analytics, to end user support, the NOC/SOC holds a variety of proven skills that have cultivated personnel to continue to build their careers within IS&S.
More than 60% of the original NOC/SOC staff have advanced to other positions in IT and Cybersecurity. In addition to their knowledge, they have qualities that can’t be taught, such as attention to detail, a questioning attitude, and high standards.
While forming a model of excellence within the organization, the NOC/SOC is also working to develop the future of the IS&S workforce by growing the NOC/SOCteam and will continue to serve as an enterprise solution. As technology continues to become smarter and faster, so are the NOC/SOC staff. Their goal is to stay as up to date as possible, adapt to what’s new, and deliver for our national security mission.