Pantex Blog
After 45 years, Cary Griggs still enjoying the journey
A thin, smiling man circled the table, extended his hand and introduced himself. He sat down, his blue coveralls zipped up to his chest, barely exposing his plaid, button-up shirt underneath. He smiled ever-so-slightly, and humbly asked, “Okay, so what do you want to know?”
Not long after, several members of the man’s team would pass by, lightheartedly heckling him on their way to another table.
“Be sure to tell him who your favorite teammate is,” one said, laughing with the rest of the group.
“I guess it’s you,” the man said jokingly in return.
“And what about me?” another one replied, feigning disappointment.
“Oh, well, I guess you’re my second favorite,” the man said without hesitation, sending the other table into a fit of laughter.
In only a few moments time, it was evident that this man was respected, admired, and a friend.
This man is Cary Griggs, who is in the midst of a long and illustrious career as one of the proud production technicians (PTs) who work tirelessly to keep our country safe. But Griggs’ road to Pantex was anything but a straight one.
“I had no idea what I wanted to do, so I joined the Army,” he said. “I got out in ‘71 and then went to Amarillo College to study commercial electronics. After that, I worked for a long time as a TV repairman.”
While in this role, Griggs worked with two former Pantexans. Thus, his journey toward Pantex began.
“They told me what Pantex was and what kind of help they needed,” Griggs said. “It sounded like something I would be interested in, so I applied, and was hired.”
That would mark the beginning of a career 45 years long, and counting. Through the decades, Griggs has experienced firsthand many of the changes that the Pantex site has undergone.
“There are way more PTs out here now than when I first started,” Griggs said. “The facilities were also a lot more limited. There’s been so much growth and expansion.”
Griggs has spent most of his Pantex career assembling Joint Test Assemblies (JTA), which are nuclear explosive look-alikes. These mock-ups look and respond like the real thing, but lack necessary equipment and other components that would make them, well, real. Instead, they’re used exactly as their name would suggest – for testing. These units provide data to verify that everything works as it’s supposed to while in flight.
“It’s a very gratifying thing, and one of the main reasons I love to work on the JTAs, because it’s cool to have built something that’s actually going to fly,” Griggs said. “And then, when you get the feedback on that testing, it helps you get better, and learn how to be better.”
With such a long career at one place, one might think fatigue or a desire for something new would emerge, but Griggs wouldn’t think of it.
“Pantex really is just a great place to work,” he said. “It’s blessed and provided for me and my family, and I really do just love what I get to do every day.”
In his free time, Griggs might be caught on the links trying to improve his golf swing, or travelling to one of the many exciting places on his bucket list with his sweetheart.
With hobbies that he loves and many places still to see, is retirement in the near future? Don’t count on it.
“One day, I was off and I was running around the house doing this and that, and my wife asked, ‘Is this what it’s going to be like when you retire?’ So, I said, ‘Well, I suppose so.’ She just shook her head at me and said, ‘I don’t think you should retire,’” Griggs said, laughing. “But I’ve always joked that the day I get out of bed and just don’t feel like coming out here, well, that’ll be the day I retire. But I love what I do, so I’m just not there yet.”
Cary Griggs has walked the ramps of Pantex thousands of times, and has probably forgotten more about his contribution to national security than most will ever have the privilege of experiencing themselves. And that’s why he’s a prime example of what it means to enjoy the journey.
Pantex environmental efforts protect wildlife
Monty Schoenhals and Kevin Baird release Owlbert and his rehab partner at Pantex
Wildlife across the Texas Panhandle varies greatly. Different species from the tiniest insect, horned reptiles, tiger-striped amphibians, flights of birds, and a wide range of mammals all call this region, including Pantex, home.
Although the Pantex mission ensuring the effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear stockpile takes place on about 2,000 acres in rural Carson County, the actual footprint of the site covers more than 16,000 acres. Along with hundreds of buildings and thousands of workers, there are open fields, neighboring farms, area ranches...and it’s a natural haven for wildlife.
“We see all sorts of animals out here. Everything you'd expect to see out in a short-grass prairie, rolling high-plains setting,” according to Pantex Wildlife Biologist Kevin Baird.
“I feel like we have really improved the habitat out here at the plant. That's some of my favorite part of the whole thing is habitat improvement,” said Monty Schoenhals, Pantex agronomist.
At times, these animals may be injured, abandoned, or come in contact with humans and need assistance. Anytime help is needed, Pantex personnel and an Amarillo rehabilitation facility join forces to ensure that all is being done help preserve our local wildlife.
“We try to monitor the health of the local wildlife populations, and when we do run across a sick or injured wildlife or orphaned animal we'll work with our local rehabbers here in the Panhandle,” Baird explained.
Baird and Schoenhals recently worked a pair of animal rescues. The first was a bull snake named Gerty that was uncovered by workers when it was very cold. They collected Gerty to make sure it was not injured. The second rescue came after receiving a call about an abandoned great horned owl fledgling that was potentially hours from death.
“I made the decision that I'm going to see if I can capture him. He was extremely emaciated, probably a day or two from death,” Baird said. “We decided to call him Owlbert.”
Pantex has partnered with the Wild West Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in northwest Amarillo, a nonprofit that takes in hundreds of animals each month. Founded by Stephanie Brady about a decade ago, it’s a licensed rehab center serving the entire Panhandle and parts of New Mexico.
”Our relationship with Pantex has really grown over the last year, especially working with Kevin and Monty,” said Wild West Wildlife Rehabilitation Founder and Executive Director Stephanie Brady. “It's been a great collaboration and helping injured and orphaned wildlife and, situations where, you know, there's construction going on and they need to move an animal, but they want to bring it back.”
Along with taking in or gathering up injured wildlife across the region, the rehab center also houses an education center for events and to introduce visitors to animals that cannot be released back into the wild. Last year during the historically worst wildfires in Texas’ history, they received a lone porcupine they named Cinder that’s become a social media sensation.
Every little bit of publicity helps any nonprofit, especially one helping out thousands of animals each year, including the recent Pantex rescues, Gerty and Owlbert.
“The bull snake was pulled from a confined space for a construction project and was very, very cold,” Stephanie explained. “She was barely moving. Once she warmed up, she let us know that she was not happy that we had her, but she's eating great. The great horned owl was a young one, too young to be on its own. We had another owl that came in and actually they have formed a bond. So, we will release those two together back out at Pantex.”
Pantex’s wildlife team is proud of their work and the relationship they’ve forged with the rehab team.
“I think it really shows the public that we actually do have a commitment to maintaining our natural resources and to maintaining our wildlife,” according to Baird.
Schoenhals agreed completely. “I feel like I'm very blessed to be a part of being able to increase and improve the habitat here at the plant for wildlife.”
Both Gerty and Owlbert, along with Owlbert’s new companion and some transplanted prairie dogs that will occupy an abandoned prairie dog town, were released at the Pantex site after a few weeks at Wild West Wildlife Rehabilitation center.
These won’t be the last of Pantex’s animals that need assistance as the environmental stewards at Pantex continue to team up with local wildlife rehabilitation efforts. Plans are now in the works to release abandoned bobcats in the near future. Simply wild.
People of Pantex: Geoff Cormier
Lights erase the audience from sight. A left hand slides across the neck, fingers pinning string to fretboard. Pick between fingers and thumb, as the right hand gives the instrument voice. Geoff Cormier moves to the mic, wiping sweat from his forehead. His gruff but smooth vocals charge in on the heavy riffs crossing the bridge. The bass punches harder and the rhythm drives deeper. Snare, tom, and cymbals cascade into beautiful chaos. Cormier belts the last lyrics as the band erupts into a face-melting finale.
There wasn’t a profound moment that swayed Cormier to pick up a Fender guitar. Passion for musicianship coats his DNA. On his father’s side, almost all 10 of Cormier’s aunts and uncles play the guitar and sing. His dad was in a band in the 70s. At an early age, Cormier received his first real six string from his grandfather and joined in on family jam sessions, reinforcing his blood-tie to music and sparking an unquenchable fire for performing.
“That camaraderie you get when you’re playing with other musicians is indescribable,” Cormier said. “When I was younger, I would play with my family, then later with my friends in middle school. In high school we started a band called Dead Leg. I’ve been in bands ever since.”
After high school, a deeply patriotic Cormier enlisted in the military. The Boston native packed his bags and headed out to boot camp. He was proud to serve his country, but didn’t want to give up his love for music and performing — so he didn’t. Cormier was an airman by day, and a front man by night.
“When I was in the Air Force, I was in a heavy metal band called Winterlock,” Cormier said. “We put out two extended play recordings and were nominated for a music award. I was in the band almost the entire time I was stationed in Albuquerque. I had a lot of fun and made a lot of really good friends.”
Cormier fulfilled his commitment and left the military, bound for Pantex. His time in New Mexico helped acclimate him to the region, yet upon arriving to the Texas Panhandle, he realized he was alone and without a band. Fortunately, Pantex has a strong community of welcoming people. As for the band? Cormier found fellow rockers in Amarillo through the universal language of music.
“Our first band name was Decades Apart,” Cormier said. “All three of us members were almost 10 years apart from each other, so we thought Decades Apart was pretty fun. Then our original drummer left and the next guy we brought on wasn’t from Texas. None of us were, so we came up with the Texas Transplants. We all transplanted from somewhere else.”
Cormier proudly serves as a Program Manager for Performance Improvement and loves that he can continue serving his country in a different way. His work life and hobby have always had their differences, but there are similarities as well.
“You have to be creative to be able to play and write music,” Cormier said. “Having that creativity really helps me with that aspect of my job, of being able to think outside the box to help people.”
Cormier loves his job and doesn’t plan to leave Pantex anytime soon. His career journey to Bomb City has been a fairly straight road. His musical journey, however, has been fast and furious with a few lane changes, but on that rock n’ roll highway, he has crossed paths with some great musicians.
“Back in high school, I met Dave Matthews from the Dave Matthews Band,” Cormier said. “I was working concessions and cooked him a hot dog before they played at Foxboro Stadium. He even thanked me for it on stage that night and autographed a band photo that reads ‘To Geoff, thanks for the hot dogs!’ I also got to hang out with the band Sevendust after one of their shows because my friend in the Air Force was friends with their drummer. And I met Jerry Cantrell, the guitarist for Alice in Chains, while waiting for a cab after their show. He hung out with us until the car got there and gave me a guitar pick.”
With influence from Pink Floyd –– Cormier’s favorite band –– as well as Green Day and The Beatles, Cormier brings a unique musical perspective and sound to the Texas Transplants. The band covers hard rock songs in their genre, but their niche is playing the hits of Prince, Cash, Dylan, Skynyrd, and others but with a killer hard rock or punk twist, like Brantley Gilbert’s “Bottoms Up” performed as a power ballad. The band also plays original material, offering a unique, homegrown taste that they pepper into their well-blended set list. In every song they play –– cover or original –– they work hard off stage to make sure their performances on stage are rockin’.
“We practice once a week and play at least once a month in the Amarillo area,” Cormier said. “As for set lists, it really depends on what I can do vocally. Singing is not an easy thing, especially hard rock and punk. You sing quietly and then you sing loud and you scream sometimes so I have to think about what songs I can sing so that my voice doesn’t go out. Also, we want to keep the ebb and flow of the concert interesting. If you’re just playing a bunch of fast songs in a row, everybody’s going to get bored, or if you play only slow songs, everybody’s going to leave.”
Like a carefully selected mix tape, a Texas Transplant show never drags or disappoints. Practice, practice, and more practice keep the band primed, coordinated, and electrifying. Currently, they are cutting an album, but until then, live gigs are the only way to hear them. Regardless of venue or medium, Texas Transplants, especially Cormier, plan to rock on.
“I love it,” Cormier said without hesitation. “If I could play every night, I would. It’s a passion. You can book us for a gig, but we also do a lot of charity shows to help give back to the community. A lot of times it’s a family who’s suffered a tragedy or accident and accumulated a lot of medical bills. We love being able to put on shows for them and give all the proceeds from that to help people in need. I love that about us, and I love being in the band. It’s an addiction and I can’t get enough of it.”
Watch his People of Pantex video here.
Pages of Pantex History
For many years, Pantex has implemented a summer internship program allowing college students and recent college graduates to gain valuable experience. The current internship program has deep roots, connecting all interns to the site’s past and future.
“We’ve had ‘summer employees’ for a long time, but the program didn’t get formally established as a ‘pipeline’ to a permanent job until about 1959,” said Katie Paul, Pantex historian.
In 1974, a new cooperative study program was established that allowed students to work at Pantex during the semester and gain on-the-job experience as well as credit hours. There is still at least one employee on-site today who was a part of the co-op program. Eventually, a revitalized pre-professional training program emerged in the summer of 1991 — the first formal internship program. The current summer internship program is a continuation of that training program. The summer 2025 interns are a class of 35 students from across the United States. Each student was handpicked from hundreds of applicants, and for 10 weeks these students have had the opportunity to be Pantexans.
An internship can be a transformative experience that provides interns with opportunities to learn more about future career paths and make lifelong connections. The first connection interns make at Pantex is with Human Resources Lead Intern Recruiter Sabrina Perez. She and Steve Sellars in Educational Partnerships are with the interns for the entirety of the program, acting as guides and monitoring the progress of their work.
“The work they do really matters and is literally carried on for years to come. It is not just something they check off a to do list … what they are doing literally impacts employees for years to come. It will impact the mission and how we actually preform it. It is a pretty awesome thing,” said Perez.
To document the interns and their work, and to contribute to the history of the intern program, Human Resources and Communications partnered to pilot an internship yearbook project. The project is being made for interns, by interns. Graphic Design Intern Catherine Vo and Public Affairs Intern Jenna Lopez created the first edition this summer.
The yearbook is themed “Mission Impossible” and contains photos from a variety of different trainings and events that interns attended, as well as photos of interns hard at work. Throughout the yearbook, there are quotes from eight different interns and an interview with Perez and Sellars. The yearbook encompasses as many experiences as possible to make sure everyone feels their time at Pantex is reflected in the pages of Pantex history.
The yearbook is filled with details that document the memories made in this internship and the contributions made to the Pantex mission. It is the hope of everyone who set this project in motion that the yearbook becomes a tradition, and that every future intern will be able to take their memories with them in a yearbook of their own. The summer employees of 1959 were the beginning of a proud tradition that we hope to continue and grow with every new class of interns.
To view the yearbook, click here.
Improving human performance one mistake at a time
Meredith Long and Lauri Minton represented Pantex at this year’s Community of Human and Organization Learning (CHOLearning) annual conference. Photo by Adam Baker.
What do Coca-Cola, the Mayo Clinic, Tesla, NASA, and Pantex have in common?
All have representatives who have at some point been invited to speak at the Community of Human and Organization Learning (CHOLearning) annual conference. This year, a pair of Pantexans presented a workshop at the session.
Consider this: have you ever had one of those days where one problem or mistake just seemed to waterfall into another and another? Maybe the alarm clock didn’t go off or you spilled your coffee walking out the door. These instances or events that lead to human error at work are called precursors. Precursors are unfavorable conditions that exist before work begins that can lead to workplace blunders.
The Department of Energy (DOE) has identified 85 workplace precursors in the Human Performance Improvement Handbook. The odds are that each of us has experienced at least one of the precursors DOE identified.
“Some examples include excessive communication requirements, delays/idle time, repetitive actions/monotony, nuisance alarms, recent shift change, or the first day back from extended leave,” said Lauri Minton, enforcement coordination screener/reporter.
Minton and Quality Assurance Engineer Meredith Long have collaborated on this topic. The duo created a workshop to identify precursors and overcoming such challenges.
“We’ve been working on it for a couple of years and then we brought the product to a specialized group at Pantex as a testing environment to see if we wanted to take it to a bigger audience,” Long said.
Minton and Long submitted their workshop for consideration to present at the annual CHOLearning conference. They did more than get more eyes, ears, and creative minds on their work — they stood out amid a sea of prospective presenters.
“There were far more abstracts submitted than accepted, and the CHOLearning Board of Directors is very picky about the topics and speakers they choose to accept each year,” Minton stated. “There was great synergy in the room and I think we all walked away with fresh perspectives and ideas.”
The workshop was a success in the eyes of these two Pantexans.
“I feel like I was able to bring the importance of Pantex to the audience and they were able to share with me why human performance is important in their industry,” Long said. “It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in, human behavior is everywhere and touches every single thing.”
The duo credit Pantex leadership for allowing them to showcase their passion at a conference and demonstrate their Pantex citizenship.
“It feels special because they recognize that I am passionate about what I do,” Long said. “Pantex trusts me to represent the company in a specialized field that is important to Pantex and other industries.”