Pantex Blog
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.”
From Pantex Village resident to Pantexan
Brian Fowler, mid-1960s in front of his dad’s truck in Pantex Village. Photo provided by Brian Fowler via Historian Katie Paul’s archives
Nestled on the site of the plant, Pantex Village was more than just a collection of houses. It was a vibrant community that shaped the life of Mission Support Planner Brian Fowler, who grew up in this unique community during the 1960s.
Pantex Village was a community built on plant-site for Pantex employees. Read more about the history of the village here.
Born in 1963, Fowler was the only child of Texas Tech farmer Bill Fowler, who worked on the Pantex property for 48 years. Fowler spent his childhood exploring abandoned buildings, hunting prairie dogs with his father, and catching water dogs (a type of salamander) in local playa lakes.
Fowler's playground was unlike any other. He and his friend would ride motorcycles through old bomb-making facilities, swim in flooded building basements, and explore the remnants of a once-bustling community.
"We'd take inner tubes, and [those flooded basements] were our swimming pool," he remembered. "Sometimes you'd get snakes in there, and you'd just take them out so you could swim."
The village had its own general store, fire department, and church, though these would soon disappear as the community was dismantled by 1968.
He fondly remembered exploring the general store.
"I remember going in and you could hear the floor creak,” he said. “That was just the coolest thing."
Today, Fowler has come full circle, working at Pantex for 12 years and continuing the legacy his father always hoped for.
"My dad was so proud of this place and Texas Tech," he said. "He would mention it every once in a while, 'You need to get your butt out there and go to work.'"
For Fowler, working at Pantex is more than just a job. This role is a connection to family history, a tribute to his father's memory, and the continuation of a legacy.
It keeps going, and going, and going
It’s not déjà vu . . . Pantex will receive another award for sustainable purchasing. For five consecutive years, Pantex has earned the Electronic Product Environmental Assistance Tool award.
EPEAT® is the world’s ecolabel for electronics signifying environmentally preferable products. Environmental Scientist and Sustainable Acquisition subject matter expert Tracy Griffith administers the sustainable acquisition program at Pantex and says this achievement validates our commitment to eco-friendly purchasing.
“If you consider how we operate in an ecological, social, and economic environment, we’re creating long-term value to tax payers,” Griffith said. “Because we operate as federal contractors, our sustainable purchases encourage adoption of similar practices by other entities and help mature the markets for sustainable products.”
Receiving this award showcases Pantex’s commitment to purchasing products that are energy efficient, recycled materials, nontoxic, less toxic, or bio-based.
“EPEAT-registered products are designed for efficiency, longevity, and cost reduction by companies that prioritize responsible practices throughout their supply chain,” Griffith said. “Purchasing EPEAT ecolabel products helps buyers achieve greater results with less.”
Electronic purchasing is just one type of eco-friendly buying done on-site. Pantex also regularly receives the GreenBuy Award, which covers non-electronic products. Buying sustainable products isn’t as easy as clicking “add to cart.” Those making the purchases must attend sustainable acquisition training prior to being able to make purchases of any kind.
“In the class, we go over the background of why this is important, the regulations, and the drivers that surround the requirements for sustainable purchasing,” Griffith said. “We start with the why, then we explain what bio-based products are, what Energy Star certified products are, what EPEAT products are, and we introduce them to all those categories. Then we take purchasers though making the cost savings or potential balance of cost between a recycled material and virgin material.”
After training and when purchasing begins, items are requested through a standard approval process. Griffith can review and determine if the electronics meet EPEAT standards or suggest alternate products. Products fall into an energy-saving performance grading system of EPEAT Gold, Silver, or Bronze, or they are uncategorized.
“Sometimes it’s the one-off product and you have to research and investigate and see where this product will fall — what EPEAT category it lands in,” Griffith said. “If it’s a product that can be recycled, is biodegradable, or made of virgin material, I will go through the requests and review the products.”
In Fiscal Year 2024, Pantex spent $3,430,340 on EPEAT-registered electronics. Acquisitions purchased 587 desktops, 617 notebooks, 1,763 monitors, 93 workstations, and 68 mobile phones all in the Gold category. They also purchased 81 printers, 71 scanners, and 5 televisions in the Silver category, and 1 server in the Bronze category.
“This is important because at Pantex we adhere to what the federal government requires and want to lead by example of making the right choices for the environment,” Griffith said. “I enjoy it. When new products come through, we look for alternatives to meet the criteria that we have in our contract for the sustainability goals we have to meet. I enjoy going in there and looking for different options and working with people in the plant to achieve their goals and ours.”
More than a ball game
Jason Armstrong and Kelly Beierschmitt giving an interview on the field before the game.
Hodgetown lit up with Pantexan pride on June 12 as the Amarillo Sod Poodles, the Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, faced off against the San Antonio Missions as the feature event of Pantex Night. The state-of-the-art ballpark in downtown Amarillo welcomed 1,925 Pantexans and their families for a memorable evening of baseball.
The purpose of the evening was to provide Pantexans and their families a fun, affordable event that strengthened bonds outside the workplace.
Before the first pitch, Pantex Field Office Manager Jason Armstrong spoke about Pantex’s critical role in national security during an on-field interview.
“Pantex is a cornerstone of our nation's nuclear security mission,” Armstrong said. “Every day, the dedicated workforce of Pantex ensures the safety, security, and effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear stockpile — an essential component of our national defense.”
Pantex President and General Manager Kelly Beierschmitt emphasized how events like STEAM Day at Hodgetown support Pantex’s mission and values. This event offers youth an opportunity to glance into Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics.
“Ensuring the effectiveness of the nuclear stockpile is a generational duty,” Beierschmitt said. “Getting students interested in careers in STEAM ensures there are future Pantexans who will continue our mission in national security.”
Pantex General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer Tyler White had the honor of throwing the ceremonial first pitch.
During the game, Mission Assurance Officer Colby Yeary participated in a radio interview. He said, Pantex uses its role as the region’s largest employer to positively impact the community.
“We encourage Pantexans to volunteer and we provide opportunities for them to give back to local communities,” Yeary said. “Pantexans live in and support the community, and we are proud to be Pantex Citizens.”
Pantex also provided tickets to several local nonprofit organizations, including the Maverick Boys and Girls Club of Amarillo, Amarillo Children’s Home, Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch, Another Chance House, Faith City Mission, Family Support Services, and the Downtown Women’s Center, reinforcing Pantex’s commitment to community engagement.
More than just a night at the ballpark, Pantex Night celebrated employees, community partnerships, and the plant’s enduring mission. It truly hit a home run.
If you’re interested in volunteer opportunities or representing Pantex in the community, please reach out to Public Affairs at Public_Affairs@pantex.doe.gov.