Catching the waves of change
Allen Stansbury joins PanTeXas Deterrence after assisting new leadership though site separation.
Executive Officer of Infrastructure and Modernization Allen Stansbury sometimes still finds it hard to believe that he is here. Working at Pantex. In Amarillo. With his family. Stansbury, a Richmond, Virginia, native, started his career in the U.S. Army in 1992 and has worked many jobs across the country and around the globe. His road was winding, but to him, Pantex was worth the journey.
"Every job I have had since I was 18 led me here," Stansbury said. "I was a forester in Tennessee. I did many things in my 26 years of service in the Army and the Army Reserves. It is hard to look at each of those things individually and see how 30 years later you end up in Amarillo, but all together it makes perfect sense." During his military career, he spent 17 years on the enlisted side and nine years as an engineer officer, starting in the infantry and then transitioning into the engineering branch of the Army. He moved from state to state and was deployed twice in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, working on a variety of combat, construction, and facilities engineering projects. On top of his 21 years of experience in construction and engineering, Stansbury also earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees. All this experience and education led to his last, yet largest, military project in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
"Oak Ridge was my stepping stone into the Department of Energy," Stansbury noted. "Assigned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, I worked hand in hand with DOE and project managers at Y-12. Because of the size of the project, I sat in on a lot of reviews, where I met Longenecker and Associates. Once released from active duty, I joined them and stayed for over 10 years until I came to support PanTeXas Deterrence through transition."
Longenecker and Associates is part of Mission Assurance Alliance, a joint venture that is a small business subcontractor within PXD. Stansbury said he had no expectations of staying at Pantex when he first agreed to assist and advise PXD through transition, but nearly a year later he has become a full-time PXD employee. What sold him on Pantex was the people he met on-site and in the Panhandle.
"I was going to provide three months of support, but once I got here, I truly fell in love with the team at Pantex, Amarillo, and the mission," Stansbury said. "I have been so impressed with all of the experience that my new teammates have. I truly appreciate their willingness to share years of institutional knowledge with me. They have welcomed me and my family with open arms."
Though Stansbury is still looking for a local fishing spot, he is excited to find ways he and his wife can get involved in different local activities and volunteer opportunities.
"We are very excited to get integrated into the community," Stansbury said. "I am also excited Dr. Beierschmitt believes so much in getting involved and giving back, because I feel like you should work in your community and get behind giving back to the people of the community, too. It’s the Pantex
Way."
Working at Pantex is Stansbury’s newest bend in the road, and he is hopeful it will be the most successful stop yet.