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Community Involvement |
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Puffer-Sweiven > About Us > Community Involvement
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March of Dimes
As we prepare for our March of Dimes walk in Houston, this event has already been held in many locations throughout Texas, including Corpus Christi. Barry Whelan, Mechanical Services Manager in Corpus Christi recently sent photos of their event which was held Corpus on April 10, 2010. All who participated agreed that this was a very special event.
This year will be our sixth year for the Houston Team Puffer-Sweiven to participate in the March on Sunday, April 25th. This is an annual event for us that started with only 10 walkers and has grown every year to an expected 75 employees in their families and friends this year. We have a great time and enjoy contributing to a charity that does so much for babies. Today in the U.S., 1 in every 8 babies will be born prematurely, and the funds and awareness we raise in WalkAmerica support research that saves babies' lives.
  
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Earthquake in Chile Update
March 26, 2010
It was over a month ago that we heard the devastating news about the earthquake that affected our co-workers in Chile. Much has been accomplished in the past month to recover from this disaster due largely to the resilience and strength of the Chilean people, but also from the support that you have provided to our INECO employees and their families.
 
Our fellow employees at INECO have been touched by your generosity, and Cristian Glenz and the other INECO managers have shared with us how this money is being used. A committee has been set up to evaluate the needs of our employees, focusing primarily on those families who have been displaced from their homes. As previously reported, families in and around the Concepcion
area have been the most affected and these employees have the biggest needs. Once the basic housing problems have been addressed, then the focus will turn to other basic necessities that have been lost within the homes.
We will continue to accept donations made payable to INECO EMPLOYEE RELIEF FUND and sent to Human Resources, Stafford, attention Donna Jett. Once again, our INECO employees and friends appreciate your kind words, prayers, and donations. As Cristian mentioned in his last update, everyone in Chile recognizes that in the face of adversity, our INECO team, along with your support, will continue to work together to get their lives and their work back to the pre earthquake days. Cristian sent a link to a short video which you can review here. Although it is in Spanish, the pictures speak a 1000 words and you will see what work needs to be done. Please continue to keep our INECO employees in your thoughts and prayers.
March 16, 2010
A little more than a week since the earthquake hit Chile and for many of our INECO coworkers, life is slowly returning to some sense of normalcy. As you know from the updates, we have been in contact with the managers in Chile, who have been diligent in keeping us up-to-date regarding our INECO employees and their families. Although the Santiago office is now open, our concern has focused on the 26 employees who worked in Concepcion since the damage was far more devastating and the basic necessities of life have been in short supply. We are all relieved that there was no loss of life for any of our employees and their families, but some of our employees have lost most if not all of their belongings. Four employees in this area have extensive damage to their homes, and one of these homes has already been scheduled to be demolished by the municipality. Families that have been displaced are currently with other family members. Our Santiago office has arranged for basic supplies to be delivered to the Concepcion area, and as of today, we have supplied many trucks with water, food, and fuel to our affected employees.
As you know, we are taking donations for our employees who have lost literally everything, and your generosity is greatly appreciated and will be put to good use. It is often said that in the face of tragedy, you see the best in the human spirit, and so this is the case with the outpouring of generosity from our employees, principals and customers. One of the managers has formed a committee to distribute and administer the aid in an effective and objective manner so that our employees will begin to regain their pre-earthquake quality of life. It may be an ambitious goal, but the committee feels that this is the beginning of the healing process for our INECO employees.
If you wish to make a donation, you may send a check to Human Resources, attention Donna Jett made payable to the INECO Employee Relief Fund. Once the money is received at our local branch, we will be able to transfer this money to where it is needed in Chile for our INECO employees.
March 5, 2010
We have just received some wonderful news from Chile before the weekend. All of the INECO employees located in Concepcion that were unaccounted for, have now been in communication with the Company, and all are safe! Cristian, General Manager, reports that the first shipment of food, fuel, and water has arrived in Concepcion, and our INECO employees in Concepcion and surrounding areas are receiving much needed supplies. More supplies will be delivered over the next few days until basic services are restored in the Concepcion area.
Thank you again for all your prayers and support. Our employees in Chile are truly appreciative of your kindness and donations.
March 4, 2010
As everyone knows by now, a powerful earthquake, registering a magnitude of 8.8, hit the Chilean South-Central coast Saturday morning at 3:34 AM local time and lasted approximately 3 minutes. It was one of the most intense and powerful earthquakes in recent history and combined with the resulting tsunamis, has caused extensive damage and indiscriminately impacted the lives and families of our employees, customers and business partners.
At this time, we are still assessing the situation, but would like to provide the following updates for everyone. In the Santiago area, INECO has accounted for all our employees. We are making every effort to assist in the search and we hope to have good news soon. Although some have experienced material losses, including significant damage to their homes, our Santiago employees and their families are doing well and in good spirits. Some areas in Santiago continue to be without electricity and water services but they are being restored rapidly. The damage to our office building in downtown Santiago has been evaluated and we are happy to report that there was no structural damage. We have begun the clean up process and we hope to be running at full strength tomorrow, Wednesday, March 3rd. We’re also happy to report that our offices in Antofagasta and our partner in Vińa del Mar are all doing well and operating with a full staff.
Unfortunately, as many of you have seen in the news, our friends and colleagues in the city of Concepcion are experiencing a more challenging situation. We have accounted for 18 of the 23 employees of our Concepcion office. Communication remains very difficult as phone lines are saturated and people are running out of batteries on their cellular phones. We will continue to provide any support in the search for our missing employees and their relatives until everyone is accounted for. Basic services are slowly being restored while the immediate concern, looting, has spread to other areas beyond the supermarkets and food stores. Fortunately, federal authorities are beginning to restore order and we hope that this will bring more calm to the city. Several of our employees in Concepcion did endure some damage to their homes and personal belongings. We are in contact with them to understand how we can assist them immediately. Our employees have also reported that there is no visible damage to our office building in Concepcion. However, at this moment, we are not clear as to the timing of when we will be in a position to re-open the Concepcion office but we will continue to support our customers and any business activity from Santiago.
Many of you, very generously, have asked us about sending aid and donations. If you wish to make a donation, you may send a check to Human Resources, attention Donna Jett made payable to the INECO Employee Relief Fund. Once the money is received at our local branch, we will be able to transfer this money to where it is needed in Chile for our INECO employees.
We hope to have better news for you in our next update.
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Puffer-Sweiven Gives Back This Holiday Season
January 8, 2009
The Corpus Christi Branch of Puffer-Sweiven collected and a truck full of toys along with a cash donation for the Toys for Tots program. The mission of the Marine Corps Toys for Tots Program is to collect new, unwrapped toys each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community. This year in particular the Corpus Christi Toys for Tots program was in desperate need for toys. With the help of Ed Long, Bob Bonsignore, Ginger Abbott and other Puffer-Sweiven employees, several kids in the Corpus Christi area were able to have a very Merry Christmas this year.
The Puffer-Sweiven Oil & Gas Sales Team adopted a needy Missouri City family this past Christmas. The selected family consisted of three young children and their parents. A list was provided of requested items for the children along with their first names, ages and sizes. The team developed a gift list for each family member including clothing, shoes, toys and household items. A large collection of filled stockings and wrapped gifts were delivered to the family. We are very proud of this Puffer-Sweiven team as their generosity far exceeded what was requested of them.
 
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Food Drive and Dinner for Displaced Residents of Hurricane Ike
November 13, 2008
On September 13, 2008, Hurricane Ike tore through the Texas Gulf Coast region resulting in the third most destructive hurricane in American history. Our Company saw the need for assistance throughout our communities and our employees wanted to provide the needed support in these difficult times.
In mid-October 2008, Puffer-Sweiven held a food drive for those effected by Hurricane Ike and thanks to the generosity of our employees collected and donated 52 boxes of non-perishable food items. In addition to the food items, cash donations were collected including the Company match of almost $9,000. Donations were given to several organizations that have food pantries serving the communities where our employees live and work.
One of the communities hardest hit by Hurricane Ike was Shoreacres in the La Porte area (south of the Houston Ship Channel along Galveston Bay). Nearly all of the 500 houses in this small town of 1500 sustained water damage from Ike's storm surge. On Nov. 4th, 2008, the La Porte Branch of Puffer-Sweiven restocked the community food pantry and sponsored a dinner for more than 100 displaced residents of Shoreacres hosted by The La Porte Neighborhood Center. The event included a drawing for door prizes of useful household items such as pillows, blankets and other miscellaneous gifts. Diane Schiff, Maritssa Diaz and Kelly Jamison of the La Porte Branch office helped with the set-up preparations for the evening.
 
 
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Gov. Perry Lauds Chemical Industry for Hurricane Response, Economic Contribution
Governor Rick Perry praised the Texas chemical industry for responding with compassion and generosity to Gulf Coast communities recovering from recent hurricane devastation – and for its leadership in helping give Texas the best economic climate in the nation.
Speaking Oct. 16 to a capacity crowd at TCC/ACIT Annual Meeting Luncheon, Perry thanked the state chemical industry for contributing more than $20 million, along with copious material and volunteer assistance, to storm-stricken communities.
“I wanted to come here today and say ‘thank you’ to those of you in the chemical industry for what you did,” the governor told a luncheon audience of more than 250 industry representatives. “You have gone beyond the call of duty to help your fellow citizens.”
Perry also praised state chemical companies for their initiative in safely restarting many facilities that had been shut down or damaged by hurricanes Hurricane Ike. “The industry “didn’t wait for the federal government to show up down here to clean everything up,” he said. “You were back doing that when the sun came up [the next] day, helping your neighbors, compassionately working with folks.”
As examples, the governor cited Shell Chemical’s Deer Park facility for donating a large generator to a temporary shelter at the Jimmy Burke Activity Center; Kaneka Texas Corporation in Pasadena for opening its contractor parking lot for FEMA and recovery workers; and Puffer Sweiven in La Porte for hosting a blood drive in conjunction with the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center. “These are great examples of the humanitarian assistance, the corporate citizenship we have in this state,” Perry said.
The governor also lauded the chemical industry for strengthening the Texas economy, which he said has created half of new U.S. jobs over the past 12 months. “The chemical industry makes an extraordinary contribution to the economic health of our state,” he said. “You provide 70,000 direct jobs to the state, 400,000 indirect jobs,” while injecting $35 billion a year to the state economy.
Although Texas will not escape the impact of the current international credit crisis, Perry said, the state has a fundamentally sound economy and is well positioned to lead an eventual national rebound. State positives include a well-educated workforce, healthy business climate, low taxes and reasonable regulatory environment, he noted.
“Our foundation is strong,” Perry said. “When they find the bottom … and the financial markets get turned around, Texas will be the best suited of any state to lead the economic charge to go forward. We can lead America to its greatest days.”
The speech concluded, TCC Chairman Greg Kraft presented Perry with the 2008 TCC Leadership Award and thanked the governor for his support of the chemical industry.
“Gov. Perry is a proven leader and a friend of business and the chemical manufacturing industry,” added Hector Rivero, President/CEO of TCC and ACIT. “We are gratified by the governor’s
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Race for the Cure 2008
October 4, 2008
For the last ten years, our Company has taken a very active role in the Houston Race for the Cure by supporting our employees who participate in the great cause of fighting breast cancer. There doesn’t seem to be a day that goes by that one of us is not faced with knowing someone close to us who is facing this dreaded disease.
This year on Saturday, October 4th, we had close to 40 employees and their families join us on a beautiful sunny day in downtown Houston (not like the very rainy day last year) to once again race for the cure. Although most of us did not “technically” race, we all know that we crossed the finish line and contributed to making a difference.
 
 
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Puffer Freeport is Buzzin’ to Get Involved With the Community
July 26, 2008
The Freeport Branch of Puffer–Sweiven recently sponsored the “Start/Finish” line of “The Mosquito Chase Run” a 5K run that is part of The Great Texas Mosquito Festival. The Festival has been an Annual event in the Brazosport Area for 28 years and money raised from the Festival goes to improve parks, playgrounds, and other public recreational facilities in the Brazosport Area.
This year there were 115 adult runners for the USA Track and Field Certified 5K Race and 30 children for 600 meter run. The Puffer-Sweiven Freeport office assisted with many aspects of the race, including runner registration, official time keeping duties, as well as cheering on the runners as they crossed the finish line. In its capacity as official “start/finish” line sponsor the Freeport office provided refreshments including drinks and fresh fruit to all race participants along with goodie bags for the children.
 
 
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