TEMPLE, Texas—The Temple Economic Development Corporation (Temple EDC) today announced the recipients of the 2016 Annual Industry Appreciation Awards at a luncheon held today at the Hilton Garden Inn in Temple. Performance Food Group Company, Wal-Mart Distribution Center #6083 and Panel Specialist Inc. were awarded.
David Blackburn, president of the Temple EDC, emceed the event that about 90 business, school district and community leaders from the Temple area attended.
“The innovative leaders and hard-working employees of Temple industries are what helps make our local economy strong and stable,” Blackburn said. “We are fortunate to have outstanding global businesses located right here in Temple, making investments in our community and employing our local residents. This luncheon is to applaud the existing industries as key contributors to Temple.”
The keynote speakers were Bobby Littlefield, District Engineer for TxDOT’s Waco District and City of Temple, Mayor Danny Dunn, representing the Killeen Temple Metropolitan Planning Organization. Littlefield addressed current transportation projects in Temple and Waco District with focus on the current I-35 construction project in Temple. Mayor Dunn covered long-range plans and short-range programs to achieve regional and transportation goals.
Expansion Project of the Year
The Expansion Project of the Year Award recognizes a Temple business with a significant expansion project for capital investment, equipment purchase and job growth in 2014.
The Temple EDC awarded Performance Food Group, for their $10-million expansion project to Performance Foodservice ‒ Temple. The expansion will include construction of a 76,000-square foot addition to the current operation at 4141 Lucius McCelvey Drive and is expected to create 100 additional jobs during the next 60 months. Performance Foodservice ‒ Temple distributes a large assortment of food products including the choicest cuts of USDA meats, poultry, fish, baked goods, condiments and even cleaning supplies. The company services a wide variety of restaurants and health care customers located in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana.
Corporate Partner of the Year
The Corporate Partner of the Year Award is presented to a Temple business with substantial involvement in the local community, including active involvement or partnership with a community organization, such as a business organization, charitable organization or the school district.
The Temple EDC recognized Wal-Mart Distribution Center for the culture to give back to the community in so many ways. Temple Wal-Mart Distribution Center associates volunteered more than 1200 hours and donated over $105,000 back in to the Temple community for 2015. The Wal-Mart Local Grant Foundation awarded $31,500 of the $105,000 to 15 different organizations. Associates donated 250 bikes and 500 toys to the Salvation Army and filled 35 Angel Tree dreams
Donations, contributions, grants and volunteer hours were spread among other various organizations across the community including; Feed My Sheep, Relay for Life, Ralph Wilson Youth Program, Children’s Miracle Hospital Network, Operation Home Front, Casa of Bell County, Heart of Texas Chapter of American Red Cross, VFW and various others. Thank you Temple Wal-Mart DC for your generosity to Temple
Excellence in Workforce
The Excellence in Workforce Award recognizes a Temple business with notable success in workforce development during 2015-2016. This success can be in the area of new job growth, education and training programs for employees, or a unique workforce initiative.
The Temple EDC recognized Panel Specialists Inc. as the 2016 Corporate Partner of the Year.
PSI has been an active member of the Temple ISD Career Technology & Education (CTE) Advisory Council for the past two years. They participate in the 8th grade career days and are the inaugural partner for the CTE iChallengeU project.
The iChallengeU project is a real-world focuses, collaborative learning experience for our construction and accounting students. The PSI team has lead our students through their basic day to day process of making furniture. Students groups work together to satisfy the needs of an imaginary customer. They must determine furniture pieces, color, hardware, etc. based in the customer’s wants. The construction students then build the pieces and our accounting students project costs, track time and materials used, etc.
The goal of the iChallengeU project is multi-fold:
–to give students a real world learning experience
–to create cross “department” collaboration (in our case, cross class collaboration)
–to promote team work, problem solving, communication, and critical thinking while applying technical skill
About Temple
Temple, Texas, is a community with a diverse economic base that includes healthcare, distribution and warehousing, and manufacturing as its foundation. Within 200 miles of a population of 19 million, Temple is in a strategic location that is central within the Southwest U.S. marketplace. Visit www.choosetemple.com.