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News Article
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Business Announcements for the week of 12/6-12/12/2009
Glacier Technologies, headquartered in El Paso, was awarded two contracts. They are: $45 million to provide test and evaluation support to the U.S. Army and $8.5 million over five years to provide information technology support services to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service. The company has won a total of $100 million in contracts since May. It has major contracts with the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command, the Air Force Special Operations Command, the Small Business Administration and the U.S. Air Force Academy.
The Housing Authority of the City of El Paso has appointed David Hoicka to the position of chief operating officer. Hoicka is responsible for the strategic and operational leadership of HACEP’s affordable housing initiatives and programs. Most recently he served as housing adviser for the government of Bahrain to develop multi-cultural affordable housing and community development policies. Hoicka has bachelor’s degrees in Civil Engineering and Design from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a doctorate in Law from the Suffolk Law School in Boston and a master’s in Theology from Boston University.
Kirk Ashton, of architectural and engineering design firm Parkhill, Smith and Cooper, received the Professional Engineer professional designation. It certifies that Ashton is qualified by education, experience and examination to provide economical and safe solutions in electrical engineering. He has a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from New Mexico State University and has been involved in several local projects, including El Paso Independent School District Multi-Purpose Buildings, Tom Lea Elementary School and the Socorro ISD 9th Grade Center.
Charles D. Dodds Jr., financial advisor and senior vice president of wealth management at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in El Paso, has received the Certified Portfolio Manager professional designation from the Industrial Engineering and Operations Research Department of Columbia University in New York.
Dan Hart, of architectural and engineering design firm Parkhill, Smith and Cooper, has been elected president-elect of the Texas Society of Architects. Most recently he served as Treasurer of the society. In 2011, he will serve as president. He has been with Pakhill, Smith and Cooper since 1991.
The Workforce Solutions Upper Rio Grande board of directors has two new board members. They are: Gilda Morales, private sector representative, and David Wilson, public education representative. Morales is the owner of Southwest Wellness and Fitness in Van Horn Texas. She also serves as a member of the Van Horn City Council. Wilson is the director of the Big Bend Region Minority and Small Business Development Center at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas.
The Armed Services YMCA Child Development Center has been accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. It is the first Armed Services YMCA in the nation to earn the accreditation. Approximately 8 percent of all preschools and other early childhood programs nationwide have earned the accreditation.
Plastic Molding Technology has expanded its El Paso manufacturing facility from 40,000-square-feet to 60,000-square-feet. It has also created 42 new jobs at the facility. The company has invested $400,000 into 12 new electric and hydraulic injection molding presses and equipment such as robotic sprue pickers, mold heaters and drying systems. The company manufactures custom or insert molded components for the electronic, medical, automotive and consumer appliance markets.
Three UTEP football players have been named to the Conference USA Football All-Academic Team. They are: Greg Hiett, senior punter; Cameron Raschke, offensive lineman; and Jeremy Springer, linebacker. The All-Academic Team consists of student-athletes who have earned a 3.2 cumulative grade point average or better and are a starter or key reserve on their team.
Several organizations made donations to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of El Paso during its annual “Lights of Love” ceremony held last week. They include: Koi and Pond Association, $5,000; Southwest Airlines, $5,000; Lost Souls Motorcycle Club, 4,470; William D. Slider Middle School, $1,000; and Party Factory, $325.
The Lone Star Chapter of the National Television Academy has awarded several Eastwood High School students Lone Star Student Television Awards. They are: Andy Farias for “Teen Drug Smuggling”; Christina Gutierrez, Yasmin Al-Hanfoosh and Cassandra Hernandez, “Sexting”; and Daniel Rios, Andres Farias and Christina Gutierrez, “12fast.”
Del Sol Medical Center has adopted the 125th Brigade Support Battalion stationed at Fort Bliss. The hospital will provide support and assistance for unit projects and programs, act as a community advocate for the unit, help the unit and family readiness groups with fundraisers, assist with unit organizational days and act as an ambassador to new soldiers and soldier families.
Fernando Rodriguez, director of the criminal justice program at UTEP, was selected to speak at the Counter Improvised Explosive Devices Symposium hosted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in National Harbor, Md. Rodriguez discussed UTEP’s open source lab and how its research will benefit intelligence agencies in the near future. The lab will open in the spring of 2010.
Uniform Destination has opened a 2,148-square-foot store at The Outlet Shoppes at El Paso. The company specializes in medical uniforms and has more than 40 store outlet mall locations nationwide.
The University of Texas at El Paso School of Nursing has received a continuation of its Serving the Underserved: Cultural Competence Enhancing Success grant to introduce “standardized patients” to its curriculum. Standardized patients are trained to act as real patients; they are given scripts and act out their medical complaints for the nursing students. UTEP has received a total of $1.8 million through the Success grant.
El Paso company Western Precast Concrete passed a random plant inspection performed by the National Precast Concrete Association and has retained its NPCA certification. The company is also a member of the Associated General Contractors of Texas, National Federation of Independent Business and the National Precast Concrete Association.
The Better Business Bureau has launched a mobile website, m.bbb.org, so that consumers can more easily access the BBB’s reliability report database from smart phones and other mobile devises.
Grant funds for 2010-2011 are available from the El Paso affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Applications for evidence based breast cancer screening, treatment, education, outreach and breast health support programs from nonprofit organizations, governmental agencies, educational institutions and Indian tribes in El Paso County are eligible for funding. The application deadline is 4:30 p.m. Dec. 18. Applications are available at www.komenelpaso.org.
The privately funded Falvey-Silva Senior Citizen Community, 8615 San Juan Ln., celebrated its grand opening last week. The 8,000-square-foot, multi-million dollar facility has 72 two-bedroom units designed to house seniors accepting government assistance, a staff nurse and integrated senior daycare designed to accommodate 150 seniors.
Carl’s Jr. has opened its tenth location in El Paso at 10620 Montana. The California-based hamburger chain plans to open more than 300 franchise and company-owned restaurants in Texas in the next decade.
El Paso Opera raised $750 for the American Cancer Society in El Paso. A portion of the proceeds from the opera’s final performance of “La Vie de la Boheme” was donated to the nonprofit.
UTEP’s College of Health Sciences Department of Health Promotion has a new name – the Department of Public Health Sciences. The change aligns the department’s name with its public health focus and the new Master of Public Health degree initiated in 2008. Additional programs are currently being planned for the department, including a Master of Science degree in human nutrition and a 15-hour graduate certificate in public health.
The Public Housing Authorities Directors Association is accepting applications for scholarships for high school students living in public or assisted housing. The association will award three scholarships this year totaling $17,000. The deadline is Feb. 1. Application forms are available at www.hacep.org.
The West Texas Food Bank opened a new warehouse at 6937 Commerce in response to the rising number of individuals in El Paso County suffering from food insecurity.
Local nonprofit Recovery Alliance of El Paso has launched an improved website at www.recoveryalliance.net. Stanton Street, a local web and IT company, designed the site.
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