Post by west-texan on Dec 23, 2008 9:59:33 GMT -5
Sounds like Celanese corporate didn't keep the Pampa plant updated with the latest technology...so their Pampa location is now outdated.
Makes me wonder if any of the chemical plants around Borger could go the same way....
www.amarillo.com/stories/122308/new_news1.shtml
Home > News > Local News
Web-posted Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Celanese bids farewell
Once a mighty employer, plant has lost its edge
By Kevin Welch
kevin.welch@amarillo.com
Matt Strasen / Amarillo Globe-News
Dwight Fiveash, a civil engineer and 25-year veteran of the Celanese plant, stands Thursday near the plant outside Pampa .
Matt Strasen / Amarillo Globe-News
The plant will be closing after operating for more than 50 years.
One of Pampa's brightest lights since 1952 has been dimming and soon will go out.
Vents at the Celanese plant still puff steam, but that is scheduled to end the first week of January. Within three months after that, the last of the chemicals made there should be gone. A coal-fired electricity generation plant eventually will replace the current plant.
"It's going to be tough to drive down Highway 60 past a place where you worked 25 years and it's not there," said Dwight Fiveash, who retired from the company in 2000 as a major projects manager.
The plant's employment peaked around 500 people in the 1980s and into the '90s but has been falling as its technology aged and the plant became less competitive. Eventually, talk started about when the plant, and its workers, might be gone.
"They were our lifeline. We're going to miss them," said Ann Davidson, a longtime Pampa resident. "We just assumed they'd be here forever. They were good, community-minded people."
Former employees frequently describe a sense of family when talking about their time with Celanese, but also a colder, more corporate attitude in recent years as the plant lost relevance.
"It was a caring, safe work environment at one time," said Ron McCain, who retired as a maintenance supervisor after 32 years with the company. "At the Celanese I worked for, the employees were part of the company. That did change later."
Even after the 1987 blast that destroyed the plant and killed three people, the family stayed together for the reconstruction.
"We did not have any reduction in force," Fiveash said. "You might have a purchasing guy doing something in the welding shop, but everybody had a job."
That surprised even members of the family.
"Everybody was 100 percent employed. That was phenomenal," McCain said. "Even when they didn't know if they were going to rebuild."
After a $575 million rebuilding, the plant was back in action making a variety of chemicals, notably acetic acid, a component of plastics.
The plant influenced Pampa in many ways, including bringing in outsiders.
Sue Derington, who retired from the Celanese credit union, left town for several years at one point. On her return, she noticed the plant's impact.
"There were a lot of faces I didn't know at places like the cafeteria," she said. "They were Celanese people who had transferred there. Some were aghast to be coming to Pampa, but there were a lot of them who passed up promotions to stay."
There were perks for employees, like the Pamcel Hall they could use for social functions. The Celanese retirees club still uses it for occasional potluck suppers. There's also a nine-hole golf course on the south side of the plant.
"In 1959, we started building the course," said Elmo Thompson, who worked controlling truck and train traffic at the plant from 1959 to 1994. "I was assigned hole three. That was ours to start the green. It's still a beautiful course."
While not every employee lived in Pampa, the company and city had a close relationship.
"Celanese was one of the larger contributors to United Way," McCain said. "They paid a lot of school taxes and tried to take care of Pampa."
A community advisory committee served as a liaison to keep the city informed about things like environmental permit applications or expansion projects and to get feedback, Fiveash said.
And the goodwill was returned.
"When new employees came to get their gas or water or telephones turned on, there was no deposit," Fiveash said. "They did that for a few other large companies, but that was how highly Celanese was regarded."
As far as employment, there's no general sense of panic about losing the company. Australia-based Babthingy & Brown will replace the chemical plant with the coal-fired plant and has expressed interest in hiring former Celanese workers. Some have been recruited by Pampa-based Titan Specialties and Borger's ConocoPhillips, Fiveash said. Many others are transferring to Celanese plants elsewhere.
Also, Workforce Solutions Panhandle, a state contractor for job assistance, held a job fair Dec. 9 at the Celanese plant.
"The mood was very light-hearted," said Mollie Barney, Workforce's business services coordinator. "The job seekers were very interested in new opportunities. They have great work ethics. So many have been there 20 or 30 years. I think a lot will be able to stay in the area. Many are wanting to open their own business."
Munday Contract Services, a local company that contracted for work at Celanese, is laying off about 58 workers, but not all contractors are. B&B Solvents has performed dirt work and other tasks for Celanese since 1977.
"The last two or three years, it's been slower," said Tonya Homen, a co-owner of B&B. "It will have an effect, but we do a lot of work at other places, so we'll have jobs for our employees."
Others are also optimistic.
"We will notice the difference, but Pampa has always rebounded," Derington said. "I think wind energy will be our next economy booster."
Despite the optimism, the end will not be welcome.
"It will be a sad day when they start tearing it down," McCain said. "Especially for those of us that helped build it up in the first place."
Makes me wonder if any of the chemical plants around Borger could go the same way....
www.amarillo.com/stories/122308/new_news1.shtml
Home > News > Local News
Web-posted Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Celanese bids farewell
Once a mighty employer, plant has lost its edge
By Kevin Welch
kevin.welch@amarillo.com
Matt Strasen / Amarillo Globe-News
Dwight Fiveash, a civil engineer and 25-year veteran of the Celanese plant, stands Thursday near the plant outside Pampa .
Matt Strasen / Amarillo Globe-News
The plant will be closing after operating for more than 50 years.
One of Pampa's brightest lights since 1952 has been dimming and soon will go out.
Vents at the Celanese plant still puff steam, but that is scheduled to end the first week of January. Within three months after that, the last of the chemicals made there should be gone. A coal-fired electricity generation plant eventually will replace the current plant.
"It's going to be tough to drive down Highway 60 past a place where you worked 25 years and it's not there," said Dwight Fiveash, who retired from the company in 2000 as a major projects manager.
The plant's employment peaked around 500 people in the 1980s and into the '90s but has been falling as its technology aged and the plant became less competitive. Eventually, talk started about when the plant, and its workers, might be gone.
"They were our lifeline. We're going to miss them," said Ann Davidson, a longtime Pampa resident. "We just assumed they'd be here forever. They were good, community-minded people."
Former employees frequently describe a sense of family when talking about their time with Celanese, but also a colder, more corporate attitude in recent years as the plant lost relevance.
"It was a caring, safe work environment at one time," said Ron McCain, who retired as a maintenance supervisor after 32 years with the company. "At the Celanese I worked for, the employees were part of the company. That did change later."
Even after the 1987 blast that destroyed the plant and killed three people, the family stayed together for the reconstruction.
"We did not have any reduction in force," Fiveash said. "You might have a purchasing guy doing something in the welding shop, but everybody had a job."
That surprised even members of the family.
"Everybody was 100 percent employed. That was phenomenal," McCain said. "Even when they didn't know if they were going to rebuild."
After a $575 million rebuilding, the plant was back in action making a variety of chemicals, notably acetic acid, a component of plastics.
The plant influenced Pampa in many ways, including bringing in outsiders.
Sue Derington, who retired from the Celanese credit union, left town for several years at one point. On her return, she noticed the plant's impact.
"There were a lot of faces I didn't know at places like the cafeteria," she said. "They were Celanese people who had transferred there. Some were aghast to be coming to Pampa, but there were a lot of them who passed up promotions to stay."
There were perks for employees, like the Pamcel Hall they could use for social functions. The Celanese retirees club still uses it for occasional potluck suppers. There's also a nine-hole golf course on the south side of the plant.
"In 1959, we started building the course," said Elmo Thompson, who worked controlling truck and train traffic at the plant from 1959 to 1994. "I was assigned hole three. That was ours to start the green. It's still a beautiful course."
While not every employee lived in Pampa, the company and city had a close relationship.
"Celanese was one of the larger contributors to United Way," McCain said. "They paid a lot of school taxes and tried to take care of Pampa."
A community advisory committee served as a liaison to keep the city informed about things like environmental permit applications or expansion projects and to get feedback, Fiveash said.
And the goodwill was returned.
"When new employees came to get their gas or water or telephones turned on, there was no deposit," Fiveash said. "They did that for a few other large companies, but that was how highly Celanese was regarded."
As far as employment, there's no general sense of panic about losing the company. Australia-based Babthingy & Brown will replace the chemical plant with the coal-fired plant and has expressed interest in hiring former Celanese workers. Some have been recruited by Pampa-based Titan Specialties and Borger's ConocoPhillips, Fiveash said. Many others are transferring to Celanese plants elsewhere.
Also, Workforce Solutions Panhandle, a state contractor for job assistance, held a job fair Dec. 9 at the Celanese plant.
"The mood was very light-hearted," said Mollie Barney, Workforce's business services coordinator. "The job seekers were very interested in new opportunities. They have great work ethics. So many have been there 20 or 30 years. I think a lot will be able to stay in the area. Many are wanting to open their own business."
Munday Contract Services, a local company that contracted for work at Celanese, is laying off about 58 workers, but not all contractors are. B&B Solvents has performed dirt work and other tasks for Celanese since 1977.
"The last two or three years, it's been slower," said Tonya Homen, a co-owner of B&B. "It will have an effect, but we do a lot of work at other places, so we'll have jobs for our employees."
Others are also optimistic.
"We will notice the difference, but Pampa has always rebounded," Derington said. "I think wind energy will be our next economy booster."
Despite the optimism, the end will not be welcome.
"It will be a sad day when they start tearing it down," McCain said. "Especially for those of us that helped build it up in the first place."