[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 49 (Thursday, March 27, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E457]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     EXXONMOBIL RECEIVES 2014 W.O. LAWTON BUSINESS LEADERSHIP AWARD

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                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 27, 2014

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on Monday, March 31, the National 
Association of Workforce Boards will present its 2014 W.O. Lawton 
Business Leadership Award to ExxonMobil for its important contributions 
to our community. The W.O. Lawton Business Leadership Award aims to 
honor and recognize businesses that make valuable investments in a 
community to help meet its needs through workforce training, 
educational programs, and funding for similar services. ExxonMobil has 
long demonstrated its commitment to the greater Houston community but 
its particular work with the ``Community College Petrochemical 
Initiative'' deserves special recognition.
   ExxonMobil is currently investing billions in capital investment to 
expand its petrochemical operations in the Houston area, including a 
new corporate 285-acre campus. This expansion will soon be home to 
10,000 jobs. However, with the thousands of baby boomers within the 
petrochemical industry who are retiring, ExxonMobil recognized the need 
to proactively train and hire more skilled workers. Working with the 
Gulf Coast Workforce Board and the Texas Workforce Commission, 
ExxonMobil partnered with nine Houston-area community colleges to 
create a training and education initiative that will train and recruit 
new workers for high-paying jobs, helping to replace the continually 
increasing number of retirees from the industry. To do so, ExxonMobil 
committed $500,000 to fund its Community College Petrochemical 
Initiative. In partnership with Lee College in Baytown, Texas, 
ExxonMobil leveraged equipment and provided volunteers to help the 
community college upgrade its labs with industry standard equipment. 
The company also served as a ``gold sponsor'' for the college's 
EnergyVenture Program, a 36-hour program or ``camp'' that teaches 
middle and high school students about careers within the energy 
industry. The company also provided paid internships to Lee College 
students. The results have been remarkable: 100 percent of the interns 
whom completed the program were hired by ExxonMobil.
   Of course, in Texas we know that ExxonMobil's commitment to its 
community expands beyond this initiative. Last year, ExxonMobil also 
participated in a number of other community collaborations, including 
Partners in Education, a program that funds and provides volunteers to 
serve as tutors and mentors for students on STEM-related assignments; 
Introduce a Girl to Engineering, a program that provides 180 middle 
school girls with hands-on activities to learn and get excited about 
careers in the STEM fields; Advancement via Individual Determination 
(AVID), a program that has helped more than 400 students achieve their 
dream of attending college by improving their academic and 
organizational skills; Science Day, a program that has taught over 350 
eighth grade students about the many daily uses for chemical reactions; 
Volunteer Involvement Program (VIP), a program that has donated 
$580,000 to schools or nonprofits where ExxonMobil employees volunteer; 
Student Essay Contest, a contest sponsored by ExxonMobil for high 
school students to write about energy awareness; and paying for 
internships for students at Lee College, Texas A&M University and The 
University of Texas.
   In addition, ExxonMobil's management and employees participate and 
provide leadership to local community economic and workforce 
development entities, serving on the boards for economic development 
associations, chambers and workforce committees. They also work closely 
with the Gulf Coast Workforce Board's career offices to help recruit 
and hire new employees.
   These accomplishments are impressive in and of themselves, but they 
are only indicative of the long-lasting impact that this company's 
community collaborations will have down the road. ExxonMobil is setting 
the standard in how employers today can make meaningful investments to 
help prepare tomorrow's workers and to benefit local communities. And 
that's just the way it is.

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