Open / Close Advertisement

Tenaris Receives Award for Strong Community Involvement in Arkansas

That outreach includes efforts to support local elementary, high school, and college students, especially those pursuing technical education. These initiatives provide a benefit to the community that warranted recognition, according to Teryn Spears, technology director and parental involvement coordinator for the Blytheville School District.
 
“All the educational opportunities Tenaris provides for the county, and its focus on education, is a big reason the company should receive the award,” Spears said.
 
Lisa John Adams, president of the chamber’s board of directors, said the award is given each quarter to a business that demonstrates strong community involvement.
 
“The award is given to a large company that has shown consistency in positively contributing to our area by the jobs provided, improvement efforts, and by being a good community steward,” Adams said. “The chamber is proud to recognize Tenaris as such a company and to honor them with this quarter’s Large Business Award.”
 
Hernan Brondino, Tenaris’s director of the Hickman mill in Arkansas and Conroe mill in Texas, accepted the award on behalf of the mill and its employees at a November 17 luncheon.
 
“It is an honor for us to be named Large Business of the Quarter,” Brondino said. “While being active members of the Chamber of Commerce, we also maintain a partnership with Arkansas Northeastern College and the local school districts to help boost technical education as our main focus in the community. Additionally, we maintain several sponsorship roles with local charities. We’re thrilled to be recognized for our community efforts in Mississippi County.”
 
Tenaris has launched several educational initiatives in the county since 2010, when it began the Academic Excellence Afterschool Program in Blytheville public schools. Tenaris invests US$300,000 annually in the program, which offers academic and social enrichment activities to elementary students at no cost to parents. The classes focus on literacy, mathematics, and social/emotional and character/values development. The entire curriculum has been designed with research-proven sources and will be interactive, hands-on and age and development appropriate.
 
To boost technical education in the county, Tenaris launched a high school internship program in partnership with Arkansas Northeastern College (ANC) and local high schools. Students participating in the 36-week paid internships, which began in August, will receive dual credit for their work.
 
Tenaris has also invested an additional US$120,000 in technical education support over the past two years through a partnership with ANC.