Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 169, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 4, 2009 Page: 1 of 10
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www.sweetwaterreiiertar.coiR
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Sports
State track meet
begins Friday
- See Paf>e 7
Weston Pyburn of the Texas Midwest Soap Box Derby
in Sweetwater presents Chamber of C ommerce execu-
tive director Jacque McCoy and State Representative
Susan King with photos front last year’s races during
the Chamber appreciation luncheon. The ladies raced
each other during the adult races, McCoy claiming vic-
tory. The two will have a rematch at the 13th annual
TMSBD Saturday, June 6, 2009.
Life
Chamber Coffee
held at Java Jax
See Pane 5
Tons of compacted scrap line the perimeter of TST's salvage yard, awaiting to be
processed into reusable aluminum.
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Vol. Ill, Issue 169 ■ 50 cents
Inside
See more
Chamber photos
Seepage 10
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PICK .1 (l)ay)- 9 0 5
Daily -I (Day) — 5 6 2 '
PICK 3 — 5 X I
Daily 4 - 2 9 5 3
LOTTO TEXAS
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CASH FIVE
4 7 16 29 31
NOTICE
If you miss your
Sweetwater Reporter you
should call evenings front
5:30-6:00 p.m.
Monday thru Friday.
If you miss your Sunday
paper please call from 8-
9:30 a.in., and we will con-
tact your carrier.
236-6677
The giant furnace at the heart of the TST plant turns aluminum into molten metal
so it can be reformed and sold hack to companies such that use the metal to make
everything from flashlights to jumbo jets.
ifc,
• S. .iSHjf
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Sweetwater Chamber of Commerce president Mike
Sheehan (far right) thanks longtime Chamber mem-
bers Warren Martindale (left) and Charles Roberson
(center) for their service and contribution to the
Chamber of Commerce.
National FFA
scholarship awarded
to local student
9
Some of TST's final products. These 1,200 pound blocks of remanufactured alumi-
num are ready to be shipped nationally and internationally for re-use.
The National FFA Organization awarded a $1,000
Cargill Community scholarship to Clayton Stanford of
Blackwell HS FFA. Cargill, as a special project of the
National FFA Foundation, sponsors the scholarship.
Clayton plans to use the
funds to pursue a degree at
Tarleton State Universitv-
Texas A&M University.
This scholarship is one of
1,462 awarded through the
National FFA Scholarship
Program this year.
Currently, 128 corporate
sponsors generously con-
tribute approximately $2.2
million to support this pro-
gram. This is the 25th year
that scholarships have been
made available through the
National FFA Foundation
by business and industry
sponsors to reward and
encourage excellence and
enable students to pursue
their educational goals.
Scholarship recipients
were selected from 7,810 applicants from across the
country. Selections were based on the applicant's aca-
demic record, FFA and other school and community
activities, supervised agricultural experience program in
agricultural education and future goals.
The National FFA Organization, formerly known as
the Future Farmers of America, is a national youth orga-
nization of 507,763 student members-all preparing for
leadership and careers in the science, business and tech-
nology of agriculture-as part of 7.436 local FFA chapter
in al 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The
National FFA Organization changed to its present name
in h)88, in recognition of the growth and diversity of
agriculture and agricultural education. The FFA mission
is to make a positive difference in the lives of students
by developing their potential for premier leadership,
personal growth and career success through agricultural
education. Visit www.ffa.org for more information.
• See STANFORD page 3
CLAYTON STANFORD
TST Inc finds business friendly environment in Sweetwater
BY BRIAN
MCCORMACK
Staff Writer
One of the slogans for the
Sweetwater Enterprise for
Economic Development
(SEED), is "Business is
sweet in Sweetwater." One
California based company
has found that to be true.
TST Inc., is an alumi-
num remanufacturing
plant, which is located
on Industrial Drive in the
western outskirts of town.
In operation since 2003,
the large plant, which is
operated by Ron Stein,
President of TST, repro-
cesses aluminum and sells
it to various manufactur-
ers around the globe. TST's
aluminum is used in mili-
tary equipment, aircrafts,
and automobiles — among
other things.
The impressive plant
boasts a giant shredder
that separates the usable
material from the scrap, a
massive furnace in which
the metal is melted down,
and about 30 full time
employees who help recy-
cle aluminum that would
normally clog up landfills
and potentially damage
the environment.
So what brought such
a facility to Sweetwater?
According to Stein, there
were several reasons
that company execs were
attracted to the area. "This
the hub of Texas," he said.
"It’s a fantastic location for
transportation, railways
and freight. And the port
of Houston is one the big-
gest in the world."
Stein also cites SEED
and the city of Sweetwater
for helping TST plant a
flag in the area. "It's a
business friendly commu-
nity," he said. "You can't
find a finer place or people
to work with." SEED ini-
tially loaned TST a half
million dollars to ease
the startup expenses, and
helped them find a loca-
tion for the company to
operate. TST never even
had to pay off the sub-
stantial loan, explains Ken
Becker, Executive Director
for SEED. "The loan was
structured as an employee
based incentive," he said.
"TST has fulfilled their
obligations." 50 full time
employees receiving a liv-
able wage were the mini-
mum requirements set by
SEED in order for the loan
to be forgiven. At its peak,
TST had about 75 employ-
60S.
Plant Manager, Cliff
Lotzenhiser, agrees with
Stein's assessment of the
business climate and acces-
sibility that Sweetwater has
to offer. "We researched
five or six Texas cities,"
he said. "It came down to
Palestine and Sweetwater.
Ron (Stein) made the final
decision to come here."
The plant, however,
has had to make some
cutbacks recently. With
a slumping economy and
an uncertain future in the
automotive field, TST has
lost some business due
to the poor circumstanc-
es. When asked what the
future may hold for TST in
Sweetwater, Lotzenhiser
said that much of it
depends on the automobile
industry and how well they
rebound. Stein is optimis-
tic. The plant isn't about to
close its doors just yet, but
he is dismayed that he had
• See LS I page 3
King sneaks at
Chamber luncheon
Sweetwat er
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Rodriguez, Tatiana. Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 169, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 4, 2009, newspaper, June 4, 2009; Sweetwater, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth562036/m1/1/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Sweetwater/Nolan County City-County Library.