Spring 2008
Vol. 5, No. 2
SOLUTIONS
Military retirees find second career
at BNSF Railway
★
Panhandle leading the way
in emerging ethanol industry
★
Initiative encourages
first-generation college students
2
Solutions
Spring 2008
Submissions, suggestions and address
changes should be sent to:
Lesley Layton Tarpinian, Solutions Editor
Texas Workforce Commission
Communications
101 E. 15th St., Room 665
Austin, TX 78778-0001
(512) 463-0221, phone
(512) 463-2710, fax
lesley.tarpinian@twc.state.tx.us
The state of Texas complies with all state
and federal laws relating to the Americans
with Disabilities Act. Call (512) 463-2400
to obtain this publication in an alternative
format. Solutions also is available via the
Internet at www.texasworkforce.org under
Publications. This publication is recyclable.
On the cover: Arles “Bugs” Graham Jr., general manager, and Carole Bishop, administrative
manager, for Panda Hereford Ethanol L.P. pose in front of the silos at the plant in Hereford.
Editor
Lesley Layton Tarpinian
Writer & Designer
Shannon Thomas
Writer
Lisa Givens
Writer
Kate Hourin
Writer & Photographer Cynthia Hunter
Writer
James Johnson
E-mail Solutions staff at solutions@twc.state.tx.us
Texas enjoys a well-
deserved reputation for
having a sound economic
climate that encourages job
creation. Gov. Rick Perry’s
emphasis on public-private
partnerships to attract jobs
to Texas and fuel economic
development has paid off
with major success stories.
The best way out of poverty
is through the creation of
opportunity for businesses
to thrive and for the develop-
ment of jobs in the private
sector. Texas is leading the
way on those fronts.
We also need to under-
stand as public officials that
we have an obligation to
treat taxpayers’ money as
we would our own family’s
finances. Even as other
regions of our nation
experience a significant
loss of jobs in these un-
certain times, Texas still
enjoys a consistent growth
in employment and a low
unemploymen