For 25 years, Chevron Phillips Chemical has been more than a powerful global economic engine, by embracing its Caring by Choice philosophy, CPChem has also contributed philanthropically to communities where its employees live and work, both domestically and abroad.
Founded on July 1, 2000, The Woodlands-based CPChem is a 50-50 joint venture between Houston-based Chevron Corp. and Phillips 66, which resulted from the combination of the two companies’ petrochemical businesses. Since its formation 25 years ago, CPChem has evolved into a major player in the petrochemical business — and into a community fixture that has touched thousands upon thousands of lives.
“Through our culture of Caring by Choice, we believe that when we work together and care about our communities’ most vulnerable populations, whether for education, health and wellbeing or safety, we help create better outcomes for our company, our colleagues, culture and communities,” said Endira Hawkins, head of CPChem’s corporate Community Affairs program.
The Caring by Choice program has a broad reach – from Montgomery County, Texas, where its global headquarters is located, to the Gulf Coast communities of Baytown, Orange and Port Arthur to Belgium and Singapore.
“As we celebrate 25 years, we reflect on the impact our collaborative relationships have had on our communities, and we look ahead to finding a way to constantly reinforce our duty of care,” Hawkins said. “Our history of community support shows that by working together, CPChem is able to provide hope, love and care.”
Milestone marks meaningful giving
CPChem is celebrating its 25th anniversary by donating 25,000 hygiene kits to charitable organizations throughout the communities in the United States, Europe and Asia where there are CPChem facilities. These ready-made hygiene packets, assembled by facility employees, will provide basic-need items and be distributed to vulnerable populations by community organizations.
Communities in Schools of Southeast Harris and Brazoria County is one organization set to receive hygiene packets, which include shampoo, toothpaste and toothbrushes, deodorant soap, twin-blade razors and fingernail clippers.
This Communities in Schools location serves students in Texas’s Angleton, Brazosport, Columbia-Brazoria, Van Vleck and Wharton school districts, and this will be the sixth year CPChem has provided them with hygiene packets. Similarly, employees have volunteered with CIS of Southeast Harris and Brazoria County for the past 10 years, leading STEM activities for students and parents, hosting family engagement nights, and serving as a constant presence for the annual gala.
“The donation of these hygiene packets means so much to our organization. It represents more than just supplies; it’s a reminder that our students are seen, valued and supported by their community,” said Cheryl Sellers, CIS of Southeast Harris and Brazoria County director of Community Relations. “For many of the vulnerable students we serve, having access to basic hygiene items can significantly impact their self-esteem, well-being and readiness to learn.”
Building a future for local families
Anthony Hailey, manager of CPChem’s Global Operational Excellence Implementation Services, is among the hundreds of CPChem employees who’ve volunteered throughout the years. Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery County has been Hailey’s favorite cause.
Through CPChem’s community partnership with Habitat for Humanity, CPChem employees find joy in creating forever homes for families. Over the past 10 years or so, Hailey has helped construct nearly a dozen Habitat for Humanity homes in the Cedar Crossing subdivision in Conroe, Texas. Paired with professional builders, Hailey – who typically pitches in on Saturdays – tackles tasks such as hammering, painting and caulking during construction of about five to seven months.
Hailey gains satisfaction from seeing a homeowner accept the keys to a move-in-ready Habitat residence that he helped build, he said.
“It’s just very nice to see someone who’s having a milestone day, and to see their community — whether it’s their immediate family or even church members or friends — come out and celebrate with them. It’s an extremely rewarding day. … It’s a great opportunity to be part of somebody building their success,” Hailey said.
Employees at CPChem’s Cedar Bayou petrochemical plant in Baytown – the company’s largest – commit to eight to 10 Habitat for Humanity build dates per year. Last year plant employees volunteered 263 hours to Habitat.
Representing a large chemical manufacturer in the area, it is important we not just protect but enhance the community in which we operate,” said Cristan Morales, Cedar Bayou’s Environmental, Health, Safety and Security manager and a Habitat for Humanity executive board member.
“In the short time since I joined the Habitat community,” she said, “I have been able to raise funds for current and future builds, learned a few things about caulking and painting, and, most excitedly, have met and worked alongside an amazing mother who will, in short-order, be able to provide a safe and beautiful place for her and her children to live.”
Helping students achieve financial wellness
Equipping students with financial literacy skills, entrepreneurship, and work and career readiness is the mission of Junior Achievement of Southeast Texas, another beneficiary of CPChem’s generosity.
Joe Burke, president of Junior Achievement of Southeast Texas, said CPChem plays a critical role in his nonprofit carrying out its work.
For 14 years, CPChem has provided $1.88 million in financial support to JA of Southeast Texas. Additionally, since 2011, Junior Achievement has recruited more than 1,500 volunteers from CPChem, whose duties include classroom instruction and career exploration.
Most recently, HOLA, CPChem’s Hispanic employees resource group, has led volunteering for Junior Achievement’s 3DE Project at Houston’s Waltrip High School. To date, CPChem volunteers have helped at least 30,000 students chart a path to financial literacy through education and goalsetting, Burke said.
“CPChem’s impact on Junior Achievement of Southeast Texas has been profound and far-reaching, said Andrea Richardson, the nonprofit’s director of Special Events. “Whether it is providing leadership by serving on our board of directors or helping to drive education initiatives forward in the face of adversity, CPChem is the epitome of an unwavering partner.”
Junior Achievement couldn’t serve the number of students it does “without the CPChem world,” Burke said. Last year, Junior Achievement, which employs fewer than 40 people, benefited more than 100,000 students from 450 to 500 schools in the region.
“The CPChem folks are able to come in and open up a new world to a lot of our students. And you can’t replicate that with just paid staff,” Burke said.
Feeding a community’s most vulnerable residents
Food deserts and hunger are a problem in every community, and CPChem’s support of food drives and food banks contributes to ending hunger in the communities where it operates.
CPChem has been a corporate sponsor of the Montgomery County Food Bank since 2014, when the company made a donation in support of the nonprofit’s annual fund-raising gala, said food bank spokesman Jay Martin.
Since then, the relationship has grown. Following that initial donation, CPChem has sponsored food donation drives and volunteered at distribution events for veterans, seniors and school-aged children in the Conroe and Magnolia independent school districts. Additionally, hundreds of employees have volunteered in the food bank’s Conroe warehouse. Volunteer efforts have provided food boxes for thousands of residents.
But CPChem’s support doesn’t stop there. CPChem also has donated plastic wrapping for produce and pallets for transporting food off site. CPChem’s Marlex products are in frequent use at the food bank.
“Our partnership with CPChem helps us do more of what matters — getting food to the people who need it most across Montgomery County,” Martin said. “Their support allows us to operate more efficiently, as well as stretch our resources further, thanks to their support of our goal to match fundraising efforts, which double the impact of community gifts and help expand our programs to meet growing needs.”
Last year Cedar Bayou employees volunteered 130 hours for Hearts & Hands of Baytown, which provides food to those in need in the Baytown community. CPChem has also contributed $10,000 per year since 2016 to sponsor the group’s fund-raising bicycle marathon, the Gear Up to End – or Gator – Ride.
“Chevron Phillips Chemical’s heartfelt commitment to our mission is evident in their Title Sponsorship of the annual Gator Ride,” said Nikki Rincon, executive director of Hearts and Hands of Baytown.
“The generous support of CPChem, combined with the countless volunteer hours invested in our programs, has a tangible and lasting impact on the lives of those we serve. Together, we are feeding this city—filling pantries, touching hearts, and changing lives,” Rincon said.
For more information about CPChem’s community involvement, click here.