Amarillo business news and developments: Tyson award, BBQuest pass, Tech rankings

North American Meat Institute recognizes Tyson Foods with 80 awards

SPRINGDALE, Ark. – Tyson Foods announced the company and individual plants received 80 awards from the North American Meat Institute (NAMI).

The Amarillo location was one of 78 Tyson Foods plants across North America recognized for its positive environmental impact through the Environmental Recognition Award – honoring a company’s dedication to continuous environmental improvement, as witnessed by the development and implementation of Environmental Management Systems (EMS).

The global protein leader received the Community Wellness Award, for its leadership in fighting hunger and food insecurity through protein donations to regional food banks and community pantry partners across the nation. In fiscal year 2022, Tyson Foods donated more than 18 million pounds of protein, the equivalent of 72 million servings of protein, to food banks, pantries and hunger relief organizations in Tyson Foods plant communities and across the nation.

“NAMI commends Tyson Foods and its leadership for continuing to ensure their products contribute to a sustainable and healthy food system,” said NAMI President and CEO Julie Anna Potts. “Tyson Foods’ dedication to sustainably reducing the protein gap demonstrates why they’re a leader in the industry year after year.”

NAMI awarded companies based on 2022 data shared for The Protein PACT, through which NAMI and its members are uniting in an industry led effort to accelerate the animal protein sector’s progress towards sustainable development goals. The Community Wellness award is the top honor in the Health and Wellness category.

NAMI also recognized Tyson Foods’ commitment to promoting and implementing a diversity, equity and inclusion strategy to celebrate the unique culture of team members and provide a collective voice in how the company does business. Criteria for the award included companies that placed priority on recruitment, retention, community engagement, values, leadership and accountability.

“It’s an honor to be recognized for the steps Tyson Foods is taking to continuously monitor and build upon its environmental compliance assurance initiatives,” said Steve Patrick, vice president of environmental operations, Tyson Foods. “We are proud of our team’s efforts to implement plants to operate in an environmentally responsible manner in those communities where we live and work.”

The EMS model is designed to drive continual, measurable improvements in the environmental compliance performance of Tyson’s operations. In addition, The EMS, modeled after ISO 14001, is also designed to minimize the environmental footprint of our operations in the communities where we work and live, support achievement of our environmental goals.

The recognition awards are categorized by four tiers to encourage EMS development through a step-by-step approach. Tier 1 recognizes compliance policies and Tier 4 represents the highest level of environmental management. Amarillo was listed under Tier 3. For more, visit www.tysonfoods.com.

Texas Tech Graduate School shines in 2023 U.S. News & World Report Rankings

U.S. News & World Report on Tuesday, April 25, released its 2023-24 Best Graduate Programs rankings, and several programs in the Graduate School at Texas Tech University were recognized while one made its debut in the rankings.

Making its debut in the rankings is the School of Veterinary Medicine, which opened in the fall of 2021 in Amarillo. The school is ranked No. 27.

The Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering was ranked No. 104, highlighted by six programs ranked within the top 100: Petroleum engineering: No. 9, Industrial engineering: No. 50, Chemical engineering: No. 72, Civil engineering: No. 64, Electrical engineering: No. 85, and Mechanical engineering: No. 97; the College of Education made one of the biggest jumps from 2022, leapfrogging 42 spots to No. 64. The Jerry S. Rawls College of Business was once again ranked for its full-time MBA program at No. 107 while its part-time MBA program jumped five spots to No. 109. Other ranked Texas Tech programs include chemistry, computer science, earth science, mathematics, physics and public affairs.

To view the ranking methodologies and see the full list of rankings, visit the U.S. News & World Report website.

Kick off beef month, win prizes and enjoy Texas barbecue with new BBQuest Digital Pass

AUSTIN – Just in time for Beef Month, Texas Beef Council (TBC) and Beef Loving Texans have launched the new “BBQuest – Take on Texas BBQ” free mobile pass program. The pass is designed to encourage people to experience delicious barbecue from the restaurants featured throughout all three seasons of TBC’s popular BBQuest streaming series.

“BBQuest has been a great way for us to both educate and entertain viewers while spotlighting the Texas beef industry,” said Rachel Chou, TBC’s director of consumer marketing. “By introducing this new digital pass, we’re encouraging both consumers and beef producers to visit BBQuest restaurants and take their own personal BBQuest inspired journeys.”

To sign up for the BBQuest pass, visit BeefLovingTexans.com/Explore-BBQuest and complete an online form. From there, the free passport will be delivered to their mobile phones via text or email.

As participants check in at the BBQuest restaurants they can earn points to unlock various prizes and discounts. Individuals who check in at all 11 restaurant locations will be eligible to win a Texas Hill Country getaway for two.

“We’ll be promoting the pass on social media, at events and through some of our biggest advocates like the Texas Beef Team, a crew of beef-loving fitness enthusiasts,” said Adriana Mora, TBC’s consumer marketing manager. “We’ll also be working with food and travel influencers to help spread the word about the program. Texas barbecue is not just food – it’s a way of life. We’re looking forward to helping more people discover the BBQuest series and sample delicious Texas beef throughout the state.”

BBQuest: “Beyond the Pit”, season 3 of the series, is now streaming on Hulu. All three BBQuest seasons are also available for viewing at BeefLovingTexans.com. For more information about Texas Beef Council and Beef Checkoff programs, visit TexasBeefCheckoff.com.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Amarillo area business news and developments for May 7, 2023