At this time, we are still assessing the situation, but would like to provide the following updates for everyone.  In the Santiago area, INECO has accounted for all our employees.  We are making every effort to assist in the search and we hope to have good news soon.  Although some have experienced material losses, including significant damage to their homes, our Santiago employees and their families are doing well and in good spirits.  Some areas in Santiago continue to be without electricity and water services but they are being restored rapidly.  The damage to our office building in downtown Santiago has been evaluated and we are happy to report that there was no structural damage.  We have begun the clean up process and we hope to be running at full strength tomorrow, Wednesday, March 3^rd.  We’re also happy to report that our offices in Antofagasta and our partner in Vińa del Mar are all doing well and operating with a full staff. 

Unfortunately, as many of you have seen in the news, our friends and colleagues in the city of Concepcion are experiencing a more challenging situation.  We have accounted for 18 of the 23 employees of our Concepcion office.  Communication remains very difficult as phone lines are saturated and people are running out of batteries on their cellular phones.  We will continue to provide any support in the search for our missing employees and their relatives until everyone is accounted for.  Basic services are slowly being restored while the immediate concern, looting, has spread to other areas beyond the supermarkets and food stores.  Fortunately, federal authorities are beginning to restore order and we hope that this will bring more calm to the city.  Several of our employees in Concepcion did endure some damage to their homes and personal belongings.  We are in contact with them to understand how we can assist them immediately.  Our employees have also reported that there is no visible damage to our office building in Concepcion.  However, at this moment, we are not clear as to the timing of when we will be in a position to re-open the Concepcion office but we will continue to support our customers and any business activity from Santiago.

The Corpus Christi Branch of Puffer-Sweiven collected and a truck full of toys along with a cash donation for the Toys for Tots program.  The mission of the Marine Corps Toys for Tots Program is to collect new, unwrapped toys each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community.  This year in particular the Corpus Christi Toys for Tots program was in desperate need for toys.  With the help of Ed Long, Bob Bonsignore, Ginger Abbott and other Puffer-Sweiven employees, several kids in the Corpus Christi area were able to have a very Merry Christmas this year. 

The Puffer-Sweiven Oil & Gas Sales Team adopted a needy Missouri City family this past Christmas.  The selected family consisted of three young children and their parents.  A list was provided of requested items for the children along with their first names, ages and sizes.  The team developed a gift list for each family member including clothing, shoes, toys and household items.  A large collection of filled stockings and wrapped gifts were delivered to the family. We are very proud of this Puffer-Sweiven team as their generosity far exceeded what was requested of them.

On September 13, 2008, Hurricane Ike tore through the Texas Gulf Coast region resulting in the third most destructive hurricane in American history.  Our Company saw the need for assistance throughout our communities and our employees wanted to provide the needed support in these difficult times. 

In mid-October 2008, Puffer-Sweiven held a food drive for those effected by Hurricane Ike and thanks to the generosity of our employees collected and donated 52 boxes of non-perishable food items.  In addition to the food items, cash donations were collected including the Company match of almost $9,000.  Donations were given to several organizations that have food pantries serving the communities where our employees live and work.  

One of the communities hardest hit by Hurricane Ike was Shoreacres in the La Porte area (south of the Houston Ship Channel along Galveston Bay).  Nearly all of the 500 houses in this small town of 1500 sustained water damage from Ike's storm surge. On Nov. 4th, 2008, the La Porte Branch of Puffer-Sweiven restocked the community food pantry and sponsored a dinner for more than 100 displaced residents of Shoreacres hosted by The La Porte Neighborhood Center.  The event included a drawing for door prizes of useful household items such as pillows, blankets and other miscellaneous gifts. Diane Schiff, Maritssa Diaz and Kelly Jamison of the La Porte Branch office helped with the set-up preparations for the evening.

As examples, the governor cited Shell Chemical’s Deer Park facility for donating a large generator to a temporary shelter at the Jimmy Burke Activity Center; Kaneka Texas Corporation in Pasadena for opening its contractor parking lot for FEMA and recovery workers; and Puffer Sweiven in La Porte for hosting a blood drive in conjunction with the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center. “These are great examples of the humanitarian assistance, the corporate citizenship we have in this state,” Perry said.

The governor also lauded the chemical industry for strengthening the Texas economy, which he said has created half of new U.S. jobs over the past 12 months. “The chemical industry makes an extraordinary contribution to the economic health of our state,” he said. “You provide 70,000 direct jobs to the state, 400,000 indirect jobs,” while injecting $35 billion a year to the state economy.

Although Texas will not escape the impact of the current international credit crisis, Perry said, the state has a fundamentally sound economy and is well positioned to lead an eventual national rebound. State positives include a well-educated workforce, healthy business climate, low taxes and reasonable regulatory environment, he noted. 

“Our foundation is strong,” Perry said. “When they find the bottom … and the financial markets get turned around, Texas will be the best suited of any state to lead the economic charge to go forward. We can lead America to its greatest days.”
The speech concluded, TCC Chairman Greg Kraft presented Perry with the 2008 TCC Leadership Award and thanked the governor for his support of the chemical industry. 

 “Gov. Perry is a proven leader and a friend of business and the chemical manufacturing industry,” added Hector Rivero, President/CEO of TCC and ACIT.  “We are gratified by the governor’s

For the last ten years, our Company has taken a very active role in the Houston Race for the Cure by supporting our employees who participate in the great cause of fighting breast cancer.  There doesn’t seem to be a day that goes by that one of us is not faced with knowing someone close to us who is facing this dreaded disease.  

This year on Saturday, October 4^th, we had close to 40 employees and their families join us on a beautiful sunny day in downtown Houston  (not like the very rainy day last year) to once again race for the cure.  Although most of us did not “technically”  race,  we all know that we crossed the finish line and contributed to making a difference.

The Freeport Branch of Puffer–Sweiven recently sponsored the “Start/Finish” line of  “The Mosquito Chase Run” a 5K run that is part of The Great Texas Mosquito Festival. The Festival has been an Annual event in the Brazosport Area for 28 years and money raised from the Festival goes to improve parks, playgrounds, and other public recreational facilities in the Brazosport Area.

This year there were 115 adult runners for the USA Track and Field Certified 5K Race and 30 children for 600 meter run. The Puffer-Sweiven Freeport office assisted with many aspects of the race, including runner registration, official time keeping duties, as well as cheering on the runners as they crossed the finish line. In its capacity as official “start/finish” line sponsor the Freeport office provided refreshments including drinks and fresh fruit to all race participants along with goodie bags for the children.