San Angelo ISD Career and Technical Education Students Attend Symposium Hosted by Reece Albert and CSA Materials

San Angelo ISD is proud to announce a partnership with Reece Albert and CSA Materials to offer an exclusive opportunity for our Career and Technical Education (CTE) students in welding, agriculture mechanics, automotive technology, and construction pathways. The 2-day symposium focused on exposing students to careers paths available to them after high school graduation in the heavy construction and mining industries right here in San Angelo. 

“By introducing students to career paths early on, educators can help bridge the gap between industry demand and available talent,” said SAISD Director of Career and Technical Education Roxanne Fentress. “This event provides students with diverse opportunities for well-paying, hands-on careers while also addressing workforce needs and contributing to the economic development and innovation of the San Angelo community.” 

During the first day of the symposium, students rotated through three different presentations led by individuals from Reece Albert and CSA Materials. Eric Warriver and Jose Mata shared information about CSA Materials and the process of producing aggregate and hot mix operations. Kaygen Edwards and JD Tilson of Reece Albert discussed their personal career paths and company success stories. Scale of operations for both companies was shared by Jennifer Long.  

The next day, senior students toured a construction site at Howard Street or Chadbourne, and a mining site at Turner Quarry. While at the Howard Street and Chadbourne sites, students heard all about the road construction process, from start to finish, from Reece Albert Vice President of Operations Caleb Kattner, and saw first hand heavy equipment at work. Then, they traveled to Turner Quarry to see the mining process. Students traveled out into the center of the quarry to see how they mine and process the stone used for aggregate and asphalt construction. 

This event hopes to encourage and promote a future in heavy construction and mining, whether students want to pursue a secondary education or go straight into the workforce, while giving back to the San Angelo community and developing talent for the future. 

Join San Angelo ISD in thanking our partners who helped make this unique symposium possible, supporting opportunities for our students to prepare for their future, whatever that future may be. Follow the San Angelo ISD Facebook, Twitter, and website, www.saisd.org to stay up-to-date on San Angelo ISD.

About San Angelo ISD Career and Technical Education

San Angelo ISD is proud of our expansive CTE programs that support student future-readiness with courses providing clear direction to pursue high-demand, post-secondary opportunities, whether that be a college education, joining the military, or entering the workforce. 

At San Angelo ISD, welding is one of the 50 technical dual credit courses offered through the district’s partnership with Howard College. Our CTE courses are taught by Howard College instructors or SAISD employees that are certified adjunct faculty. Students enrolled in our CTE programs can leave high school with:

• valuable technical dual credit, 
• industry-based certifications and licensures,
• participation in resume-building student leadership organizations, and
• the ability to directly enter the workforce. 

At San Angelo ISD, students have the opportunity to participate in Student Leadership Organizations, such as  Skills USA and FFA, within our CTE courses. San Angelo ISD is proud to provide relevant and inspiring course opportunities through CTE which produce future-ready graduates and the ability for our students to follow their individual hopes and dreams. 

About Reece Albert

West Texas can still seem like a vast, untamed land for many who are unfamiliar with this part of our State. It is a big, sprawling country, largely rural, but with important pockets of industry and commerce forged in large part by the pioneering, enterprising spirit of our early settlers.

One such spirit was Reece Albert, who founded Reece Albert, Inc. (RAI) in 1940. Born in San Angelo in 1910, Reece pursued his degree in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University. He joined the City of San Angelo as assistant engineer in 1934 before forming Reece Albert Paving Company, the forerunner to RAI. With only three pieces of equipment, the company did parking lot work and subcontracted work at Goodfellow Field.

Today, RAI continues as a major player in West Texas with a diverse and loyal customer base. RAI believes in the value of family, which is reflected in the company motto: "Family first, then safety, then the job." The owners passionately believe that if family life is suffering, every other aspect of life suffers, including employee safety and performance.

And while the company faces the same challenges as all do in the industry, it does so with that same pioneering spirit with which Reece Albert started the company. Understanding the experiences of the past and holding on to strong values remain at the heart of RAI’s business practices and culture. Reece Albert, Inc. has earned the respect and loyalty of our extensive customer network, making us the most trusted name in heavy construction in West Texas.

About CSA Materials 

Construction is in our blood. Providing materials needed for construction is a crucial part of what we do. In 1959, we built our first hot mix asphalt plant to serve small paving projects in San Angelo. We bought our first crusher in 1973 to produce crushed limestone base and aggregates as local demands for aggregates and hot mix were growing. Always moving forward, we now serve West Texas and the San Antonio area with several large quarries and hot mix asphalt plants.