The Port Lavaca Chamber of Commerce awarded Man of the Year to Oscar Padron for his steadfast and sincere commitment to the community. 

The Chamber also awarded Nonprofit of the Year to the Sportsmen's for Charity Club for contributing to the betterment of the community by generously supporting various local nonprofit organizations.

Stated by Chamber Executive Tania French at the Port Lavaca Chamber Dinner: 

On March 19, Formosa Plastics Corporation, Texas hosted the Director General Yvonne Hsiao from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Houston, Texas, as well as her staff and other local elected officials. This was to celebrate the expansion of the Taiwan Centers for Mandarin Learning (TCML) program.

Formosa Plastics Group Vice Chairwoman Susan Wang and Formosa Plastics Corporation, Texas New Business Development Vice President Jack Wu helped start the learning program 35 years ago. Wang had a vision of sharing Taiwan culture and language with the communities in which the company operates and the local community has been supportive. Culture and language classes began at Travis Middle School for children and then moved to the Comfort Community Church in Port Lavaca, Texas. Now TCML is encouraging adults to participate. Classes are open to the public on Sundays at the church and Formosa is participating and testing a pilot program at its Point Comfort, Texas site.

Mandarin is a widely used and influential language around the world. The demand and need for language instruction in Europe and the United States is increasing. The U.S. State Department announced the National Security Language Initiative for Youth emphasizing an increase in Mandarin learning opportunities. The U.S. and Taiwan Education Initiative was signed in December 2020. The Overseas Community Affairs Council, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Education have established a negotiation and cooperation model with the American Institute in Taiwan to start bilateral language cooperation. Mandarin is Taiwan’s native tongue and Formosa supports Taiwan’s traditions and culture. Currently, there are 66 Taiwan Centers for Learning in the United States and 84 globally. TECO has a goal of establishing 100 Centers by 2025.

• Donates Nintendo Switch™ Systems to eSports Program at Calhoun County High School
• Provides Expertise and Guidance for Two New IT Courses Offered This Year

MARCH 1, 2024, POINT COMFORT, TEXAS – Formosa Plastics Corporation, Texas is collaborating with Calhoun County Independent School District’s (CCISD) Partners in Education (PIE) to enhance Information Technology (IT) education for students. Formosa Plastics is sponsoring a new eSports program that CCISD launched this year by donating Nintendo Switch™ systems and a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Game. Additionally, Formosa is providing expertise and guidance to the CCISD’s Career and Technical Education Department for two new Information Technology courses that are being offered at Calhoun High School this year.

The two IT courses offered this year at Calhoun High School are Principles of IT and Computer Maintenance. Students enrolled in the courses will be training towards certifications for IT Fundamentals Pro and A+. Training students with industry-recognized certifications gives them options for their future. For example, they can take their certifications and enter directly into the workforce, they can continue training towards higher-level certifications, and/or they build upon their knowledge by pursuing a post-secondary degree.

CCISD Superintendent Evan Cardwell, said, “We are continually evaluating student interests, new programs and local workforce trends to ensure our students are developing the skills they need to be successful. We appreciate Formosa's sponsorship of the eSports club and their input towards developing a high school IT training and certification program that prepares students for the next step in their journey. The new IT training pathway and eSports club is a win-win for students and employers.”

Esports or electronic sports is a form of competition using computer technology and strategy in a gaming environment. It primarily involves teams competing against each other in tournaments for a prize.

Formosa Plastics Information Technology Director Roger Morris, who also has participated in eSports, said, “Supporting the eSports club is an important component of a larger vision. Esports is a fun way for students to exercise strategic thinking, engage in team work and further develop technical skills. We see a correlation between our employees who work in information technology and eSports, so supporting this new program seemed like a natural fit and great opportunity for future collaborations. We are pleased to join with CCISD and are also working with other educational partners to benefit the region.”

CCISD Technology eSports Leader Andrew Camacho said, “Esports is more than a game. The first year will be focused on establishing the club and getting the students familiar with the competitive gaming environment to prepare them for tournaments and leagues. Additionally, we plan to use a variety of technical skills by filming and editing videos of the participants, commentating and creating graphics. It’s an exciting venture centered around eSports but will encompass so much more. I appreciate the school board and Formosa Plastics for supporting the implementation of eSports at Calhoun High School.”

CCISD Superintendent Evan Cardwell said, “The skills, knowledge and experiences obtained from the new courses and eSports program is just the first step in a multifaceted approach to support careers in information technology. We believe that students who participate on the eSports team will have interest in learning about IT as a career, and vice versa. I can see a lot of alignment between the two new programs. We are excited to offer this new career pathway to our students and community.”

About Formosa Plastics

Founded in 1978, Formosa Plastics Corporation, U.S.A. (Formosa Plastics) is a growing, vertically-integrated supplier of plastic resins and petrochemicals. The private U.S. company has annual revenues of more than $6 billion. The manufacturing site in Texas employs more than 2,500 full-time employees and 1,000 full-time contractors who operate more than 20 production units.

Formosa Plastics offers a full line of polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene and polypropylene resins, caustic soda and other petrochemicals that deliver the consistency, performance and quality that customers demand. It markets polypropylene and polyethylene resins under the Formolene® trade name; and markets its suspension PVC and specialty (dispersion) PVC resins under the Formolon® trade name. It is certified to the ISO 9001 quality management system and the ISO 14001 environmental management system.

About CCISD Partners in Education

Partners in Education is committed to supporting the CCISD Board of Trustees in achieving academic excellence by exploring, challenging, and striving to exceed the best educational practices through a broad based and constructive partnership with local industry, business and community. Also, Partners in Education is dedicated to improve public confidence in the local school system and to develop a highly competent pool of graduates to immediately enter the workforce or to pursue higher education.

On Friday, Dec. 8, Formosa Plastics Corporation, Texas officially opened its newly built Mother’s Room with a ribbon cutting at its Point Comfort site. Formosa Plastics is the first manufacturing site to achieve the Silver Level Mother-Friendly Worksite designation in the State of Texas. Texas Mother-Friendly employers proactively support employees who choose to breastfeed their infants by providing time, space, and other supports to maintain breastfeeding after returning to work. Employers that provide Texas Mother-Friendly policies benefit from increased employee retention, lower absenteeism, higher morale, greater productivity, reduced health care costs, and improved short- and long-term health of the breastfeeding mother and her child.

Created by the Texas Legislature in 1995 and administered by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), the Texas Mother-Friendly Worksite Program recognizes employers with written policies reflecting their support for their breastfeeding employees. Such policies that provide work schedule flexibility to allow milk expression breaks, offer a private space, other than a bathroom, where the employee can pump or breastfeed; and ensure easy access to a clean water source and hygienic milk storage arrangements.

To be designated as a Texas Mother-Friendly Worksite, an employer must submit an application and a qualifying written employee breastfeeding support policy to DSHS. An online application and listing of Texas Mother-Friendly Worksites is available on the program’s website, https://dshs.texas.gov/TexasMotherFriendly. 

Texas Mother-Friendly Worksites represent a wide range of employment sectors, settings, and worksite sizes. A small sampling of employers with the Texas Mother-Friendly Worksite designation include the City of San Antonio; Whole Foods Market; Texas Mutual Insurance Company; and The University of Texas at San Antonio. Also designated are numerous hospitals, state agencies, and health and human services employers. 

“We want our employees to know that we support their decision to continue breastfeeding,” said Executive Director & Site Manager Mike Rivet.  “We are extremely pleased to be designated as a Texas Mother-Friendly Worksite.”

For more information on the Texas Mother-Friendly Worksite Program, visit https://dshs.texas.gov/TexasMotherFriendly or e-mail program staff at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Formosa Plastics Corporation, Texas hosted a luncheon at its guest house in Point Comfort and distributed religious grants totaling $23,000 to 19 separate religious-based organizations. The Religious Trust Fund has been in place for 28 years and provides grants to religious organizations in Calhoun, Jackson, and Victoria counties. The Formosa Plastics Religious Trust was established in 1995 by Formosa’s Chairman Y. C. Wang with a $1,000,000 gift. He directed that income from the trust be used to promote religion and religious activities in these counties. Since its inception, and including the recent awards, the Trust has distributed a total of $1,267,532 to support religious projects in the three counties.

Formosa Religious Trust Fund 2023 Grant Recipients

• Awakening Mind Chan Center, Calhoun County
• Calhoun County Community Ministries, Calhoun County
• First Baptist Church, Port Lavaca, Calhoun County
• First Baptist Church, Port O’Connor, Calhoun County
• First United Methodist Church, Port Lavaca, Calhoun County
• Fisherman’s Chapel, Port O’Connor, Calhoun County
• Grace Speaks Ministries, Calhoun County
• Port Lavaca Branch of Texas Buddhist Association, Calhoun County
• Six Mile Assembly of God Church, Calhoun County

• First Assembly of God Church, Edna, Jackson County
• First Baptist Church, Lolita, Jackson County
• First United Methodist Church, Edna, Jackson County
• Jackson County Young Life, Jackson County
• Lolita Methodist Church, Jackson County
• St. Paul Lutheran Church, Jackson County

• New Wine Fellowship, Victoria County
• Victoria Christian School, Victoria County
• Young Life Victoria, Victoria County
• Zion Lutheran Church, Mission Valley, Victoria County

If anyone is interested in applying for a grant from the Formosa Religious Trust Fund, information can be obtained from First National Bank Vice President and Trust Officer Bobby Meeks at 361-552-6726 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Applications for religious grants should be submitted to Bobby Meeks at First National Bank, P. O. Drawer 7, Port Lavaca, Texas 77979-0007.