Del Mar College Foundation and DMC leadership honors ArcelorMittal Texas HBI for scholarship support and workforce development partnership on July 13

Plaque unveiling, “ArcelorMittal Millwright Lab” naming recognizing company’s investment in students, training programs targeting Coastal Bend’s workforce needs

Article by Melinda Eddleman

Their role is important for any employer who has mechanical equipment as part of their operation. These technicians “keep things running,” and many industrial-related employers across the Coastal Bend need these specialized employees to stay in business.

Who are they? They’re millwrights or industrial machinists. And they fix it all––ranging from pumps, steam turbines, gas turbines, wind turbines, gear boxes, blowers, fin fans and valves to mixers, conveyors, power plants, hydro-electric generators and even nuclear power plants––so if equipment rotates or reciprocates, millwrights maintain it.

The field is expected to grow 13% nationally between now and 2034 with over 54,000 positions needing to be filled annually according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Locally, Workforce Solutions for the Coastal Bend’s website indicates that the average earnings for the field is nearly $62,000 with annual job openings around 38.

As one of the Coastal Bend region’s industrial employers, leadership with ArcelorMittal Texas HBI understands the need for skilled workers such as millwrights. The company produces annually at its Portland facility over 2 million metric tons of high quality hot briquetted iron (HBI) as a sophisticated pre-material used to manufacture steel.

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Del Mar College is preparing the professionals who will shape the future of our industry. ArcelorMittal Texas HBI recognizes that lasting success begins with a knowledgeable workforce. Investing in education develops the curiosity, expertise, and problem-solving abilities needed for innovation, operational excellence, sustainable growth, and, above all, a safe work environment. Through our partnership, we are creating opportunities for students while strengthening the community that will drive economic growth across South Texas.

Dr. Michael Spitz, Chief Executive Officer of ArcelorMittal Texas HBI

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On Monday, July 13, DMC Foundation and Del Mar College leadership recognized and celebrated both the company’s partnership and commitment to the college and regional communities with a naming ceremony and plaque unveiling for the “ArcelorMittal Millwright Lab” located in the Workforce Development Center on the Windward Campus. As part of the event, the company’s leadership presented a commemorative oversized check for $737,700 to represent their commitment and investment for a well-trained workforce.

ArcelorMittal Millwright Lab Plaque_Facility Dedication Ceremony 071326

On July 13, 2026, Del Mar College Foundation and DMC leadership dedicated one of its training facilities to honor a key industry partner and student scholarship supporter with the naming of the “ArcelorMittal Millwright Lab.” ArcelorMittal Texas HBI has cumulatively donated and pledged funds totaling $737,700 toward the company’s namesake scholarship, DMC training programs that support their and the Coastal Bend’s workforce needs and other DMC community programs and initiatives. Shown is the plaque that leadership unveiled during the celebratory event held on the college’s Workforce Development Center on the Windward Campus. (Credit: DMC College Relations)

ArcelorMittal Texas HBI Oversized Check and DMC-Compay Leadership

As part of a facility naming and plaque unveiling celebrating on July 13, 2026, at Del Mar College’s Windward Campus, leadership with ArcelorMittal Texas HBI presented a commemorative oversized check to DMC leaders to recognize scholarship and other support totaling $737,700 in donations and pledges. Shown with the check after its presentation are (from left) Matthew Busby, Vice President of Development & Donor Advising and Executive Director of the DMC Foundation; DMC Board of Regents Chair Carol A. Scott; Dr. Mark Escamilla, DMC President and Chief Executive Office; and ArcelorMittal Texas HBI Chief Executive Officer Dr. Michael Spitz. (Credit: DMC College Relations)

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This recognition celebrates far more than a named lab. This acknowledgment represents years of partnership dedicated to expanding opportunities for students and strengthening the skilled workforce that serves the Coastal Bend. We are grateful for ArcelorMittal Texas HBI’s continued commitment to Del Mar College and the lives it continues to impact.

Matthew Busby, Vice President of Development & Donor Advising and Executive Director of the DMC Foundation

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p-Dr Escamilla_Dan Anderson=Millwright Lab sign071326

Invited guests listen to Del Mar College President and CEO Dr. Mark Escamilla (left) recognize Industrial Technology Department faculty member Dan Anderson for his dedication to his students and the college during the July 13, 2026, facility naming and plaque unveiling of the “ArcelorMittal Millwright Lab.” Anderson, who is an Assistant Professor of Industrial Machining Applied Technology and Millwright, prepares students for careers for companies such as ArcelorMittal Texas HBI and other South Texas Coastal Bend employers who need millwrights to keep their equipment and machinery running (Credit: DMC College Relations)

ArcelorMittal Millwright Lab Dedication_Onlookers with Dr Mark Escamilla and Dan Anderson at Podium_071326

DMC Foundation-Board-College Leadership with ArcelorMittal Texas HBI CEO_Facility Dedication 071326

Del Mar College Foundation, Board of Regents and DMC Administration leaders honored longtime industry partner ArcelorMittal Texas HBI for their generous support of several workforce training programs and their students through cumulative and pledged gifts totaling $737,700. The company’s support not only assists with their own employment needs for highly skilled workers but also workforce development among other employers across the Coastal Bend region. On July 13, 2026, DMC Foundation and college leadership held a dedication ceremony and plaque unveiling for the “ArcelorMittal Millwright Lab” to recognize the company’s support. Shown together after event activities are (from left) Sandra Alvarez, DMC Foundation Board of Trustees President; DMC Board of Regents Chair Carol A. Scott; Dr.. Mark Escamilla, DMC President and Chief Executive Officer; Dr. Michael Spitz, ArcelorMittal Texas HBI Chief Executive Officer; and DMC Vice President of Development & Donor Advising and Executive Director of the DMC Foundation Matthew Busby. (Credit: DMC College Relations)

The company’s support has reduced financial barriers for students pursuing careers in the high-demand technical fields targeted through the ArcelorMittal Texas HBI Scholarship, serving as a pipeline of skilled workers not just for ArcelorMittal Texas HBI but also other Coastal Bend employers. Many scholarship recipients are building careers with leading regional employers, including ArcelorMittal Texas HBI as well as Steel Dynamics, Cheniere and other industrial partners throughout South Texas.

Since 2020, approximately 180 students have received an ArcelorMittal Texas HBI Scholarship, and the DMC Foundation anticipates awarding an additional 40 to 50 scholarships during the 2026-2027 academic year.

Of students receiving an ArcelorMittal Texas HBI Scholarship, DMC Assistant Professor of Industrial Machining Applied Technology and Millwright Dan Anderson noted, “I can honestly say that without this unconditional support, several of my students would not have graduated. These scholarships have changed lives!”

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Over the next 10 to15 years, our region’s heavy concentration of refineries, petrochemical plants, steel mills and expanding port operations ensures strong job security, and regardless of the advances of technology and AI, there will still be the need for a person to pull on that wrench, adjust that chain and install that piece of machinery.

Dan Anderson, DMC Assistant Professor of Industrial Machining Applied Technology and Millwright

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Since 2015, DMC’s Industrial Technology Department, which offers the Millwright Program and related training, has awarded a combined 103 Certificates and Associate in Applied Science degrees.

The plaque now designating Anderson’s training facility as the “ArcelorMittal Millwright Lab” will remind current students and generations to come of the company’s commitment to educational success, a highly skilled workforce and a strong economic investment built on partnerships to make South Texas and the Coastal Bend the best place to live.

View highlights of the July 13 event and segments of speakers’ remarks by clicking on the video below:

Editor's note: Pictured in the page banner are company employees, along with Del Mar College President and CEO Dr. Mark Escamilla (fifth from left) and Dr. Michael Spitz (white-rimmed glasses), CEO of ArcelorMittal Texas HBI, posing together in the newly named ArcelorMittal Millwright Lab after the July 13 naming and plaque unveiling ceremony. (Credit: DMC College Relations)

About Del Mar College

Del Mar College empowers students to achieve their dreams. We offer quality programs, individual attention, outstanding instruction through faculty with real-world experience and affordable costs to credit and noncredit students in Corpus Christi and the South Texas Coastal Bend area. Nationally recognized while locally focused, we’re ranked in the top two percent of community colleges in the country granting associate degrees to Hispanic students (Community College Week). Del Mar College focuses on offering our students programs that match current or emerging career opportunities. Whether students are interested in the fine arts, sciences, business, occupational or technical areas, students get the education they need for the future they want at Del Mar College.