Author: sHq_LoGiNz

Key Points

• A $100,000 grant is advancing an effort to expand broadband internet access in a section of El Paso, Texas, where many households have no internet subscription.
• The funds from Marathon Petroleum will support a project to provide the necessary infrastructure for service delivery in an underserved ZIP code.
• The nonprofit coalition Borderplex Connect will lead the project, which is expected to begin later this year.

An effort to expand broadband internet access in an underserved area of El Paso, Texas, has gained momentum through a $100,000 grant from Marathon Petroleum Corporation’s (MPC) El Paso refinery. The funds will support Project Overcome, which focuses on the 79901 ZIP code where limited internet availability exists.

“This ZIP code faces some of the deepest digital and economic divides in the region,” said Andrea Tirres, CEO of Borderplex Connect, the nonprofit recipient and supporting organization of the El Paso Community Foundation. “An astounding 44% of households have no internet subscription at all, while about 27% of households rely on their cellular subscription to access the internet according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Commerce.”

“This ZIP code faces some of the deepest digital and economic divides in the region.”

Project Overcome is expected to begin later this year. It will provide the infrastructure needed to deliver high-speed internet service to a targeted section of the 79901 ZIP code.

“This assistance is among our more important investments in El Paso because it will link so many residents with resources and opportunities that they’ve never had before,” said MPC Principal Corporate Social Responsibility & Community Relations Representative V.J. Smith.

Borderplex Connect is a regional coalition of public, private and nonprofit organizations that promotes broadband accessibility and affordability across far West Texas and southern New Mexico. Along with expanding internet service, the coalition supports digital skills training, distribution of devices that connect to the internet, and access to affordable internet for low-income residents and rural households.

“Working with Borderplex Connect reinforces MPC’s broader commitment to promote thriving communities where we operate by addressing basic needs and fostering economic progress,” Smith said.

Live date: Tuesday, August 19^th at 12pm CT

Register here!

Organizations have been managing legacy remediation liability around the world since the 1960s and have experienced a multitude of challenges to reduce or remove these financial liabilities from their organizations. The stories range from “these sites just never go away” to “why is there so much variability in the future cost estimate?” along with everyone’s favorite, “why does the estimated cost to close these sites keep going up with no end in sight?”

We face hard questions from business leadership, so it is important to:

• Use appropriate tools including regulatory, technical, stakeholder engagement, and business prowess
• Present solutions in a way that business leaders understand
• Present the business case and a liability exit strategy with clear endpoints

Understanding complex technical issues, managing “technically righteous” consultants, keeping regulators happy, and engaging with your operations and finance team can be a struggle. Most people live in a world of constant change orders, complex stakeholder engagement, and regulatory remediation programs that seem to go on forever. These liabilities are a burden to the balance sheet and finding the pathway to manage them to zero is a business-driven goal for your organizational stakeholders. That business driver can be used as a vehicle to close sites and quickly extinguish those legacy remediation liabilities.

Rest assured; you found the help you’ve been looking for. This webinar will teach you how to present strategies to your leadership in business terms that will help reduce or extinguish your legacy liability and keep you out of hot water with regulators, your finance group, and the C-suite.

Please join us on Tuesday, August 19th at 12pm CT. If you can’t attend live, registrants will receive on-demand access shortly after the event.

Wednesday July 16th, 2025, might have been a regular workday for Paramount employees, but for the interns, it was the company’s 7^th annual Paramount Intern Impact Day – a day focused on participating in Paramount’s tradition of giving back to the community and immersing Paramount summer interns into the company culture. The Paramount Social Impact team, in collaboration with the Paramount Emerging Talent team, supported 5 in-office, virtual and in-field volunteer events which interns could participate in. 

Across both coasts and virtually, there was something for everyone from sandwich races to gardening to mural paintings and supporting educational development through storytelling! Intern Impact Day recognizes the need to create impact. And thanks to the Social Impact and Emerging Talent teams at Paramount Global, it was a successful turnout. 

On the east coast, interns braved the New York heat and sun to serve Hudson River Park Friends, a non-profit dedicated to maintaining the park’s beauty. The interns got to work on an outdoor revitalization project in the Habitat Garden, collectively removing 1.5 cubic yards of mug wort and bindweed to be processed into nutrient-rich soil for use throughout the park. Logan Tridel, Product Analyst Intern, said, “I had such a great day. It was great to give back to the community, had a fun time helping the garden, learned a lot and worked hard!”

But that wasn’t all for New York as interns swarmed onto the 7th floor of Paramount HQ to compete in a sandwich race to combat hunger inequality in the city. Grassroots Grocery, a non-profit on a mission to improve how families access food in NYC, facilitated placing interns in teams to encourage a little friendly competition for a good cause. In just one hour, the race resulted in 2,200+ sun butter and jelly sandwiches made! The sandwiches were then picked up and delivered directly to community partners for distribution. 

Over in Los Angeles there were two equally meaningful events. With the help of Vibrant Emotional Health, a mental-health-focused organization for people from all walks of life, interns had the opportunity to say “Thank You” to healthcare and frontline relief workers through Stars of Hope. The 30+ wooden stars were hand-painted with images and words of encouragement and support. Some interns really rolled up their creative sleeves and delivered special designs like Patrick the Star!

A short distance away at LA Elementary, more interns also unearthed their creative side by beautifying the school’s campus with fresh mural paintings. Volunteers painted one large “under the sea” themed mural as well as touched up existing murals pieces where needed most. Kelsey McRae, Corporate Event Manager for LA Works, supported the facilitation of the event and added, “most schools lack the funding to retrofit, upgrade, improve, or maintain the grounds of campuses. This is why the work that the Paramount volunteers completed is so important. The students were given the space to be creative, be supported and valued so they can grow into the best version of themselves.”

Last but certainly not least, virtual interns were not left out of giving back! Story Pirates, a non-profit focused on providing educational resources to youth in need, led interns through a virtual reading session in recognition of the young authors involved in their literacy program. 30 stories were read, after which, Paramount interns wrote much needed letters of encouragement to the young authors.

Overall, more than 100 interns participate in Intern Impact Day highlighting how much this is always a collective effort across the cohort. Paramount looks forward to continuing this tradition of providing interns with a front row seat to give back and create impact where needed.