Plains Dairy Honored for Workforce Partnership, Boosting Local Jobs

Workforce Solutions Panhandle recognized Plains Dairy as the 2025 Local Employer of Excellence on December 8, 2025, noting that the company had received the Texas Workforce Commission award at the statewide conference held December 3 through December 5. The honor highlights Plains Dairy's multi year partnership with the regional workforce board to recruit, train and retain workers, and it underscores the company role in shoring up labor supply in the Texas Panhandle.

Key elements of the collaboration took place in 2023 when Plains Dairy and the workforce board secured a $154,985 Skills Development Fund grant. That grant financed customized training for 127 employees in areas that included manufacturing, merchandising, forklift operations, transportation and food safety. The training was coordinated with local colleges to match curriculum to industry needs, improving individual skill levels while increasing the firm's operational capacity and creating new job opportunities.

Beyond the grant, Plains Dairy has used tools such as WorkInTexas.com and participated in regional hiring events and job fairs to expand its candidate pool. Company led upskilling and internal advancement strategies were cited as complementary measures that help reduce turnover and support long term workforce stability. For a community where employer led training can determine local hiring prospects, these coordinated efforts translate into stable payrolls, more predictable consumer spending and a stronger local tax base.

From a policy perspective the case illustrates how state funded programs such as the Skills Development Fund can leverage modest public dollars to mobilize employer investment in training. The $154,985 investment yielded direct training for 127 workers, and the partnership model amplified the effect by involving educational institutions and regional hiring infrastructure. That approach aligns with broader trends toward employer driven skill development in manufacturing and logistics, sectors that remain central to the Panhandle economy.

For Texas County residents the immediate impact is practical. Trained workers mean more resilient local employers, new entry level and advancement opportunities, and a workforce better equipped to meet industry requirements. The award positions Plains Dairy as a model for how private firms and public workforce systems can collaborate to sustain employment and regional economic growth.