EL PASO, Texas — Schneider Electric, the energy technology company whose biggest U.S. manufacturing campus sits in El Paso, received the Borderplex Alliance’s Woody L. Hunt award for excellence in economic development on Thursday.
The honor was handed out at the alliance’s third annual luncheon at the Hotel Paso del Norte. Named for El Paso businessman and philanthropist Woody Hunt, it recognizes leaders whose work makes the Paso del Norte region more competitive. Hunt said the company’s growth shows confidence in the local workforce and the region’s ability to compete worldwide.
Schneider Electric came to the city a quarter century ago with 40 workers and now has about 2,500 employees in the region. Borderplex Alliance CEO Jon Barela said that counting suppliers, well over 3,000 people in the Borderplex hold jobs tied to the company.
Last year Schneider pledged to put more than $700 million into U.S. operations by 2027. Part of that money is enlarging the El Paso plant so it can turn out more power distribution gear. Diego Faria, who runs the El Paso operations, said a sixth local facility will open early next year.
The company’s El Paso work also includes a countywide energy modernization effort, and the World Economic Forum has recognized the plant for its manufacturing advances.
Barela credited the company with hiring people from all over the region for a quarter century. Schneider, which calls itself the world’s most sustainable company, also backs community programs in the Borderplex on top of the factory jobs it provides.
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