Scholarship Sponsor Q&A: TPC Group Mark of Excellence Programs

TPC Group, headquartered in Houston, Texas, produces value-added products for chemical and petroleum-based companies around the world, while also providing critical infrastructure and logistics services along the Gulf Coast. With an 80-year history of commitment to safety, environmental protection, and community respect, TPC Group is known for integrity.

The Company offers two Mark of Excellence scholarships, one for children of employees and the other for high school seniors at Houston’s Cesar E. Chavez High School and Port Neches-Groves High School in Port Neches, Texas. Scholarship America spoke to Sara Cronin, Vice President Communications and Public Affairs, about TPC Group’s commitment to supporting higher education.

SAI: What’s your role at TPC Group, and how do you work with these two scholarship programs?

Sara Cronin: I serve as VP of communications and public affairs, as well as president of TPC All for One Foundation, which we established after Hurricane Harvey to create a mechanism for the Company and our employees to support co-workers when they are facing hardship. As a part of my work, I oversee the Mark of Excellence and Mark of Excellence Sons and Daughters scholarship programs.

SAI: How do the scholarship programs complement your talent recruitment and retention efforts?

Sara Cronin: The Sons and Daughters scholarship helps our employees contend with the rising costs of education beyond high school. We are proud to support employee dependents who are enrolling in two- and four-year institutions as well as vocational/technical programs. They are all great options for preparing to join the workforce. The scholarship program is an important feature of the benefits package we offer to our employees—everyone who has a dependent child enrolling in higher education and at least a year of service to TPC Group can apply to be considered for the Mark of Excellence.

SAI: Why does TPC Group feel it’s so important to invest in scholarships for the broader community?

Sara Cronin: Our Mark of Excellence scholarship for seniors at Cesar E. Chavez High School and Port Neches-Groves High School goes hand-in-hand with the commitment we’ve made to being a good neighbor. We are committed to operating safely and in a manner that is protective of our environment, but we want to do more. We want to be a part of what makes our communities thrive. The Mark of Excellence scholarship helps change the trajectory of lives for students who want to go to college. The scholarship recipients are eligible to enroll in the study of engineering, chemistry, or environmental science at four-year universities, and also designated applied science programs at six excellent two-year colleges in our area—Brazosport College, Lamar Institute of Technology, San Jacinto College, Houston Community College, Lee College, and Lamar State College-Port Arthur.

SAI: How do you think these initiatives might impact your future workforce?

Sara Cronin: Our industry relies on highly skilled employees, and we are doing our part to ensure that students with the ambition to study critically important fields have the means to do so.

SAI: Are you in touch with past scholarship recipients? 

Sara Cronin: We held a luncheon to celebrate our newest recipients in May of 2024. Meeting these students, and in many cases following them along their journey through college, is always a thrill; their drive and intelligence gives me faith in the future. They are ready to study hard and to work even harder.