Denimatrix Honored by U.S. State Dept.
Denimatrix, a Guatemala-based subsidiary of the Lubbock, Texas–based Plains Cotton Cooperative Association, was presented with the 2010 Award for Corporate Excellence in the small-to-medium enterprise category in December. The award, presented annually by the U.S. State Department, honors American companies with overseas operations that demonstrate corporate social responsibility, innovation, exemplary practices and democratic values worldwide.
Denimatrix, which produces PCCA’s denim out of Guatemala City, was nominated for the award by U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala Stephen McFarland. A total of 78 companies competed for the award, said Carlos Arias, president of Denimatrix. “We were so thrilled just to be nominated. It sounds like a clicheacute;, but it’s true. There were so many great companies who were also being considered, and we were fortunate to be chosen,” he said. “This is the first time an apparel company has won the award. It is a big honor.”
In December, Wally Darneille, president of the PCCA, and Arias traveled to Washington, D.C., to accept the award from Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
According to a release from the PCCA, Denimatrix was honored for its contributions to the development of the local economy, for reaching out to the community to help disadvantaged youth and the homeless in Guatemala City, and for its environmental stewardship.
“This award means a great deal to us about the future as well as the past,” Darneille said in a statement. “It is a recognition of the dedication of several generations of PCCA stockholders to doing the right thing for present and future generations.When our apparel customers come to visit Denimatrix, one of the strongest impressions they take away is the sense of teamwork and of family that pervades our facility.”
Denimatrix, part of the PCCA’s vertically integrated business model, was founded in 2009 as a manufacturer of high-fashion denim jeans. The factory has a capacity to produce 150,000 pairs of jeans per week.—Erin Barajas
