(WACO, Texas) – Longtime Texas State Technical College supporters David and Valerie Fallas were honored at a plaque dedication on Wednesday, Oct. 8, at The WorKSITE (Skills, Innovation, Training and Education) in south Waco.
The plaque commemorates the David and Valerie Fallas Industrial Training Lab at the accelerated workforce training facility, a partnership between TSTC, the city of Waco and McLennan County. The Fallas family is the founder of Fallas Automation in Waco, which specializes in producing automation support equipment and compact case packers.
“I think The WorkSITE is a wonderful idea; it gives students practical experience that is desperately needed and all at Fallas Automation are excited to be part of this,” David Fallas said. “We need a balance of intelligence, experience and a willingness to learn, and we have it at The WorkSITE.”
The lab naming is tied to a $1 million cash gift given to The TSTC Foundation in 2023 providing scholarships for students in the Advanced Manufacturing Technology – Industrial Maintenance, Robotics and Industrial Controls and Drafting and Design programs at the Waco campus and workforce training students participating in mechatronics lessons at The WorkSITE.
“Your faith in TSTC, and in the future of our students, is both humbling and inspiring,” said Kacey Darnell, TSTC’s vice president of student relations and senior director of The WorkSITE. “Because of you, lives will be changed for generations to come.”
Sarah McDonald, development officer for The TSTC Foundation, said so far about $185,000 from the gift has gone to students.
“Earlier this week I walked through classes and saw several students from the first cohort of the Fallas scholarship, (and they were) fully engaged, smiling, clearly loving what they’re learning,” she said. “Many wouldn’t be here without this support.”
The Fallas family’s name is also on the lab for the Robotics and Industrial Controls program at the Waco campus.
Mike Reeser, TSTC’s chancellor and CEO, said the college continues to position itself as an affordable, high-tech pathway to professional success. Central to this is TSTC’s engagement with an array of industry partners, including Fallas Automation, which has hired several of the college’s graduates.
For more information on The WorkSITE, go to worksite.org.