PEP honors Staples during annual banquet

The Pineywoods Economic Partnership (PEP) honored a native son on March 1 for his work "toting wood and hauling water" for Texas Forest Country.

At its annual membership banquet, PEP singled out Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples of Palestine as its 2007 Silver Bucket award winner. Staples, who grew up in the nursery and cattle industry, has crusaded for the protection and preservation of property rights of all Texans.

In making the presentation, Lufkin Mayor Jack Gorden also commended the former state legislator for his tireless efforts during two events that struck East Texas - the space shuttle Columbia tragedy and the devastation caused by Hurricane Rita.

Gorden added, "Todd Staples' knowledge and vast experience from his hands-on work both on the family farm and in the family retail plant nursery gives him the greatest insight and ability to preserve and protect what East Texans hold dearest - the land and the agricultural way of life." Gorden represented First Bank and Trust East Texas, the annual sponsor of the Silver Bucket Award.

In addition to the Silver Bucket award, PEP honored Congressman Kevin Brady of The Woodlands with the Distinguished Service Award for his leadership following Hurricane Rita.

PEP Board Chairman David Alders emceed the night's program, which was peppered with humorous anecdotes of Alders' and Staples' days as leaders in the state's Future Farmers of America leadership program.

Staples commended PEP for crusading for the creation of the Certified Retirement Community program within the Department of Agriculture. Both Lufkin and Nacogdoches have received their official certification.

That goes hand in hand with PEP's twelve-county retirement initiative that was unveiled in October 2006. PEP presented the brand Texas Forest Country as a way to market the region to the millions of baby boomers thinking about retirement.

In Texas alone there are 3.8 million people at retirement age. Many want to move out of major metropolitan areas and settle in more rural areas.

In making the keynote address Staples reiterated the importance of retirees to the country's economic picture. He said, "Nationally retirees have a 2.3 trillion dollar spending potential - a number unprecedented in American history."

He adds "East Texas is smart to position itself to grab a piece of the pie" and that "Lufkin and Nacogdoches County are first out of the gate since they were two of the first three communities to receive Certified Retirement Community designations from the State of Texas."

The Texas Forest Country campaign includes billboards, brochures and print ads that all point people to its website, www.texasforestcountry. com.

In completing his remarks, Alders thanked the PEP Board for its dedication to growing Texas Forest Country and challenged the membership to "wave the banner" to attract retirees to East Texas.