Arguindegui Oil Company Establishes STEM Endowment Fund at TAMIU
Tapping into a shared pride of education and work ethic that they trace to Texas A&M University, family members of Laredo’s Arguindegui Oil Company recently initiated the Arguindegui Oil Company Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Endowment Fund at Texas A&M International University.
The Arguindegui gift of $75,000 will provide student scholarships for students planning careers in STEM fields, explained Candy Hein, TAMIU vice president for Institutional Advancement.
“The Arguindegui Oil Scholarship Endowment is a remarkable, visionary gift that will also be expanded through a matching grant from the U.S. Department of Education Title III STEM Grant, to yield a gift totaling $150,000,” Hein explained.
Family members said their legacy has been achieved through education and hard work; something they predict will resonate with TAMIU scholarship recipients.
“Our success is the legacy of education, hard work and putting in the time. We attach tremendous importance and value to the education that Texas A&M University has extended through multiple generations of the Arguindegui family: Peter Jr. ’53 and Carlos ‘55, and on to Peter III ‘84, Maria Teresa ’85 and Maria Estela ’85,” said Alfonso Arguindegui, Arguindegui Oil Company spokesperson.
He said the TAMIU STEM Endowment Fund will provide students with a decided edge in what he predicts is a dynamic career field.
“It is our belief that our Endowment Fund will help provide TAMIU graduates with a competitive edge when they enter the work environment. We believe, equally strongly, that there is dynamic growth ahead in STEM field-based careers. We see a great deal of that growth here in Laredo, Webb County and South Texas,” he noted.
The Arguindegui Oil Company was founded in August of 1942 and has evolved to include a limited liability company and seven limited partnerships headed by a management team that includes third generation Arguindegui family members, Alfonso and Charlie Jr., president and vice-president respectively, of Arguindegui Management Company.
Both oversee the operations of 11 convenience stores branded Conoco and Valero, three unattended fueling sites, six bulk warehouse operations in Laredo, Edinburg, Brownsville, Beeville, Corpus Christi and Odessa as well as a diverse portfolio of rental properties and investments. Arguindegui Companies provide approximately 250 local and regional jobs. The Company has grown 30-fold since incorporation. Management's mission is continued growth and expansion to the point of becoming a dominant regional distributorship in retail and wholesale fuels and lubricants.
In addition to the TAMIU STEM Endowment Fun, the Arguindegui family has supported a Presidents Endowed Scholarship at Texas A&M University. The family and company have provided additional scholarships or support to Laredo Community College and Laredo and United Independent School Districts.
Arguindegui Oil Company has extended corporate sponsorships to the Laredo Bucks, Laredo Shrine Club, South Texas Academic Rise, United Day School, Juvenile Diabetes, Communities in Schools, Boys & Girls Clubs of Laredo, LIFE, Boy Scouts of America, Laredo Musical Theater, United Way, Children’s Advocacy Center, Women’s City Club, Zapata Consolidated ISD Support Services, American Red Cross, South Texas Food Bank, Bethany House, Special Olympics, SCAN Inc. and the Laredo Children’s Museum. The company is a member of the Laredo Chamber of Commerce and Laredo Development Foundation.
For additional information, contact Hein at the TAMIU Office for Institutional Advancement at 956.326.GIVE (4483), email candy.hein@tamiu.edu or click on www.tamiu.edu/adminis/vpia/
More information and giving opportunities are accessed with the University’s smartphone and tablet app. A free download is available at www.tamiu.edu/mobile/apps
Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at prmis@tamiu.edu