A new media center is going to be located at the Montgoomery High School's Library due to a $30,000 contribution by Halliburton. (L to R): Jordon Bitler, Montgomery; Mark Farabee, Asst. District Manager for Halliburton in Montgomery; Superintendent, Daphne Ross; Derek Hauck, Montgomery, and Perry Harris, Sr. District Manager for Northeast Operations for Halliburton.

MONTGOMERY – Thanks to Halliburton and a check for $30,000 a new media center will be located at Montgomery High School’s library. A formal announcement was made on Thursday morning when Senior District Manager, Perry Harris, presented the check to superintendent, Daphne Ross. “Supporting local youth is one way that Halliburton strives to make a difference in communities,” said Ross.

Halliburton is one of the nation’s largest providers of the gas industry and operates a plant in Montgomery on 24 acres.

“We have hired 181 employees, 80 percent are local,” said assistant district manager, Mark Farabee.

“We just hired 32 more local people at a job fair here yesterday,” Farabee added.

Jordon Bitler and Derek Hauck both graduates of Montgomery High School in June of 2010 were hired right after high school graduation and received training to work with the company. “I am making enough wages to support my family,” said Bitler. Hauck, who is a materials coordinator, said he heard about the opportunity for employment through his school.

Halliburton has donated more than $500,000 to charities, schools and universities in Pennsylvania over the past five years. This year’s annual Halliburton Golf tournament raised over 1 million for charities and made a donation that will allow for an innovative 21st Century media lab at the school. “The Montgomery Area School District is excited about its partnership with Halliburton for the benefit of our students and community,” added Ross who is planning on buying new computers for the center.

“We are one of the largest energy companies around,” said Harris who replied that Halliburton has 55,000 employees world-wide and has donated more than one half million dollars to local charity funds in Pennsylvania from the Halliburton Foundation.

The company said they will continue to grow in the area and they hope to hire an additional 300 employees in 2011.