In this instance serendipity (the fact of finding interesting or valuable things by chance) was a casual meeting between Ed Watson, President and CEO of Acme Brick Company, and James Hurley, President of Tarleton State University. Both were attending a meeting with other business leaders on ways to build partnerships with the new Texas A&M University School of Law in Fort Worth.
Out of their casual conversation came a discovery. Tarleton was producing engineering graduates with a “hands on” practical approach to engineering challenges – exactly what Acme was seeking.
Tarleton then hosted Acme leaders on its campus to meet engineering students and discuss job opportunities at Acme Brick Company. Senior Ben Price was hired after he graduated, followed shortly by his friend Kyle Thomas. Both were involved in the reopening of Acme’s Bennett Plant, near Millsap, Texas, after a major renovation. During that time Cooper Kelly, another engineering student from Tarleton, was also working at Bennett as an intern. As Mike Shipley, Acme’s Vice President of Production puts it, “They hit the ground running and didn’t stop.”
Shortly thereafter, Acme engaged Tarleton engineering professors to evaluate Acme’s needs in the production process. After a meeting with Acme plant personnel at Acme’s Bennett Texas plant, the “Capstone Project” emerged with their recommendations for improvements and other manufacturing refinements.
To promote equipment reliability, the professors proposed creating a system to monitor major equipment and predict failures before they occur. They also developed a quality assurance program relying on artificial intelligence, to improve results for surface coatings of brick.
In 2025 Tarleton graduate Bella Pena joined Acme after learning from a professor that Acme was looking for engineers interested in PLC’s (programmable logic controllers). Said Pena, “After I toured the facility at Bennett and met the people, choosing Acme was an easy decision.”
Acme plans to add three or four additional Tarleton graduates this May. “This partnership with Tarleton and their outstanding graduates,” said Acme’s Mike Shipley, “means that the future of Acme is in good hands.”
Recent Tarleton University hires at Acme Brick are: Ben Price, Kyle Thomas, Bella Pena, and Cooper Kelly
Acme Brick Company, founded in 1891, is a resource for quality building materials and design products. It operates more than 50 Acme Brick Tile & Stone showrooms across 13 states in the Southwest and Southeast. The Bennett Plant is one of Acme’s 15 brick manufacturing facilities in four states. Acme is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc.
