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Young men in a sports huddle on an indoor field

Western Pennsylvania Residents Welcome Opportunity for the Next Generation

Rocco Martini is a champion for local youth, passionately fostering their aspirations and development in Beaver County, the lifelong place he’s called home.

Generations of the Martini family have lived in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. It’s a closeknit community outside of Pittsburgh where neighbors become friends, and eventually, like family. Rocco Martini’s friends and colleagues jokingly call him the mayor of Beaver County because he rarely meets a stranger. He remains close friends with his childhood classmates, many of whom he bonded with through sports.

Read the transcript

Duration: 3:10 minutes

Description: 

This video follows Rocco’s journey in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, and how, with support from Shell, he’s helping his community grow through local industry, youth mentorship, and a new community sports complex.

EF24 - M7- Picture Lock Transcript

 

[Background music plays]

The background instrumentals shift fluidly between rock, electronic, classical, and folk, creating a distinctive yet cohesive soundscape. Rhythms range from upbeat and energetic to smooth and balanced, with nods to The Sound of Shell throughout.

Video footage

Aerial footage captures a picturesque residential neighborhood with houses, trees, and a river in the background.

Rocco Martini

My name is Rocco Martini. I live in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. I lived here all my life.

Video footage

A sequence of shots features Rocco driving, followed by a close-up of a charming town sign reading “Rivertowns of Beaver County - Monaca,” set against the backdrop of a traffic-filled truss bridge. The scene transitions to an aerial view of a long, busy main street stretching through the picturesque town.

Rocco Martini

Through the good times, the bad times, this community has given me so much. Any way I can give back, it’s just something that I really wanna do.

Video footage

Rocco steps out of his car in front of a large building. The scene cuts to an aerial shot of a football court, followed by a closer view of Rocco playing football with friends. Though the sun shines brightly in a clear blue sky, they are all bundled in warm clothing.

Rocco Martini

I am a football coach as well as a health and safety specialist.

Video footage

Rocco stands by his parked car, casually tossing a football to one friend. He pulls another friend into a shoulder hug before getting into the car.

Rocco Martini

Out here to the left is the old site of the steel mill.

Video footage

Rocco drives along the road, narrating as the scenery passes by. Next, an aerial view captures an industrial area near a river, with large piles of materials, several vehicles, and a road running alongside the site, surrounded by greenery and distant hills under a partly cloudy sky.

Rocco Martini

My grandfather on my mother’s side worked there. My grandfather on my father's side worked there.

Dad

They went to the mill. That's what everybody did.

Dad

Then all of a sudden, within a couple year period, there was no more mill.

Sister

Cause it affects the entire town, like, the whole community.

Dad

Oh, yeah. It was a big blow to this area.

Video footage

Rocco sits with his family at his parents’ home, gathered around a table sharing cake and a mix of hot and cold drinks. As the conversation turns to the old steel mill, the camera focuses on each family member as they speak.

Rocco Martini

When I was growing up, job opportunities in the area, it was still pretty scarce.

Video footage

The camera lingers on Rocco at the family table as his voiceover begins. The scene transitions to interview footage of Rocco seated in a community center, surrounded by various sports equipment. Signs for M:7 Sports and Shell are visible on the walls in the background.

Rocco Martini

So this is actually my route to work in the morning. When I first started working here in 2017, there was nothing here. I got to see Monaca from the ground up.

Video footage

A sedan moves beneath a truss bridge, with houses and lush green vegetation in the background. Inside the car, Rocco is at the wheel. As he speaks, we see him driving up to Shell Polymers Monaca, visible through the windows. Drone footage shows off the extensive industrial complex, with numerous structures, including large processing units, cooling towers, and various buildings, situated along a river with the truss bridge visible in the background.

[Text displays]

Construction of the 386 acre site at Shell Polymers Monaca was completed in 2022.

Today it produces up to 1.6m tonnes of polyethylene pellets per year.

Video footage

Aerial footage of the Monaca complex transitions into a soft blur as text transitions in to display at frame-center.

Rocco Martini

When I got my role, I was super excited. We sell plastic pellets to create plastic water bottles, medical devices, car parts, anything you can think of. That really supplies the nation with things that we need in our everyday lives.

Video footage

Shots of Rocco on-site at Monaca show him striding through various interior areas of the complex, both alone and alongside colleagues. A wide shot reveals a Coperion pelletizer on the factory floor, while a close-up captures a detailed part of the process.

Colleague

Rocco!

Rocco Martini

Guys, how are you?

Rocco Martini

The goal of a health and safety specialist is to ensure that our employees are going home from work the same way that they came.

Rocco Martini

It's very important to me.

Video footage

More shots of Rocco on-site show him striding along the exterior, with the towering complex in the background. He greets colleagues with a friendly smile and bumps fists as he moves through the area. Inside the facility, Rocco is seen interacting with a colleague working at a robotic titrosampler. An extreme close-up captures Rocco wearing a hard hat and safety glasses, intently surveying his surroundings.

[Text displays]

Shell has partnered with M:7 to open a 40,000 sq. ft. sport and event space for the community.

Video footage

A bird’s-eye view captures the M:7 Sports Complex beneath overcast skies, with several cars parked outside and the complex set against a backdrop of green lawns and gentle green hills. The footage transitions into a soft blur as text transitions in to display at frame-center.

Rocco Martini

The M:7 Shell Sports Complex gives kids a place where they can come and get out of the elements.

Video footage

As Rocco approaches the M:7 building, the outside signage comes into view, along with the Shell Pecten logo. Inside, the illuminated M:7 Sports signage is visible as he walks through the building. A low-angle shot shows off the high-ceilinged interior with its various sports equipment and wall signage.

Rocco Martini

We do back-to-school drives, career days and kind of do some mentorship.

Video footage

As Rocco strides through the community center, more wall signage comes into view. Rocco and the male high school students he coaches pump their fists in the air, joining together for a team chant.

Rocco Martini

Really make sure that our students are well rounded. Not only on the football field or the baseball field, but in the classroom as well.

Rocco Martini

Making sure their homeworks are done. We work on résumés, we talk about outlook for college, opportunities. There’s going to be no future if you don’t have education.

Video footage

A series of shots captures the team playing on the synthetic turf football court at the community center, with Rocco coaching them. Another series of shots captures the students sitting around a table in the community center, working on their devices while Rocco mentors them, and ends with interview footage of Rocco seated in the community center.

Rocco, Jim, and team

One, two three, teamwork!

Rocco Martini

Jim Christiana is the owner of M:7. He's also a friend of mine.

Video footage

Aerial footage captures Rocco, his friend Jim, and a team of young girls performing a team chant on the community center's football court. As the chant ends, the team disperses, and Jim and Rocco share a handshake.

Jim Christiana

We're averaging about almost 10,000 people here a week. These partnerships are so vital.

Rocco Martini

One of the biggest things that we do, we want to inspire the children.

Jim Christiana

This is a community asset for decades and for generations.

Video footage

This next sequence shows Jim and Rocco talking on court as well as refereeing the game.

Rocco Martini

We're preparing these athletes to be outstanding individuals. Anytime you see a former student doing great, it really gives you a great feeling of satisfaction.

Video footage

A series of shots shows Rocco coaching a session with the high school students on the court as well as mentoring them as they’re working on more academic aspects around the table.

Rocco Martini

This community’s continuing to grow, and Shell is contributing to that growth and I'm very excited to see what's next for Beaver County.

Video footage

A series of shots captures Rocco in various environments: Rocco and a younger man walk up a staircase beside a wall displaying the text "Shell Polymers Making the Experience Matter"; Rocco works on a bundle of documents with the high-ceilinged interior of Monaca in the background; Rocco interacts with his colleagues on-site, with the towering complex and blue sky forming the backdrop; and a rear view close-up shows Rocco standing in front of a wall featuring the illuminated “M:7 Sports” signage.

Video footage and animated sequence

We end on a yellow background montage, where we see various people, ending with Rocco, successively posing against the yellow background, and smiling into the camera. An animated Pecten shape displays at frame-center over the flashing images, yellow neon light appearing to move around the outline in a chasing effect. Successively larger Pecten shapes briefly pulsate out from the original shape.

[Audio]

Shell brand mnemonic played on keys.

[Text displays]

Powering Progress Together
© Shell International Limited 2025

[Animated sequence]

The prior scene transitions with a contraction effect, closing in the shape of the Pecten and disappearing at the center of the frame, leaving a white background. The small classic red and yellow Pecten transitions in to display at frame-center against the white background. Text displays below the Pecten and along lower frame.

[Text displays]

The companies in which Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. In this content “Shell”, “Shell Group” and “Group” are sometimes used for convenience to reference Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words “we”, “us” and “our” are also used to refer to Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These terms are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular entity or entities. ‘‘Subsidiaries’’, ‘‘Shell subsidiaries’’ and ‘‘Shell companies’’ as used in this content refer to entities over which Shell plc either directly or indirectly has control. The terms “joint venture”, “joint operations”, “joint arrangements”, and “associates” may also be used to refer to a commercial arrangement in which Shell has a direct or indirect ownership interest with one or more parties. The term “Shell interest” is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect ownership interest held by Shell in an entity or unincorporated joint arrangement, after exclusion of all third-party interest.

[Graphic]

A paragraph of text displays at the center of a white background.

Work in the community is everything to me. This community has given me so much throughout my life, I want to contribute and give back any opportunity I can.

Rocco Martini
Man in front of manufacturing complex

A new starting lineup

Beaver County was once a thriving industrial hub, renowned for its steel, iron, and glass manufacturing. These industries were the backbone of the area's rich history. However, as time passed, these industries declined, forcing many residents, including Rocco’s grandfather and other members of the Martini family, to seek new career paths. It took time for the county to recover, and people had to reimagine their future.

As a kid, Rocco dreamed of being a professional athlete – specifically an NFL player. Even at an early age, he knew sports and education went hand in hand. As he grew older, he understood he needed the grades to play, and with such strong ties to the community, he wanted a career that could make an impact close to home.

That love of sports and community is still with Rocco today. He is a football coach at his alma mater, Central Valley High School, and a health and safety specialist at Shell Polymers Monaca in Beaver County. It was his senior year of high school when Shell broke ground on the polyethylene manufacturing complex, and he decided to major in health and safety management with the hopes of future employment at the local Shell facility.

Where the love of sport and community meet

By a stroke of luck, Rocco met Jim Christiana in the sixth grade. Jim became his mentor, and over time, the pair bonded even more over a shared vision to create a facility that promotes sports and education, encouraging active involvement from families. Jim is the founder and CEO of M:7 Sports Inc.

In 2024, Shell partnered with M:7 Sports to support its inaugural building in Pittsburgh. Titled the M:7 Shell Sports Complex, the building is a state-of-the-art 40,000 square foot indoor facility, dedicated to providing year-round training and competition opportunities for youth programs and school districts from Pennsylvania, Ohio and beyond. The complex gives athletes a safe and collaborative space to train and play and offers growth opportunities through mental health assistance, educational programming, and workforce initiatives.

Facilities like these add such value to the community. I had great coaches and mentors growing up. I learned so much from them and want to contribute to students’ lives by helping them make the right decisions or be better at something they love.

Rocco Martini

The next quarter

The M:7 Shell Sports Complex extends beyond athletics. This innovative facility is set to become a cornerstone for local youth, offering a versatile space where they can excel in the classroom and on the field. Academic competitions, STEM camps, workforce development projects, career fairs, back-to-school events, community meetings, and mental health awareness programs are just some of the events community members can expect to see as the facility progresses.

Three you men looking at tablets

As coaches and mentors, we want to inspire children. Knowing not everyone will be a professional athlete, we want to instill tools in them to be outstanding individuals in the community, especially as Beaver County continues to grow.

Rocco Martini

Frequently asked questions

Why is Shell partnering with M:7?

Shell's involvement reflects its commitment to the community, providing a safe and collaborative space for young athletes in the Western Pennsylvania area to train and grow. The complex will also host educational and workforce development initiatives, providing youth with valuable tools for their future careers.

What else is Shell doing in Beaver County?

Shell Polymers Monaca is actively involved in several initiatives in Beaver County, focusing on sustainability, education, and community support. Shell invested over $1 million at the Community College of Beaver County to develop a curriculum for the Shell Center for Process Technology. Shell is also working with The Challenge Program, Junior Achievement of Western Pennsylvania, the United Way of Beaver County, and Convoy of Hope.

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The companies in which Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. In this content “Shell”, “Shell Group” and “Group” are sometimes used for convenience to reference Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words “we”, “us” and “our” are also used to refer to Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These terms are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular entity or entities. ‘‘Subsidiaries’’, “Shell subsidiaries” and “Shell companies” as used in this content refer to entities over which Shell plc either directly or indirectly has control. The terms “joint venture”, “joint operations”, “joint arrangements”, and “associates” may also be used to refer to a commercial arrangement in which Shell has a direct or indirect ownership interest with one or more parties. The term “Shell interest” is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect ownership interest held by Shell in an entity or unincorporated joint arrangement, after exclusion of all third-party interest.