Westman Business

18 THE BRANDON SUN • WESTMAN BUSINESS • OCTOBER 27, 2022 Celebrating 55 Years in Brandon Celebrating 55 years of fertilizer pro- duction, Koch Fertilizer Canada (Koch Fertilizer) credits employees and the Brandon community with its success. "This anniversary is a testament to our employees and the community," said Kel- ly Simonson, Koch Fertilizer managing director. "We thank and congratulate our current and former employees for all they have done to sustain fertilizer production in Manitoba. We also thank the commu- nity for its support." Simonson — who has been with Koch Fertilizer for more than 25 years — said the company enjoys being part of the Brandon community as the community's values align well with Koch's culture, mak- ing it easy to find long term employees. The site, which employs about 275 peo- ple, now has multiple generations from the same families working at the plant. "We have a few instances where parents and their children are working with us, which is something to be proud of," Si- monson said. "The parent sees Koch Fer- tilizer as a great place to work. As a result, they want their children to work here and experience the same things they have. That's a very positive endorsement, and we want to continue being a preferred employer in town." Koch Fertilizer's Brandon Plant Manag- er Gordon Herron said part of being a pre- ferred employer is ensuring the business remains competitive in an ever-increas- ing global landscape. The company purchased the plant in 2006, which produces nitrogen, phospho- rus, and sulfur fertilizer products used by farmers locally, and across western Cana- da and the northern United States. Since the acquisition, Koch Fertilizer has invested more than $275 million into the plant to expand manufacturing capa- bilities and to make it safer, more reliable and a more rewarding place to work. Through regular maintenance invest- ments and reliability projects, Koch Fer- tilizer has improved performance of its existing operating units by upgrading equipment and systems to ensure the plant runs efficiently and predictably — minimizing downtime and maximizing production capability. In 2014, the company finished a $30 million project to increase ammonia pro- duction. Additionally, in 2021, Koch Fertilizer completed a $33 million headquarters project — the first of several significant upgrades designed for expansion, effi- ciency, and improved environmental, health and safety performance. "The amount of investment in our site has driven us to a better place," Simonson said. "And we're not done. We want to con- tinue to invest more in the business, so we can continue to grow, be a preferred sup- plier to our customers and remain a good employer for our employees. We strive to be good stewards and continue to rein- vest back in the plant, so we can get better year after year." Recently, Koch Fertilizer Canada be- came the first Canadian fertilizer plant to earn Natural Resources Canada's 2021 ENERGY STAR for Industry Certification for superior energy performance. "Earning ENERGY STAR for Industry Certification is a tremendous accom- plishment of our employees to operate the plant as efficiently as possible and our shareholders to make the right invest- ments," said Herron. "Energy efficiency is a key priority of our environmental stewardship frame- work. Every day, our team works to en- hance plant operations and adopt in- novative strategies to reduce our energy consumption and responsibly manage our resources." As a member of the community, Koch Fertilizer partners with local first respond- ers, schools and charitable organizations. The company provides about $125,000 each year in philanthropic support to lo- cal initiatives and organizations such as the Brandon Emergency Support Team, Brandon YMCA, Habitat for Humanity, the East End Community Centre, Help- ing Hands Centre of Brandon, Samaritan House, Food for Thought Program, Cro- cus Plains Regional Secondary School and many more. Furthermore, Koch Fertilizer funds scholarships through Assiniboine Com- munity College and Saskatchewan Poly- technic. "We take it seriously that we want to be a good employer and a good business in the city," Herron said. "The community is a part of the success of Koch Fertilizer, and through its success, we succeed." BY MICHELLE JONES This anniversary is a testament to our employees and the community." – KELLY SIMONSON MANAGING DIRECTOR KOCH FERTILIZER Plant Manager Gordon Herron and Managing Director Kelly Simonson at Koch Fertilizer Canada ULC in Brandon. (Photo by The Brandon Sun)

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