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  • Renee Havrilla Reflects on Her First 100 Days – and the Countless Opportunities ahead for the Monument Solvents Business

    October 21st, 2024


    Renee Havrilla Reflects on Her First 100 Days – and the Countless Opportunities ahead for the Monument Solvents Business

    As any Monument team member will tell you, a LOT can be accomplished in 100 days! Renee Havrilla, our new Global Lead for the Solvents business, was eager to share how much she’s learned in her first 100 days in the role – and the unique perspective she's gaining as she navigates the opportunities and challenges of leading such a dynamic business with the Solvents team. From deepening her understanding of our customer relationships and markets to meeting the diverse experts across the Solvents business, Renee’s first few months have built her excitement (and ours!) for what’s to come for this innovative team. Let’s dive into Renee’s insights, learnings, and vision for the future of Monument's Solvents business…

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    Posted in: Our People
  • New Employee Spotlight: Welcome to Ted Olszanski!

    October 3rd, 2024


    New Employee Spotlight: Welcome to Ted Olszanski!

    Ted Olszanski joined Monument Houston in May 2023, stepping into the role of Operations Manager with over a decade of experience as a production leader in the chemical and refining industries. His background includes overseeing plant operations, ranging from startup and shutdown activities to turnarounds and emergency operations. Ted's path to engineering was influenced by his family...

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  • Get to Know Monument’s 2024 Interns & Co-Ops!

    August 6th, 2024


    Get to Know Monument’s 2024 Interns & Co-Ops!

    At Monument, our Intern and Co-Op programs are more than just summer opportunities —they're a cornerstone of our commitment to nurturing the next generation of scientists and engineers. We eagerly anticipate each new group, excited to see fresh faces and new ideas that invigorate our teams and our work. For over a decade, we've welcomed some of the most talented and driven individuals in the field, providing them with hands-on experience in our plants and labs. These interns and co-ops not only sharpen their skills but also contribute significantly to our ongoing projects.

    This year's group has truly stood out, and we're excited to share highlights of their experiences at Monument...

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    Posted in: Our People
  • The Importance of Mentorship & Exploration: A Conversation With Jerry Traylor

    June 13th, 2024


    The Importance of Mentorship & Exploration: A Conversation With Jerry Traylor

    Jerry Traylor just completed his 12th year of mentoring the Rose-Hulman Chemical Engineering Department’s CHE 418 Chemical Engineering Design III class. We reached out to Jerry to learn more about his mentoring efforts.

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    Posted in: Our People
  • New Employee Spotlight: Welcome to Jonny Eskander!

    May 6th, 2024


    New Employee Spotlight: Welcome to Jonny Eskander!

    Jonny Eskander is still settling into his new position at Monument. As Commercial Director, he’s been immersing himself in the product line, particularly as it relates to the push toward renewable and sustainable aviation fuel — something that attracted Jonny to the position in the first place!

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    Posted in: Our People
  • Chemical Reactions Get Big Student Reactions During Monument's Classroom Takeover at Steam Labs

    April 10th, 2024


    Chemical Reactions Get Big Student Reactions During Monument's Classroom Takeover at Steam Labs

    Everyone in the STEAM Lab at Meade County’s College & Career Center a few weeks ago saw the world of science and math come alive with interactive chemical reactions that brought bright smiles to the faces of every student in the room.

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  • Learning Through Experience: Monument Engineer Redesigns Career Path with Business Development Focus to Pursue Unique Opportunities

    March 18th, 2024


    Learning Through Experience: Monument Engineer Redesigns Career Path with Business Development Focus to Pursue Unique Opportunities

    When Bram De Maesschalck decided to join our team as Production Engineer two years ago, he knew Monument was a company where he could make an immediate impact and be a true driver of change. 

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  • Celebrating Black History Month with Team Member Stories of Inspiration

    February 14th, 2024


    Celebrating Black History Month with Team Member Stories of Inspiration

    Black History Month invites each of us to learn (and share!) remarkable stories of resilience, courage, and achievement of the Black community – from historical figures to the people and leaders who inspire us today.

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  • A Q&A with Yndalecia Martinez, Senior Production Engineer, Houston

    February 9th, 2024


    A Q&A with Yndalecia Martinez, Senior Production Engineer, Houston

    International Women and Girls in Science Day is coming up this Sunday, February 11, and we never want to miss an opportunity to celebrate the incredible women who work in STEM fields, especially our Monument team members!

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    Posted in: Our People
  • New Employee Spotlight: Welcome Marvellous Oguejiofor!

    January 10th, 2024


    New Employee Spotlight: Welcome Marvellous Oguejiofor!

    It’s only been a little more than a month since Marvellous Oguejiofor joined Monument Houston as our new Production Engineer, but it didn’t take long for him to hit the ground running. And that’s because he knows the key to success in production is putting in the work ahead of time.

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    Posted in: Our People
  • New Employee Spotlight: Welcome Mario Renap!

    December 5th, 2023


    New Employee Spotlight: Welcome Mario Renap!

    As Monument’s new HR Manager, Mario Renap wears quite a few hats. He’s an analyst, listener, disciplinary, strategist, and empathizer. From supporting leadership with compensation and benefits questions, overseeing social relations, managing data, budgeting, and more, his daily to-do list never looks the same twice. And he absolutely loves it that way.

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    Posted in: Our People
  • Monument Volunteers Come Together to Support Our Local Communities

    November 29th, 2023


    Monument Volunteers Come Together to Support Our Local Communities

    November 13 to 17, 87 Monument Chemical employees representing all US sites came together to volunteer for approx. 307 hours for our "United for Service" event. This year's theme was again food scarcity, and our eager volunteers worked at area food banks and community pantries, stuffed snack kits for local children, and more! It was a wonderful day of fun, togetherness, and giving. Thank you to our incredible volunteers!

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  • Brandenburg Inspires Next Generation of Team Members

    November 8th, 2023


    Brandenburg Inspires Next Generation of Team Members

    A big thank you to our Brandenburg employees who participated in two exciting events in October: Manufacturing Career Awareness Day (October 26) and Junior Achievement Inspire (October 24-27).

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  • Brandenburg Team Member Graduates Leadership Program with New Skills & Unique Vision of the Community’s Future

    October 11th, 2023


    Brandenburg Team Member Graduates Leadership Program with New Skills & Unique Vision of the Community’s Future

    At Monument, we pride ourselves in being a leader within our communities. And if there’s one thing we value as much as the growth and development of our local area, it’s the growth and development for our people who live and work there. So when the opportunity emerged to nominate one of our own at Brandenburg to the Meade County Leadership program, we didn’t hesitate in doing so. Learn more about Drew Esarey's Leadership program journey...

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    Posted in: Our People
  • Monument Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month: Two Stories from Our Team Members

    October 2nd, 2023


    Monument Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month: Two Stories from Our Team Members

    As we continue to enjoy Hispanic Heritage Month, we are reminded that celebrations like these are not just about dates on a calendar, but about the vibrant stories and rich traditions that make our employee stories and our company culture so unique.

    At Monument, we take pride in the incredible diversity that our employees bring to the table. To truly appreciate the significance of this month, we've asked two of our team members to share a glimpse into their heritage and cherished traditions.

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    Posted in: Our People
  • Port Arthur's Everyday Heroes: Congratulations to Monument’s 17 New Emergency Medical Responders!

    September 25th, 2023


    Port Arthur's Everyday Heroes: Congratulations to Monument’s 17 New Emergency Medical Responders!

    When it comes to emergency response, Monument's Port Arthur, Texas team has raised the bar – and they've got the numbers to prove it. A whopping 17 employees from the facility recently stepped up to become certified emergency medical responders (EMRs), and they've shown just how effective good training and great leadership can be.

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  • Get to Know Monument’s Fantastic 2023 Interns & Co-Ops!

    August 23rd, 2023


    Get to Know Monument’s Fantastic 2023 Interns & Co-Ops!

    For over a decade, Monument’s Intern and Co-Op programs have brought together some of the area’s most talented, aspiring environmental scientists and engineers to sharpen their skills and get hands-on experience at our plants and in our labs. While their time with us has resulted in some incredible success stories, our business continues to benefit from their talent and work ethic in so many wonderful ways too. And this year’s talent delivered big time!

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    Posted in: Our People
  • New Employee Spotlight: Welcome to Bryan Bailey!

    July 17th, 2023


    New Employee Spotlight: Welcome to Bryan Bailey!

    Bryan Bailey is a pretty laid-back guy. But if there’s one thing he takes very seriously, it's our company’s security. Our new IT Security and Compliance Lead for Industrial Control Systems is not a new face to the Monument team, but he has recently taken on a new role to help us boost our security, efficiency, and transparency across all sites and functions.

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    Posted in: Our People
  • New Employee Spotlight: Welcome to Tom Parcell

    May 30th, 2023


    New Employee Spotlight: Welcome to Tom Parcell

    After over three decades in production management in his previous company, Tom Parcell was ready to get back into the plant. He was motivated not only by a curiosity to see how his diverse skill set would translate in a new work environment, but also by a desire to help others build their own. And as our new Operations Manager and Interim PolyChem Manager over the last six months, that’s exactly what he’s done.

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    Posted in: Our People
  • Dennis Gregorius Takes Us to the Cosmos in a Stunning Photo Essay from Monument Belgium

    March 20th, 2023


    Dennis Gregorius Takes Us to the Cosmos in a Stunning Photo Essay from Monument Belgium

    In this stunning photo essay, Dennis Gregorius takes us into the cosmos — and around the Monument Kallo site — in a way we’ve never experienced before. As Field Coordinator at Kallo, Dennis spends most of the year sampling, servicing, and filling the site’s chemical-storage tanks. It’s work he’s been doing since 1999, initially during summers as a college student and, following graduation, as a full-time Monument employee. Dennis is an avid world traveler, primarily to South America. His most-frequent destination on that continent is Ecuador, where he’s taken approximately 12,000 photographs. We recently had the opportunity to ask him a few questions about his photo essay and his travels on Earth — and via reading and photography — to space.

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    Posted in: Our People
  • New Employee Spotlight: Welcome to Chelsea Dau

    March 13th, 2023


    New Employee Spotlight: Welcome to Chelsea Dau

    Chelsea Dau’s passion for learning new things has not only taken her far in her career, but it’s also taken her deep down into the earth! When Monument Houston’s new Campaign Team Leader isn’t reveling in the thrill of learning new processes for multiple product campaigns or scoping projects and coordinating operations schedules, she’s going on cave exploration trips all around the world.

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    Posted in: Our People
  • Get to Know…Jared Bell, Bayport's Incredible Shift Lead

    February 13th, 2023


    Get to Know…Jared Bell, Bayport's Incredible Shift Lead

    As Monument celebrates Black History Month, we wanted to put the achievements and service of one of our very own in the spotlight! Jared Bell is not only Bayport’s fantastic Shift Lead, but also a trusted team advisor, an active member of his communities, and a new dad to a 2-month-old baby girl! Learn more about all the ways he’s dedicated to advancing the success of our plant and everyone around him.

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    Posted in: Our People
  • Meet Alexandra Bledsoe, Lead Production Engineer in the Brandenburg Polychem Unit

    February 10th, 2023


    Meet Alexandra Bledsoe, Lead Production Engineer in the Brandenburg Polychem Unit

    With International Women and Girls in Science Day coming up on February 11, it’s a perfect time to catch up with Alexandra Bledsoe, Lead Production Engineer in the Brandenburg Polychem Unit. A native of Lexington, Kentucky, Alexandra joined Monument in 2015 immediately after graduating from the University of Kentucky with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. She had a choice of several companies to join and says the Monument colleagues she met while doing interviews were a major factor in her decision to kick off her career here: “Everyone was super friendly and encouraging, and I knew there would be many opportunities here for me to grow as an engineer.” Now, after eight years with us, she remains convinced she made the right choice.

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    Posted in: Our People
  • Forest Richardson Celebrates 50 Wonderful Years at Monument Chemical!

    February 7th, 2023


    Forest Richardson Celebrates 50 Wonderful Years at Monument Chemical!

    Everyone at Brandenburg’s Pilot Plant knows the name Forest Richardson. The Plant Technician is not only a seasoned vet in the chemical industry, but he’s also the longest-serving employee in Monument’s company history. This past December, he celebrated his 50 years, boasting a long history of career advancement, experience, and contributions that have helped make our Pilot Plant what it is today. He’s learned a lot over the last 5 decades — and we’ve all learned a lot from him! Now, he’s sharing his wonderful story with us. Congrats, Forest!

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    Posted in: Our People
  • Get to Know Monument’s Talented 2022 Interns & Co-Ops!

    July 28th, 2022


    Get to Know Monument’s Talented 2022 Interns & Co-Ops!

    Over the last 10 years, Monument’s Intern and Co-Op programs have produced several incredible success stories for young, aspiring environmental scientists and engineers. Likewise, the talent and work ethic within both programs has been just as impactful to our businesses and functions, often teaching us as much as we teach them! And that couldn’t be more true with our current class. 

    This year’s interns and co-ops were eager to share some of the top insights from their Monument experience…

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    Posted in: Our People
  • RUNNING ON ADRENALINE: MONUMENT EMPLOYEE TACKLES HOUSTON MARATHON

    January 21st, 2022


    RUNNING ON ADRENALINE: MONUMENT EMPLOYEE TACKLES HOUSTON MARATHON

    Ten years ago, if you would’ve asked Romain Vidal-Michel, Sr. Production Engineer/Operations Manager at Monument, what his fitness routine looked like, he wouldn’t have even said running — he’d tell you he jogs.

    But that was then. Now, he’s clocked hundreds of competitive miles throughout his more-recent running career.

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    Posted in: Our People