Over the past three decades, Adam has worn a lot of hats – in and outside of Monument. He’s served in the Navy, worked as an engineer, led teams at both our Houston, TX and Brandenburg, KY sites, and now serves as Vice President of Operations for Monument Chemical. But if you ask him, each experience – from painting a naval ship by flashlight to mentoring future engineers – taught him something new about leadership, people, and perspective.

We recently sat down with Adam to talk about his roots, his lessons learned, and what still fuels him today.

What inspired you to pursue a career in engineering, and how did that foundation shape your path to becoming VP of Operations?

I grew up in Midland, Michigan. which, if you know it, is Dow Chemical country. My high school was even called the Midland Chemics! Dow was such a big part of the community; they sponsored picnics, events, and made families feel like they belonged. I still remember my bedroom full of little wooden gliders I’d won at those Dow picnics.

My dad was an engineer for Dow, and I loved seeing how varied and interesting his career was – long before I understood what chemical engineering even meant. Sometimes I’d go into work with him on a Saturday. He’d be troubleshooting something while I sat nearby playing Oregon Trail, but I could tell he loved what he did. Later, I realized how flexible that career could be – he had roles in manufacturing, environmental health & safety, marketing, mergers & acquisitions, and eventually executive level leadership. That kind of versatility appealed to me even when I was very young.

How did your experience in the Navy influence your leadership style?

When I signed up for the Navy in 10th grade, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life; I just knew I didn’t want to stay in Midland or go to college right away. After graduating high school, two weeks later I was in boot camp. I started as an “undesignated deck seaman,” and boot camp quickly teaches you humility. You go in as a “beating heart” – basically, a nobody – and learn to follow orders.

But over time, I started watching how the best leaders earned respect, not demanded it. There’s a way to accomplish things without yelling. That was a big eye-opener for me: empathy matters.

One of the best lessons came when I was newly promoted and found myself painting the side of a ship at night, standing in a rowboat with a flashlight strapped to my head. A senior officer stopped and said, “Where’s your team?” I told him it was just easier to do it myself. He looked at me and said, “Your team’s in downtown Honolulu, and you’re out here painting by yourself?” That moment stuck with me – leadership isn’t about doing it all, it’s about leaning on and trusting your team to get it done together.

Was there a moment when you knew you wanted to move beyond engineering into leadership?

I’ve always loved solving problems, but I realized I enjoyed helping people solve their problems even more. It’s so much easier to fix a chemical process than a people process, but the latter is way more rewarding.

I started to see the spark in others when they learned something new or figured something out for the first time. Even better is when they take it a step further and start teaching others. And the best is when they take on something, such as a new role, that you once did – and they do it even better! That’s when you know you’ve made an impact.

I think that’s what really drew me toward leadership – the idea that I could take what I’d learned, including from my Navy days, and help others shorten their own learning curve.

What challenges did you face moving from technical roles to management?

The hardest part was letting go of the details. As an engineer, you want to know everything – every valve, every flow rate, every line on a P&ID. But as a leader, you have to step back and trust your team to handle the technical side.

Once I did, I found joy in seeing how differently people approach problems. I’d listen to their ideas before jumping in, and I was usually blown away by the creativity and logic behind their solutions. My role became less about solving the problem myself and more about removing the barriers that keep others from solving it.

Did you have mentors who shaped your approach to leadership?

Definitely. One of my early mentors – before Monument – was a brilliant entrepreneur who’d sold part of one of his companies for over half a billion dollars. I learned a lot from him…including how NOT to treat people. He was intense, never apologized, and burned a lot of bridges. It taught me that success isn’t sustainable if people don’t like working with you.

On the flip side, I had a leader who showed me the importance of life balance. I was working nonstop at the time, thinking that’s what leadership meant. He helped me see that pushing too hard can make you less effective, not more. Sometimes the best thing you can do for your team is to take a breath yourself – so they can model that same behavior.

As a leader now, how do you pay it forward?

For me, mentorship starts with honesty, but it has to be the kind of honesty that helps people stand back up, not knocks them down. People deserve to know where they stand, but they also deserve the chance to grow from it.

I encourage my leaders to do the same – to coach their teams in real, practical ways. Help people discover new skills that fit them. Challenge them to stretch. And then teach them to be mentors too. That’s how you build a culture where everyone’s helping someone else climb.

What’s a piece of advice you wish you’d learned earlier in your career?

That it’s okay not to know the answer. When you’re young, you think admitting that is a weakness, but pretending you know can do more damage than just saying, “I don’t know, but I’ll find out.” You gain credibility by being curious and open, not by bluffing.

And something else I’ve learned along the way: there’s a difference between experience and expertise. You can have 30 years of experience, but if you haven’t grown or learned in that time, it’s just repetition. Expertise comes from reflection – taking what you’ve seen and actually learning from it.

What advice would you give to someone looking to grow their career in manufacturing?

From the very beginning, you have to show up ready to learn everything. The Navy taught me that when you’re given an opportunity, you need to know it inside and out. That means understanding not just the process, but also the people.

When you walk into a plant for the first time, know where and who security is, have your safety gear ready, start to learn how the daily routine flows, and be a sponge. Don’t walk into the control room like you’re above anyone – you need those operators more than they need you. They’ll decide, in that first interaction, whether you’re worth listening to or working with. Take the time to know people, because at the end of the day, we are all human and are more similar than not.

The best engineers – and the best leaders – are the ones who see the full picture. They understand that real knowledge comes from showing up at 2 a.m. to help, not from sending an email. That’s how you build trust, and that’s how you build a team.

Final thoughts on what teamwork means to you?

At Monument, I’ve learned that success doesn’t come from one person’s brilliance – it comes from how we connect those bright minds together. When everyone knows their role and trusts each other to play it, that’s when things really move.

I’ve seen it all across our sites – teams that listen, adapt, and have each other’s backs can accomplish just about anything. And honestly, that’s what keeps me coming back every day: watching good people do great things, together.