Our Stories & Events

Another year, another successful You Be the Chemist Challenge! But while it may have been nothing out of the ordinary for a number of Monument Brandenburg, KY team members to be working hard both behind the scenes and on stage at the Chemical Education Foundation’s (CEF) regional competition, this year’s theme was an easy one: The 20th Anniversary Event! 

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.

During a challenging external environment, we pride ourselves not only on hitting our customer deadlines, but also on bringing them greater value throughout the entire process. So when the Monument Brandenburg Pilot Plant noticed some inefficiencies in the process, the team asked themselves without hesitation: how can we do better? Here's what happened...

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.

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.

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!

Everyone loves a good underdog story — and call us biased, but there isn’t one quite like that of Monument Brandenburg. From the beginning, the team has faced tough economic times, multiple leadership changes, and employee turnover, but always finds a way through it and a new reason to celebrate. Over the last ten years, the Brandenburg team has continued to diversify their portfolio, strengthen customer relationships, improve services, and make a positive impact on their community.

SEMI, the industry association serving the global electronics design and manufacturing supply chains, announced the founding members of the new Semiconductor Climate Consortium (SCC). This group is designed to accelerate industry supply chain efforts to reduce the ecosystem’s greenhouse gas emissions by working together on common goals. As one of 65 founding members, Monument Chemical is excited to work together with its supply chain partners to advance sustainability manufacturing practices and better serve its electronic business customers in this capacity.

Every year, the Monument Chemical Brandenburg Community Partnership Initiative (CPI) selects a recipe for success for its annual $10,000 Community Partnership Initiative (CPI) grant, which supports the education of youth in the local community. And this year, that recipe for success was found in the kitchen!

Whenever Sergeant Tim Hendley, of the Brandenburg Police Department, drives past Nichol Park, he’s transported years back to the days when his son, Devin, would shoot around on the then-run down basketball courts surrounded by ill-kept fields. What was once a fond memory of the park became the inspiration for a new chapter for kids all across the community — one that Monument had to be a part of.