What created the attraction of the chemical industry to Southern Louisiana was the availability and abundance of oil and gas, and its location perched on the river.

What Jas Gill — president of Cytec Industries’ Building Block Chemicals business — has seen firsthand is why, more than 50 years later, his company’s foothold in the area is stronger than ever.

Situated just outside of New Orleans in Waggaman, La., Cytec’s Fortier Manufacturing Complex has been a fixture in the state’s chemical industry since the 1950s, producing a range of products such as acrylonitrile, melamine and sulfuric acid. In recent years, the complex’s reach — as well as the chemical industry as a whole — has evolved and expanded, and working on the global level is now a reality.

“If your view for your company is, ‘I’m just going to be as good as the next guy sitting in America,’ that might not be good enough,” Gill said. “We continue to look at our business partnerships, remembering that things are global now, and realigning those partnerships to keep in tune with the realities of the industry.”

Gill meets with business partners in other countries on a regular basis. In September, he was in Berlin, meeting with European Petrochemical Association members; in October, he was in Hong Kong meeting with Asian customers and partners.

In such a dynamic — and now, global — industry, Gill has found that watching what is on the horizon and creating a strategy way ahead of time is key.

When Tropical Storm Humberto popped up in September, for example, Gill was concerned that the Houston Ship Channel was going to get crowded. Cytec had some shipments scheduled prior to Humberto’s scheduled landfall, so Gill made a call to see if they could be redirected to avoid any shipment delays.

“Business cycles can get interrupted at any time, so you have to be prepared,” he said.

No amount of planning could have prepared Gill for the one-two punch of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, a situation in which he had to deal with customers needing products despite the area’s devastating circumstances and about 50 employees who had lost their homes.

“We were successful after the hurricanes because we have a global view,” he said. “We know who our customers are, and we know we have to earn their business. The customers were not going to wait for us.

“It was a challenging experience in my life, but I also found it energizing despite the tragedy. Our people knew we were there for them, and we helped them stand up on their feet.”

‘Didn’t miss a lick’

Left with no power, no working computers and damages that resulted in more than $10 million in repairs, Cytec personnel met with contractors in Gonzales, La., the day after Hurricane Katrina to discuss paperwork required for permits and getting people on site to work. Cytec provided food, gas and trailers for its personnel and contractors. There was no potable water supply in the area, so they used the complex’s treated water system for showering and brought in bottled water for workers.

“We wanted to get people back at the plant, working and getting paid,” Gill said. “We wanted them to get their families back here too — we knew once that was in place, the rest of the economic engine would get going.”

Power returned five days after the storm, and by the 13th day, the complex was almost back to full capacity.

There was fear among some personnel that the plant wouldn’t be able to get back up, but in the end, Gill said, the site “didn’t miss a lick.” But less than a month after Katrina, Hurricane Rita shut down gas production fields, causing the complex to go down a second time.

“It was amazing to see the spirit of people,” he said, “I couldn’t have asked for better cooperation from people here.”

Cooperation from Cytec Industries’ management team was just as strong.

“Leadership can talk about safety and values, but we saw it in action,” Gill said. “Cytec’s leadership never asked any questions. I talked to our chairman, and he said, ‘Do what you have to do.’”

Gill said Katrina was a learning experience, and something no company could plan for.

“We took a big body blow, but I was impressed with our capabilities and with the family-like way of thinking,” he said. “When the going got tough, people helped out.”

After the storm, Gill said he performed an informal survey among the “die-hard” personnel — some who have been at the complex for 40 years — asking them why they have stayed so long.

“The common answer was ‘family values,’” he said.

Gill has spoken at both a Louisiana Chemical Association (LCA) and a “Chemical Week” magazine event about the site’s emergency plans and “lessons learned,” with communication and transportation issues at the top of the list.

Cytec has upgraded its communications system and its connectivity to both employees and customers in the event of another catastrophic storm.

“We have set up a place to call and connect via the Web — a sort of safe haven — where they can always get in touch with us,” Gill said.

Gill was pleased with the way safety and security was handled after the storms. Transportation — mainly working with parish and state officials to better organize access in and out of the plant — has been an area of improvement, with the systems for that kind of orchestration now in place.

Different roles, same philosophy

Gill has spent more than 30 years in the chemical industry, working as an engineer and production supervisor, and developing new technologies. His more hands-on experience shifted to the sales and marketing side of the business six years ago. This role has evolved to include Gill’s contributions on an industry level, such as chairing the LCA and speaking at a Congressional hearing.

“I’m comfortable in the role of representing the industry and working with other executives, but also with sitting down with the men and women in operations and having a conversation about plant issues,” he said.

If you’re going to be successful, Gill said, you have to be able to see the big picture, something his diverse industry experience has allowed him to do.

“My role is to keep this larger view in front of everyone in the business,” he said. “I want our plant operators to know about our earnings per share — it’s part of a vertical vision.”

Gill said the complex has a computer-based training program for its employees that shows them the process of the business, “so that the earnings per share is not just a number to them.”

Another key area, Gill said, is having confidence in yourself and in your colleagues.

“Our training is rigorous, as I believe employees have to have the confidence to be able to do the right thing,” he said. “Your preparation should always exceed what’s at hand. In this industry, mistakes can’t happen.”

The complex has a complete qualitative process in place that ensures continuous learning among employees, something Gill has made sure is part of the culture there.

“We post score cards monthly, which provide employees with the tools to see where we may need to improve,” he said.

In his role as president, Gill feels it is critical to be a “leader-doer.”

“You can lead, but if you need to, you can roll up your sleeves and do it yourself,” he said.

With leadership comes the sense of responsibility, something Gill takes very seriously.

“Looking back over the years, I feel I have kept care and compassion for employees and the community in front of me,” he said. “We have to remember we are guests in people’s communities.”

An uphill battle

“A dwindling work force is an issue we’ve known to be coming for a while, but as things have progressed over the past decade, a pattern of retirement has really emerged,” Gill said.

To deal with the shortage, Cytec has supported the PTEC program for 10 years, and the state-funded Incumbent Worker Training Program has helped with training craftsmen, Gill said.

“Still, the size of the classes coming out of these programs is not meeting our needs,” he said. 

The key is recruiting kids, Gill said, an area in which the industry has not been as successful as it needs to be.

“We need to be getting them excited about science and math, and the chemical industry,” he said. “There are perceptual barriers, and we as an industry have to do a better job to share a good perception.”

Gill said they can put chemistry in the minds of kids, but in reality, kids have to experience it and then respect it.

“This comes from tiny experiences over the years — it’s a long learning curve,” he said. “I sit back and look at the way culture has moved to a ‘do a little, get a lot’ mindset. We need to see more of a spirit of responsibility for self, where people go out and create and make change. This requires imagination.”

Though slow, Gill said the approach is having an impact.

“We know it’s working — through communication with teachers and through things like the Help One Student To Success (HOSTS) program, in which our employees work with area kids in math and science, and Fun Science for Families Day, which allows kids and their parents to experience science hands-on. We also give kids plant tours and have a community advisory panel, which helps in creating that positive perception of the industry.”

Gill said it’s important to remember that this is a knowledge- and skill-intensive field that takes special people to do the job.

“We can’t compromise whose hands these jobs are put in,” he said. “The rewards are huge in this industry, but so are the risks.”