A ccording to Eco Services Operations Corp.âs Houston Plant Manager William McConnell, there are several critical skills one must have to lead an industrial facility. But McConnell named this as the most crucial skill in his position: You must act like a coach instead of a boss.
âBosses tell people what to do; coaches help guide people to perform better,â McConnell explained. âPeople look forward to being coached and hate being bossed.â
For example, McConnell holds one-on-one meetings with new engineers at the Houston plant. These coaching sessions go on for a few years with each employee.
âCommunication skills are important when managing the 125 employees we have on-site,â he said. âAnother critical skill for any facility manager is to complete tasks in a timely and efficient way. But completing tasks â no matter what those tasks are â on time and efficiently is really everyoneâs job at the plant.â
Eco Services Operationsâ Houston plant will celebrate 100 years of operation in 2017. Founded in 1917 as part of Texas Chemical Co., which was affiliated with Consolidated Chemical Co., the plantâs 50-acre site was chosen for its access to the Houston Ship Channel. It became the first chemical plant or refinery along the channel, and it was later purchased by Stauffer Chemical Co. In 1955.
Today, the Houston plant provides sulfuric acid regeneration services and related products to the refining and chemical industries. According to McConnell, sulfuric acid regeneration services support alkylation units in refineries, and alkylate is a key blending component in clean fuels.
âMany refineries have increased alkylation capacity, and some are even planning to build new units,â he explained. âThis has led to solid growth in our key business. We are the No. 1 producer of sulfuric acid regeneration services, and we are looking at possible expansion or debottlenecking of our unit capacity.â
McConnell graduated from Purdue University in 1980, concentrating in mechanical engineering. He received an MBA from the University of Houston in 1984. Before being named plant manager more than eight years ago, he held many different positions at various locations for Eco Services. McConnell also has a lengthy and interesting list of past experience at his current plant, including several engineering positions. His first job was as a process engineer at the Houston plant.
âWith my first job at the plant, I worked to implement a vibration analysis program as part of mechanical integrity initiatives,â he said. âWe set up various pumps and motors for periodic monitoring. This monitoring helped identify potential failures before they happened.â
McConnell also served as area unit superintendent in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and as the companyâs supply chain manager. On the commercial side, McConnell acted as product manager and marketing manager for all sulfur- based products.
âI was also in commercial business development for a year, where I worked on potential new technologies and acquisitions,â he said. âI was technical manager in another division of our company that produced cellulose acetate in Kingsport, Tennessee.â
Merger with PQ Corp.
In May 2016, PQ Corp., a leading global manufacturer of specialty inorganic performance chemicals, high-end catalysts and engineered glass beads, completed its acquisition of Eco Services Operations. The combination joins two specialty inorganic chemical companies that have similar business models and complementary customers.
âBoth companies provide mission-critical products and services to the refinery industry, with PQ Corp. supplying catalysts necessary for the refining of crude oil and Eco Services providing sulfuric acid regeneration services needed in the alkylation process,â McConnell said. âThis combination increases our organizationâs size significantly, and we are in the process of integrating our two organizations and their best practices. Eco Services Operations has all of its operations based in the U.S. PQ Corp. is based in the U. S., but it has operations worldwide.â
Keeping everyone focused on safety
Eco Services Operationsâ goal is to have zero incidents, and it is implementing a behavior- based safety program that was developed by PQ Corp. The safety program relies on the hourly workforce to make safety observations on the shop floor.
âKeeping everyone focused on safety every day is goal No. 1,â McConnell said. âOur sites put the responsibility for safety on everyoneâs shoulders. Itâs so important for the community, workers at our site and the environment to have safe operations. Health, safety and environmental performance is critically important. Itâs not just lip service. A plant manager needs to be out in the plant and lead by example in HSE every day.â
Making a difference
McConnell is focused on making a difference inside the Houston plant and throughout the surrounding community.
âIf you as a plant manager arenât improving your facility, then your company needs to find someone who will,â he stated. âThis applies to all areas of the site.â
According to McConnell, there are constant upkeep and upgrades happening due to the age and size of the plant.
âOver my past eight years at the plant, we have done a lot of capital upgrades, housekeeping and demolition projects,â he said. âThe plant looks good in my view and Iâm happy with it. As we leverage our new corporate structure, it would be good to site new production lines at the Houston plant. We have excellent access to truck, rail and barge networks.â
Eco Services Operationsâ Houston plant also uses its resources to help the surrounding community in a variety of ways. The plant has awarded a college scholarship to a deserving local high school student every year for the past 30 years. In addition, the plant is an active member in Rebuilding Together Houston.
âThis group organizes volunteers to repair local homes at no cost for low-income elderly homeowners,â McConnell said. âOur company maintains a 13-acre park across the street for public use. We have been part of the local community for almost 100 years, and we will continue to show our commitment for the next 100 years.â
McConnell acts as vice chairman of the board of directors for the Greater East End Management District. The district is a 16-square-mile area from just east of downtown Houston to the I-610 loop.
âThe district has programs for security, graffiti abatement, illegal trash removal, and improving infrastructure for residents and businesses in the district,â McConnell said. âItâs important to help improve the community just like itâs important to improve the plant.â
McConnell is also a member of the Houston Community Advisory Panel (HCAP). HCAP is a group of six chemical plants and refineries within Houston city limits that meets with community members once per month.
âOur facilitator brings in various speakers and organizes tours of local plant sites,â McConnell said. âHCAP promotes education for the chemical and refining industries and enables open dialogue with local residents and governmental entities.â
Everyday challenges
For any plant manager, a key challenge is completing all the required activities. One way McConnell overcomes this is prioritizing and organizing the daily work.
âDays go by very quickly because everyone is so busy,â he said. âHigher-priority work needs to be done first. Another way to deal with this is to get rid of nonessential tasks.â
A top issue McConnell also faces includes employee turnover, so it is important for the Houston plantâs working environment to be exemplary.
âThe concentration of chemical plants, refineries and other industry partners in the Houston area leads to competition and turnover of workers,â he said. âKeeping positions filled with qualified people is a constant effort, so compensation must remain competitive and the working environment must be good. Many of our plant staff have 20-plus years on-site. This is a good indicator that people want to work here. We want to keep it that way.â
Eco Services Operations Corp.
8615 Manchester St.
Houston, TX 77012
(713) 928-3411
www.eco-services.com
Employees: 125
Products: Sulfuric acid and regenerated sulfuric acid
Size: 50 acres on the Houston Ship Channel
