When you walk into Shell Chemical Geismar Plant General Manager Rhoman Hardy’s office, a sense of collaboration permeates the air — from his office room furniture complete with a circular meeting table to his genuinely warm smile. And for the newly minted plant manager, this collaborative style of leadership is becoming Hardy’s signature.
“There’s a lot of information that flows into these jobs,” stated Hardy, who earned his executive MBA from Rice University in Houston. “To try to take out a significant amount of data and information and develop a clear path forward people can really galvanize around is a particular skill. It’s also important to communicate effectively and describe all of the things you are trying to accomplish, while always reminding people and committing to them we’re always going to do everything safely and with regard to the environment. This requires a lot of collaboration with people so you can get the right information to make the most educated, best decisions. I try to make my employees feel comfortable sharing information, and then I take all that information and provide direction about where we’re heading.”
And the Shell Chemical Geismar Plant is heading toward a prosperous future thanks in part to its convenient location adjacent to the Mississippi River about 20 miles south of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The site takes advantage of Louisiana’s pro-industry landscape.
“It’s a good time to be in Louisiana, to be in this location, because of the advantages we have,” opined Hardy, who most recently worked on global jobs for Shell improving the reliability and cost competitiveness of its locations. “There are feedstock advantages of being in the U.S., and there are a lot of logistical advantages of being in Louisiana. I think across Louisiana you’ll see a lot of chemical businesses at least considering whether or not they can grow their businesses in the area. We’d welcome the opportunity to grow here.”
The Shell Chemical Geismar Plant has undergone several major expansions since it came online in 1967, with the most recent ones occurring in 1994 and 2002. It added an additional ethylene glycol unit in 1994. In 2002, the site added capacity to both the alpha olefins production and the detergent alcohol production units. Additional storage tanks and rail distribution facilities were also part of that expansion. These expansions allowed the Shell Chemical Geismar site to keep making chemicals like alpha olefins, detergent alcohols, alcohol ethoxylates and ethylene glycols that help create products like soft drink bottles and household detergents.
Striving for excellence in safety
The Shell Chemical Geismar Plant creates products by ensuring safety is at top of mind for all its employees.
“We spend a lot of time with a behavior-based safety process we call BRAVO,” said Hardy, who previously worked at Shell’s Deer Park, Texas, refinery. “A significant number of people across the site are trained observers. We go out in the field, and we observe how things are getting done and have conversations with the people performing the tasks. We talk about what behaviors may put people at risk so our professionals get to reflect on certain tasks. Also, when we see things that are systemic, it provides us with the chance to act on them before people get injured. It’s particularly powerful not only to show people you care but to also actually be out there as activities are being performed.
“Across the Shell Geismar plant, we see an ever-improving safety performance. We’ve had one injury this year that required significant medical treatment, and the employee is fine. Statistically we’re in a really good place. However, we strive to get to a place where no one gets hurt. So we’re not satisfied when we still have a co-worker who didn’t go home one day the way we wanted him to. We’re always trying to learn. However, historically speaking we’re in better places both from a safety standpoint and an environmental standpoint.”
Hardy noted Shell as a whole manages its safety programs by defining work processes for all key programs managed, thus helping eliminate safety hazards. Shell later tests how well its work processes deliver the outcomes it wants, while also ensuring the programs are as effective as everyone wants them to be.
Commitment to the community
Not only do the Shell Chemical Geismar Plant’s administrators and employees make safety a top priority, but they also place their commitments to the community in high regard.
“Shell Geismar is involved in a significant amount of community service programs,” stated Hardy, who serves on the Louisiana Chemical Association, Capital Area United Way and the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME) boards. “We just kicked off what we call our Shell HERO campaign, and that’s a way we allow employees to contribute financially to charities of their choosing. Employees can really target their contribution dollars to organizations that are important to them. United Way is one of the key recipients of that program. You also find our employees participating in the Ascension Parish school system, supporting education programs. We’re working with the parish to get more women interested in technical careers, and we have engineers here who are a part of that work. We also have partner schools.”
The Shell Chemical Geismar site is also one of the sponsors of the Louisiana Youth Seminar, a program where young people are sponsored to attend weeklong leadership camps. Moreover, Shell is one of the main sponsors of Jazz Fest, which is an annual music festival in New Orleans.
Coming home again
With all the community outreach his Shell Chemical Geismar Plant does, Hardy couldn’t be more thrilled it benefits an area where he feels truly at home. Having received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Hardy shared it feels great to come full circle in his more than 25-year career with Shell. He began his Shell career as an electrical engineer for some of Shell’s Louisiana plants — a former one located in Taft and another located in Norco.
“I’m very excited to be back in Baton Rouge,” said Hardy. “My wife and I are both Louisiana natives; we’re both from Lake Charles. We’re really excited to get back to Louisiana after all these years. We’re enjoying it a lot. It’s the early days, but the people are so friendly. You really miss Louisiana when you move away for a while. Our sons are now 16 and 14, so they’re making the adjustment. They’re making new friends, and they’re enjoying it so far.”
And upon reacquainting with his home state, Hardy aims for the Shell Chemical Geismar Plant to be the best it has ever been.
“I always want to be in a position where we’re the best we’ve ever been and not yet satisfied,” said Hardy. “I definitely expect to continue that while I’m here. I want us to continue to be safer and safer by doing whatever we need to protect people who work here as well as the surrounding community. I think you can never be satisfied, so maintaining that tone is important to me. And whatever the future might hold for us, I want the plant to continue to be a strong partner with the community here in Ascension Parish and in Louisiana.”
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Shell Chemical Geismar Plant
7594 Hwy. 75
P.O. Box 500
Geismar, LA 70734
(225) 201-6222
www.shell.us
Employees: 650 Shell employees and approximately 400 contractors
Products: Ethylene oxide, ethylene glycol, detergent range alcohols, ethoxylates and higher olefins
Size: 800 acres (nearly 400 developed)
