Par Pacific’s Jakub on the human side of success in the petrochemical industry

Kim Jakub believes curiosity and a passion for people are the driving force behind accomplishments at Par Pacific.

Jakub, who was promoted to the role of senior VP of Rocky Mountain Refining with Houston-based Par Pacific Holdings Inc. in January, is responsible for leading operations at the company’s refining assets in Newcastle, Wyoming, and Billings, Montana. Previously, she was the VP and refinery manager at the Par Montana facility in Billings.

"I find curiosity to be an important leadership trait as a senior leader," she said. "My role is to deliver performance and strategy across an organization with diverse backgrounds. Through curiosity, I search for what makes each approach to various challenges effective, and support collaborating and building on those learnings."

Jakub oversees 450 people across the two refineries and said each one has its own individual footprint but works together to achieve the same result.

"While the company is grounded on a set of core values, each individual refinery and business location has a localized way they deliver results such as safety and reliability," Jakub said. "Par believes that preserving aspects of these differences is what makes our company unique and competitive."

Par Montana, established in 2023 with the acquisition of the Billings Refinery and logistics business from ExxonMobil, is a subsidiary of Par Pacific Holdings. Par Pacific is the manufacturer and distributor of conventional and unconventional transportation fuels in niche markets across the western U.S. with a retail presence in Hawaii at Hele stores and across the Pacific Northwest.

Par Montana processes Canadian crude into gasoline, diesel, asphalt and other products to meet energy demands in the Rocky Mountain region. The employees working at Par Montana come from diverse backgrounds and skills and are committed to safe and reliable operations, Jakub said. The facility has been in the manufacturing and distribution business for 75 years.

"At a corporate and a local level, the people are our greatest asset. Our employees embrace Par Pacific’s core values of respect for others, integrity, creativity and hard work in their daily lives," Jakub said. "Employees often go the extra mile in their communities through volunteerism, community group involvement and other forms of engagement."

Par Pacific reported net income of $728.6 million, or $11.94 per diluted share, for the 12 months ending on December 31 — compared to $364.2 million, or $6.08 per diluted share, one year earlier.

Par Pacific has grown to a footprint of four refineries, multiple logistics systems and retail stations in the past 10 years.

Jakub said leading Par Montana through the ownership transition in 2022 and 2023 was a significant challenge, but also one of the most rewarding.

"Throughout the transition, we focused on care, communication and clarity to our 340 employees," she said. "I am proud to say the transition has been a great success with outstanding results and an organization that is motivated and proud to be part of the Par Pacific family.

"As we move forward, navigating through the energy transition is the key challenge for our industry. At Par Pacific, we believe we can be a provider of both needs — conventional and renewable fuels — while continuing to reliably serve the needs of our local markets. As a creative and entrepreneurial organization, we believe we have the capability to respond to local market demands and changing external environments."

Par Montana was recently honored for its 2023 safety performance by AFPM. The award is part of the refining and petrochemical industry’s ongoing commitment to enhance and recognize outstanding workplace safety.

The Par Montana Billings Refinery was selected for an Elite Silver Award, recognizing sites that attained top industry safety performance in 2023 and demonstrated excellent program innovation and leadership over time. Elite Silver status represents the top 10% of industry safety performance. The Par Montana facility was the only facility in Montana recognized with an AFPM award for 2023.

At a corporate and a local level, the people are our greatest asset.

"This recognition is particularly special for us considering our ownership transition in 2023. The transition presented a tremendous risk of distraction for our organization and I’m proud of every individual that came through our gate at Par Montana for maintaining focus to work safely," Jakub said.

Among new initiatives in 2023, the refinery completed the development and rollout of a homegrown safety program following the transition to Par Pacific. Working jointly with union leadership to build and present the program, Jakub said they have seen "outstanding ownership" across all levels.

"I am so proud of how the teams have embraced the opportunity to develop new programs and make them our own," she said.

The initial rollout was only the first step in a series of new leadership growth and development initiatives in 2023, as a component of a sustainable program, Jakub said.

Jakub said her interest in the industry started at a young age when she visited job sites with her father, who worked in utility construction.

"From that upbringing, I found fulfillment in hard work and was drawn to manufacturing where you can see the tangible product of a team’s efforts," she said. "As I progressed through my career and was given opportunities to lead teams, I found new fulfillment in supporting the success of others which led me to continue down a formal leadership path.

"The best advice I can give to others wanting to foster a team’s success is to show them that you care. If you take care of your people, they will take care of your business."

Jakub said maintaining a work/life balance has been a focus for her, and providing a good example for her two children has been rewarding.

"When I was promoted at the beginning of the year, my son said at dinner one evening, ‘Wow, my mom is pretty cool,’" she said. "Besides the shock of having this come out of my teenager’s mouth, it reassured me that I can be both a great mom and a great professional role model for my kids."

For more information, visit parpacific.com.

Tags