If you haven’t heard yet, one of the world’s leading polymer suppliers has a new identity. Bayer MaterialScience is operating under the Covestro name, and Roderick Herrick serves as vice president and site manager of the company’s Baytown Industrial Park in Baytown, Texas. Covestro became a legally and economically independent company last year, but Herrick has been in his current position for approximately five years. He is a goal-oriented leader with a strong desire to develop and mentor future leaders. Each day Herrick focuses on safe and reliable operations.
“Safe and reliable operations begin and end with our people,” Herrick said. “Thus, we must have programs in place to attract the right talent, develop our people to their fullest and challenge them with new opportunities so we can continue to benefit from their talents. When we have the right people in the right positions who enjoy what they are doing, they will naturally develop themselves and our processes to their fullest. Many call this ‘job satisfaction.’ I call it ‘safe and reliable operations through our people,’ which is also known as our ‘license to operate.’ Therefore, our people and processes are my main focus and top responsibility.”
Herrick started his career as a plant engineer at PPG Industries after graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from West Virginia University.
“Where I grew up in West Virginia, Bayer was the premier place to work,” he said. “I had family and friends who worked at the company, so I always knew my career would be here.”
In 1985, Herrick joined the New Martinsville, West Virginia, site near his hometown. Since then, he’s held a number of positions, both regional and overseas, with increasing responsibility, which has provided Herrick with extensive manufacturing experience as a plant and process engineer, reliability lead, site manager at the polycarbonates compounding facility in Newark, Ohio, and polyurethanes production lead in Baytown.
The Baytown Industrial Park was constructed in 1970 on a thriving industrial landmark, which was home to 700 acres of rice fields. Production of polyurethane began in 1971, and a few years later the site expanded to include polycarbonates and coatings, adhesives and specialties. Covestro’s Baytown facility is one of three strategic sites around the world.
“This gives the Baytown site greater control as well as increased responsibility to deliver its products to the market on time and in spec,” Herrick said. “Covestro has a new, colorful logo, and its vision is also new: to make the world a brighter place.”
Leading by example
Herrick chairs the Site Leadership Team, and he is responsible for all activities associated with the continued success of the Baytown Industrial Park, including Covestro operations, guest facilities, site services, employee leadership and community outreach.
“As the site manager, technical skills make up one portion of my job, but leadership becomes more and more important as your responsibilities grow,” Herrick explained. “You must take the time to listen to your people at all levels of the organization and mentor those around you. It means making tough decisions when needed but also having the flexibility to change course and the courage to admit when you are mistaken. These skills aren’t taught; they are grown. It’s my responsibility to lead by example and encourage the behaviors and values of our company to those who work at our facility.”
‘Nothing we do is worth getting hurt for’
According to Herrick, the Baytown Industrial Park is committed to safety in all areas.
“Nothing we do is worth getting hurt for,” he said. “We are top performers when it comes to health, safety, environment and quality. We design and build safe, reliable, state-of-the-art production facilities not just in Baytown but also around the world.”
Throughout the life cycles of its products, the site adheres to or surpasses worldwide safety standards and regulations with comprehensive assessments on the health and environmental risks associated with handling, transporting and further processing the products.
“Our safety record is a direct reflection of the people who work at our site,” Herrick said. “It is their dedication, attention to detail and genuine care of one another that drives our safety performance.”
It is Herrick’s expectation each employee adopts a “safety first” mindset in all they do, both at work and at home. One of the site’s safety trainings is focused on hazard recognition to eliminate incidents in occupational and process safety areas.
“We request from each of our employees to put this training to the test each and every month by conducting a proactive safety evaluation,” Herrick stated. “It is our belief this type of ‘modeling the way’ creates a safe work culture that allows each of our employees and contractors to go home safely to their families every day. We are more than a jobsite; we are a family. Our people are the soul of Covestro, and we insist on taking care of them and our community.”
‘Making the world a brighter place’ continued
Covestro and the Baytown Industrial Park are fulfilling their vision of ‘making the world a brighter place’ by inspiring innovation and driving growth through profitable technologies and products that benefit society and reduce environmental impacts. The Baytown site’s commitment to sustainability continues both inside and outside the fenceline through its leadership, sponsorships, support and volunteerism.
“Our roots run deep in this community, and we have a strong belief in strengthening the areas in which we live and work,” Herrick said. “From the classroom to the control room, we inspire creative thinking and embrace innovative sustainability initiatives to brighten the future of our world.”
Covestro recently launched a new corporate social responsibility program, called i3 (ignite, imagine, innovate), which aims to spark curiosity, envision what could be and help create it. The initiative’s three focus areas — i3 STEM, i3 Engage and i3 Give — leverage the current and future workforce, the communities in which Covestro operates, and its partners and collaborators — all to create sustainable and lasting impacts.
“We mentor and engage young men and women in STEM programs, volunteer in board positions at nonprofits throughout the city, teach fifth graders twice a week at the Eddie V. Gray Wetlands Center, raise money for United Way and much more,” Herrick said. “We are involved in the community because we are a part of the community.”
Growing up, Herrick’s father always reminded him to remember where he came from. He thinks about his father’s advice because everyone at some point in his or her life receives help or needs a hand.
“I’ve served on a number of boards and organizations over my career, and I feel it’s my personal responsibility to give back,” Herrick said. “I serve on the board of the Texas Chemical Council, the Baytown Chamber of Commerce, Houston Regional Monitoring and Baytown/West Chamber County Economic Development Foundation. It is together, partnering with our community leaders, that we can make a difference in the area where we work and live.”
Preparing for the future
Herrick said the site will continue to focus its efforts on fully training and developing its people, so they can operate and maintain assets at top safety, environmental and efficiency levels.
“While we have state-of-the-art technology at our facility, we continue our diligence when it comes to safety and the environment,” Herrick said. “We challenge our workers to consider and prepare for the ‘what ifs.’ We manage unit upsets and investigate the causes to put preventative measures in place. We conduct emergency response training and other special training to ensure we are prepared and can manage any type of response necessary at our facility. It is my belief informed people make informed decisions, and practicing and preparing for such events allows our people to make the right decisions.”
Covestro Baytown Industrial Park
8500 West Bay Rd.
Baytown, TX 77536
(281) 383-6000
www.covestro.com
Employees: 1,100 employees plus 750 contractors
Products: The site is a leading polymer producer, focusing on three distinct business segments: polyurethanes; polycarbonates; and coatings, adhesives and specialties.
Size: 1,700 acres
