Since the days of the Spindletop oil boom, the petrochemical industry remains both a historical institution and foundational driver of prosperity in Southeast Texas.
Since refining operations began in 1903, the people of ExxonMobil have been part of this history, working to deliver the products society needs while contributing to the local economic and social landscape.
Each day, ExxonMobil’s Beaumont Chemical Plant produces up to 5.6 million pounds of ethylene, 7,000 barrels of paraxylene and 800,000 pounds of synthetic fluids.
As the industry looks to the future, many challenges exist - from building the future workforce to addressing society's dual challenge of balancing growing energy demand while managing environmental impacts. Three ExxonMobil leaders, all history-makers themselves, are working to take on both these challenges locally in Beaumont to initiate positive change throughout the industry.
In 2020, Jennifer Dunphy made ExxonMobil history as the first woman to ever lead the Beaumont Chemical Plant (BMCP). Later that year, the company named Rozena Dendy as Beaumont Refinery (BMRF) manager, the first African American woman to hold the position. Together, both made company history as the first two women to hold their leadership roles concurrently. In April 2021, the company named Ann Colwell as venture executive for the refinery's expansion project, who became the first woman to lead a major expansion in Beaumont history.
"Despite what those outside our industry may say, this is an exciting time to explore a career in energy," Dunphy, BMCP manager, said. "If you look back 100 years, the entire world was a much different place, and our industry has helped improve societal conditions and living standards globally. The people entering our industry today will help us prepare for the next 100 years."
In her role as plant manager, Dunphy oversees safe and reliable operations at the BMCP, which produces building-block chemicals, such as ethylene and propylene, synthetic fluids and lubricant base-stocks, as well as more than 25 different types of zeolite catalyst. Each day, BMCP produces up to 5.6 million pounds of ethylene, 7,000 barrels of paraxylene and 800,000 pounds of synthetic fluids. BMCP products are used to make plastics, synthetic rubber, Styrofoam products, nylon and other components of consumer products.
ExxonMobil’s Beaumont Light Atmospheric Distillation Expansion (BLADE) project will create a third crude unit within the refinery’s existing footprint, increasing light crude refining capacity by more than 65 percent, or 250,000 barrels per day. Once fully operational, the expansion will enhance the refinery’s position as a leader in the U.S.
"Modern life doesn't exist without carbon- based products, so our industry has two key messages," Dunphy said. "First, we maintain the highest standards of safety, health and environmental care. Second, because engineers by nature solve problems, we need a strong, diverse STEM workforce to help us address the need for low-carbon solutions."
AFPM has recognized BMCP with 2019 and 2020 Safety Achievement Awards and the 2020 Elite Gold Safety Award, a special recognition for sites that have attained top industry safety performance and demonstrated excellence in program innovation and leadership over time. AFPM also recognized the BMRF with 2019 and 2020 Safety Achievement Awards for outstanding performance.
Both BMRF and BMCP are two parts of ExxonMobil's integrated petrochemical complex in Southeast Texas. BMRF processes 366,000 barrels of crude per day and produces 2.8 billion gallons of gasoline annually. Refinery distillation and conversion units process the crude into finished products, such as gasoline, diesel or jet fuel, or transfer it for further processing at the BMCP to produce base-stocks for future destinations, including ExxonMobil's Beaumont Polyethylene Plant and Blending and Packaging (Lubricants) Plant.
"Our Beaumont Complex shares utility systems, infrastructure and integrated logistics between our four sites," Dendy said. "These shared management systems and practices improve our cost competitiveness and strengthen our ability to effectively serve our customers."
In her current role, Dendy oversees safe, reliable operations and environmental performance improvements made possible through over $1 billion invested in multiple projects and technologies to reduce emissions over the past 16 years. These projects include the 2005 installations of a wet gas scrubber to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions and three cogeneration units to more efficiently generate power while reducing nitrogen oxide emissions.
"Access to reliable, affordable energy has completely transformed how people live today, and in the coming decades, even more people will need access to the transformative power of energy," Dendy said. "I firmly and optimistically believe in the ingenuity of our team in helping to satisfy this growing demand for our community and broader societal needs."
Jennifer Dunphy
Rozena Dendy
Ann Colwell
To nurture future ingenuity, both Dendy and Dunphy are committed to advancing professional development activities that empower women and those from other underrepresented groups to pursue careers in STEM. Outside their roles, both Dendy and Dunphy support STEM programs at Lamar University, Lamar Institute of Technology and ExxonMobil's annual "Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day" collaboration with Beaumont Independent School District.
Joining Dendy and Dunphy, Colwell also stands at a significant position to both address growing energy demand and support future engineers. In her role as venture executive for ExxonMobil's Beaumont Light Atmospheric Distillation Expansion (BLADE) project, Colwell oversees the project's goal of creating a third crude unit within the refinery's existing footprint, increasing light crude refining capacity by more than 65 percent, or 250,000 barrels per day. Once fully operational, the expansion will enhance the refinery's position as a leader in the U.S.
ExxonMobil’s Beaumont Refinery processes 366,000 barrels of crude per day and produces 2.8 billion gallons of gasoline annually.
"The ongoing success of our BLADE project brings to life many of the reasons for optimism for the future of our industry," Colwell said. "With this project, we see the incredible attention to detail of engineers for transporting equipment, the cutting-edge abilities of advanced technology for valuable insight, and exceptional value driven by a workplace culture based on respect and inclusion."
Since construction activities began in 2019, BLADE has transported more than 25,000 metric tons for the project and achieved a world-class safety culture. The project's safety performance has gained recognition within the company, including ExxonMobil's Global Projects President's Safety, Security, Health and Environment (SSHE) Award for 2019 and 2020.
To help inspire future engineers, Colwell joined a special panel on resiliency as part of the Society of Women Engineers' 2021 annual conference. Colwell shared about leveraging her past experiences and challenges to help achieve progress in a virtual environment tied to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Before her current role, Colwell served as venture executive for another chemical and refining integration project in Singapore - a position she continued to manage throughout the first year of the pandemic.
"I'll always be a student and committed to learning, and that's a winning approach for future engineers," Colwell said. "In school, we learn the principles of the work, and then it takes dedication, teamwork and resiliency to apply these principles to create future solutions for our entire industry."
