Rural roots, military experience: Catalysts for Haas’ ExxonMobil trajectory

Kimberly Haas has held various roles with ExxonMobil throughout her notable career and is now in a fairly new role as the site manager for the ExxonMobil Baytown Olefins Plant (BOP) in Baytown, Texas.

Having grown up on a farm in rural Illinois with three sisters, Haas’ family was fifth-generation farmers, and from a young age, it was ingrained in her to understand the importance of the farm for a family’s survival.

"I didn’t know it then, but living and working on the farm instilled in me valuable life lessons that could never be taught in a classroom," she said.

When Haas left home for college, she joined the Army Reserves Officers’ Training Corps to help pay for school, becoming a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army where she spent three years on active duty in Fort Hood, Texas, followed by two years in the National Guard in Michigan. Haas received her bachelor’s degree from DePauw University and later her MBA from Washington University in St. Louis.

"My experiences in the Army helped to shape my strong belief that leaders are in place to serve the people they’re leading, and that lesson couldn’t be more important than it is now when we think about what’s happening in our industry with the energy transition," she said. "We’re relying on the ingenuity of our workforce to shape the future of our sector."

In addition to running the largest steam-cracking site in ExxonMobil’s global fleet, Haas serves as the new chair for the East Harris County Manufacturers Association and is on the board of the Texas Chemistry Council.

These trusted associations play a crucial role by giving the industry a unified voice, she said, enabling the plant to participate in the policymaking process and engage in best-practice sharing with other companies to drive continuous improvement in areas such as safety and environmental performance.

In the diverse roles Haas has held within ExxonMobil, one of the highlights throughout her career has been mentoring others.

"It’s particularly satisfying to watch individuals grow in their career and at times move into leadership positions," Haas said. "Having worked at BOP before and returning years later, the growth in our talented people has been so gratifying to observe. I am proud of this dedicated team because they have learned from the capabilities of years past, and they are positioning us well for the future."

After working for ExxonMobil for more than 16 years, Haas went to work for Canadian-based Imperial Chemical, becoming both the company’s VP and the Sarnia Chemical site manager. Haas was soon after promoted as the Sarnia Complex manager, overseeing both the refinery and chemical plant.

Haas returned to Houston and Exxon-Mobil in April 2023 as the North American operations excellence manager and was appointed to her current position in August 2023.

In operation since 1979, the ExxonMobil BOP is located on a 370-acre tract, manufacturing approximately 10 billion pounds of petrochemical products each year that are shipped via pipeline.

Ethylene is the largest volume product BOP makes and is the precursor feedstock in making polyethylene. The plant also operates natural gas cogeneration units used to generate electricity and high-pressure steam across the Baytown complex.

The plant employs approximately 453 people and another 596 contract personnel. Annual salaries and wages are around $134.5 million.

The ExxonMobil BOP is committed to running safe and environmentally responsible operations. Ascribing to the American Chemistry Council’s Responsible Care Codes of Management Practice and Exxon-Mobil’s Operations Integrity Management Systems has enabled the plant to publicly demonstrate its care for the community in which it operates.

ExxonMobil earns the community’s respect, trust and confidence through operating safely, preventing accidents and by active involvement in the Baytown community.

Since 1993, the plant has been recognized as an OSHA VPP Star Site, in addition to receiving awards from various organizations, such as AFPM and Texas Chemistry Council for the site’s history of safe and responsible operations.

Haas said the industry is experiencing significant changes due to the energy transition. Although ExxonMobil has been a traditional O&G company for well over a century, Haas said the company is committed to supporting the world’s transition to lower-emission fuels and more circular polymers, as well as an ambition to achieve net-zero by 2050.

"We may never have imagined this transition or necessarily felt destined for it, but here we are adapting and innovating through the help of our talented workforce," she said. "Our industry will need to rely on human ingenuity and the desire to explore and understand more than we can imagine to get through this transition."

In fact, ExxonMobil is playing a leading role in the energy transition, Haas said, and is committed to continuing to meet society’s energy needs and providing innovative solutions to achieve net-zero ambitions.

In December 2022, the Baytown Refinery started up one of the largest plastic recycling facilities in North America, capable of recycling 40,000 mt/yr — or 80 million pounds of plastic waste per year that would normally end up in a landfill. The facility produces commercial volumes of certified circular polymers for use in food-grade containers and flexible food packaging uses.

The development of advanced recycling capabilities at ExxonMobil facilities around the world will help the company meet the goal to bring 500k mt/yr or 1 billion pounds of advanced recycling capacity per year globally by year-end 2026.

ExxonMobil has also announced plans to build a blue hydrogen plant in Baytown. If approved, it will be the company’s first blue hydrogen plant in the world. The plant would produce up to 1 bcf of hydrogen daily. Using hydrogen as a fuel at the BOP could reduce the integrated complex’s CO2 emissions by up to 30% compared to current operations. It would also enable the manufacturing of products with a lower carbon intensity.

When coupled with CCS, hydrogen is likely to play a critical role in a low-carbon energy system, ExxonMobil officials said, adding that hydrogen does not produce any CO2 emissions at its point of use. It may be the lowest-cost option to significantly reduce emissions in some sectors, such as industrial and residential heating, power generation and heavy-duty vehicles.

Being good stewards of the community is a key goal for the plant.

"Our company values the relationship with the Baytown community as we have ‘grown up’ together and feel fortunate to be in Baytown," Haas said. "We strive to be a valued member of the community as we play a key role in providing jobs and economic prosperity for our community.

"For example, ExxonMobil will provide more than $1.2 million to the Greater Baytown Area and Chamber County United Way this year. And just as important as money, we provide hundreds of volunteers in the schools and other community outreach including Day of Caring and Relay for Life to improve our community," she said.

Haas said she has personally observed the authentic care and compassion within the ExxonMobil workforce and the Baytown community, leaving an indelible mark on her. Serving as the BOP process manager during Hurricane Harvey, she witnessed firsthand the community’s remarkable communal support, with everyone coming together to navigate the hardship caused by that tragic event.

Haas lives in Houston with her husband and two children.

For more information, visit exxonmobil.com.

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