Koch has been selected as “Wichita’s Best Place to Work” in 2022 in a new survey of employees and community members. The company employs more than 3,300 people in the Wichita area.

The award was announced Dec. 4 in The Wichita Eagle’s “Best of Wichita” magazine. Readers selected various outstanding people, businesses and places among more than 7,300 entrants across 236 categories.

“We could not be prouder to salute and pay tribute to the great businesses that were voted the best in their individual categories,” the Eagle said while announcing the honors.

Over the decades, Wichita has seen major transformations in its community and culture. Innovation drives this progress, as Wichitans have stayed true to their midwestern values, such as mutual benefit, integrity, respect and meaningful work. These are the same values that have made Koch one of the world’s largest and most successful private companies.

Koch’s headquarters has 1.3 million square feet of office space, two full-service cafes and a coffeehouse, as well as a reputation for good pay and benefits – but that isn’t why Koch employees love their jobs. The real reason is the opportunity to be in a role that allows them to contribute more fully by applying their abilities and passions.

At Koch, one of the most important measures of success comes down to the individual employee and their journey to self-actualize – to become all they can be. The foundation for this is Principle Based Management™, the framework that has enabled countless success stories for Koch and its employees.

Koch employee Lisa Loera is a great example of one of these stories. Her transformation from a professional accountant to a human resources analyst allowed her to better apply her gifts and interests. Now, she’s analyzing big data – and leveraging her bilingual skills to translate between employees for Koch Shared Services Mexico, using her gifts to succeed by helping others.

Another example is Pedro Osornio, an employee who started at Koch as a member of the contract cleaning crew. Through a desire to grow and more fully contribute, he developed a talent for laser-cutting, a skilled position using a high energy beam to precisely cut thick materials, such as steel plates. He now works as a machine programmer for Koch-Glitsch.

“I like my job,” said Pedro. “I like the challenge. It’s the first time I’ve loved Mondays.”

When these principles, such as respect for the individual and the opportunity to self-actualize, are applied consistently and correctly, employees become empowered. When they are able to use their gifts to do work they are passionate about, they can realize their potential and contribute more to the company’s success.

This results when employees practice mutual benefit, which starts with the recognition that they succeed when they help others succeed. The result is win-win for everyone involved.

As Charles Koch, chairman and CEO of Koch Industries, said: “The remarkable success of Koch and its employees is and has always been rooted in proven principles of human progress. The better we’ve understood and applied these principles, such as mutual benefit, the more we’ve prospered by benefiting others.”

By applying these principles, employees maximize their contributions and create value for Koch, its customers, the community and the world. See more stories of Koch employees in Wichita doing just that.

Find your opportunity at Koch Industries by visiting KochCareers.com.

Koch Industries

Koch Industries

Creating value. Transforming life.

Our life’s work is to help people improve their lives by making and innovating products and services our customers value. Our focus is on delivering mutual benefit: Win-win outcomes that make life better for customers and employees alike.

Based in Wichita, Kansas, Koch Industries is one of the largest private companies in America. A diverse set of businesses and industries across the world, we work together to keep improving and exploring new ways to make life even better.

Koch companies are involved in manufacturing, agriculture, pulp and paper, packaging, consumer products, building materials, glass, automotive components, refining, renewable energy, chemicals and polymers, electronics, enterprise software, data analytics, medical products, engineered technology, project services, recycling, supply chain and logistics, global commodities trading, and investments. Since 2003, Koch companies have invested more than $150 billion in growth and improvements. With a presence in about 60 countries, Koch companies employ more than 120,000 people worldwide, with about half of those in the United States.

Stewardship in all we do.

Our approach to Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) is different than most. We believe in people and seek a system of equal rights and mutual benefit where individuals succeed by helping others succeed – and where people are empowered to improve their lives and their communities. It’s why we focus on empowering individuals to improve their lives and communities through bottom-up solutions rather than top-down imperatives.

Environmental Stewardship

Consuming fewer resources, minimizing waste and constantly innovating to improve our manufacturing processes and performance is essential to the way we do business – benefiting our customers, employees, investors, communities and planet.

Five environmental stewardship priorities.

With more than 300 manufacturing sites across the United States – and about 100 more globally – we’re one of America’s largest manufacturers. Every day, across those sites, we strive to create more value, using fewer resources than the day before. We do it through constant improvement and innovation – both in the products we make and how we make them, and by managing our resources in a way that benefits our customers, employees, partners, community members and society.

• Innovation
• Energy Efficiency
• Air Quality
• Water
• Responsible Resource Management

Social Stewardship

Philanthropy. Health and safety. Diversity and inclusion. Meaningful, rewarding careers and community outreach. These are just some of the vital priorities of social stewardship that empower each of our employees to develop, contribute, self-actualize and create value for the world while supporting communities in which we live.

Governance

Our management framework, Principle Based Management™, is based on proven principles of human progress and a deep appreciation for the dignity of every individual. Our private ownership, shared Vision, Values, compliance standards and oversight all help us focus on long-term value creation.

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