Garyville native managing Beaumont plantL’Observateur / January 20, 1999BEAUMONT, Texas – Chester Lee has come a long way from the streets of Garyville to his present position as plant manager for Mobil Chemical Company’s Olefins/Aromatics plant in Beaumont.
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, January 20, 1999
Lee, son of Mr. and Mrs. Chester Lee of Garyville, graduated from SouthernUniversity, Baton Rouge, with a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering.
His career began at Texaco in Port Arthur, Texas, where he worked 10 years before joining Mobil Chemical at its Beaumont facility.
At Mobil, Lee climbed the corporate ladder from his first leadership position as maintenance superintendent. Five years later he joined themanagement staff at Mobil’s polystyrene plant in Joliet, Ill.
In 1991, Lee traveled to Saudi Arabia to work at the Yanpet Petrochemical Complex, a joint venture between Mobil and Saudi Arabia Basic Industry Corp. (SABIC). After more than three years there, Lee assumed his presentposition at the 37-year-old Beaumont plant, overseeing 425 employees and contractors.
Since going to Beaumont, Lee has guided the plant through improved reliability, breaking several production records. The site also received itsfirst approval for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) STAR program.
With Lee in the captain’s chair, the Mobil O/A plant’s new slogan was adopted: “O/A Moving Toward Excellence in the New Millennium.”In 1997, the Mobil O/A plant received its recertification in OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Program and has seen continuous improvement in safety performance. The current averages for incidence rate and daysaway from work at the Beaumont plant are 1.44 and .36, respectively. Thisis roughly half the national industry average.
Lee is also guiding Mobil’s future as well in Beaumont by supporting the facility’s involvement with Lamar University’s Institute of Technology.
There, students gain experience and learn process operations and craftsman skills.
In the community, Lee serves on the board of directors for the L.L. MeltonYMCA, on the board for the local Chamber of Commerce and represents local plant managers on a steering committee addressing regional environmental, health and safety issues.
Lee also serves on Mobil’s Diversity Advisory Council, advising the corporation in diversity and inclusion issues.
It’s a long way from Garyville.
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