Face Behind the Fertilizer: Jessie Gray

Jessie was good with numbers, so she decided to pursue an accounting degree. She saw it as a good foundation to enter the business world and a skill that would provide a flexible career path. She had never heard of Koch, but a college recruiting breakfast changed that — and her perspective on what a career in finance could be.

TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE?

Jessie’s journey to Koch started with a nudge from one of her accounting professors, who suggested she attend a breakfast event with Koch recruiters visiting campus. And as a college student, the lure of a free meal was too enticing to resist. She went in curious — and hungry — and left hooked.

“I just remember thinking, ‘Is this too good to be true?’” Jessie said. “The idea that a company puts so much emphasis on self-actualization, that your career path can lead wherever your capabilities take you — there’s not a single ladder you have to climb. I’d never really heard that philosophy before.

“It almost seemed like a pipe dream that a place of business could align so closely with how I try to conduct my personal life,” she continued.

The breakfast left her satisfied in more ways than one. Before she had finished her bacon, Jessie knew Koch was where she wanted to be.

As a sophomore in 2019, Jessie had the opportunity to attend Koch’s Rising Leaders event in Wichita, Kansas, where she met leaders and learned more about the company. The visit solidified her resolve and, while she was there, she interviewed for a 2020 summer internship with Koch Fertilizer. She got an offer and began gearing up to go from Utah to Kansas.

A SUCCESSFUL EXPERIEMENT

In February 2020, a few months before her internship — and just before COVID-19 — Jessie got a call asking if she would be willing to go to the Koch Fertilizer plant in Fort Dodge, Iowa, instead of Wichita, as part of an experiment to place finance interns on site. She said yes, which started a trend that would continue.

“I loved being on site where we make the product, working with all sorts of people from different backgrounds and capabilities,” Jessie said. “A lot of interns spent 2020 entirely virtual, so I count myself blessed to have been at the plant.”

A second internship followed in 2021 — this time in Wichita — and then a co-op in 2022 until she graduated and could start full time.

Jessie’s first full-time role was in Wichita as an accountant/analyst on the fixed assets team. It was great experience and she made a lot of good connections, but she kept feeling a tug she couldn’t ignore.

“I wanted to get back into the operations space,” Jessie said. “I liked how fast paced it was and feeling that direct impact on business results. There’s something special about working with the people who make everything else our company does possible.”

By the fall of 2023, Jessie was back in operations finance on the plant analyst team, supporting Koch Fertilizer Canada in Brandon, Manitoba. Over the next year and a half, her role grew from individual contributor to supervisor of the plant analyst team, where she discovered a passion for people development.

“I love coaching,” Jessie said. “It’s incredibly fulfilling to help people grow their capabilities. Seeing it click for someone and then watching them go on to influence outcomes is the most rewarding part of my job.”

MOVING ON UP . . . NORTH, THAT IS

The next evolution of Jessie’s role involved going back to work at a plant. She had been supporting the Brandon, Manitoba plant from Wichita, but now she was being asked to go to Canada to fill a finance need on site.

Recalling how much she enjoyed being on site while interning at the Fort Dodge plant, Jessie said "yes" again. In August 2025, she moved to Canada to support the Brandon site through a 60-day turnaround, a scheduled plantwide maintenance event.

Jessie was excited about the opportunity but admits that taking the role was daunting; she worried she didn’t know enough. It turned out to be one of her favorite experiences.

“It was a huge learning opportunity for me,” Jessie said. “I was able to get integrated quickly, take data and craft a story that led to real decisions during the event.

"I still don’t know everything — and never will — but my capabilities grew and I was able to create value. And I survived a Manitoba winter, so I count that as a big accomplishment too.”

Jessie stayed in Brandon for seven months before saying “yes” to her next opportunity brought her back to a familiar place — Iowa.

BOOTS ON THE GROUND

In February 2026, Jessie moved straight from Brandon to Wever, Iowa, to be site finance leader for Koch Fertilizer’s newest plant, acquired in 2024.

Jessie describes the role as being an integrated business partner. She works with all levels of the organization to make economically sound decisions to improve results and the plant’s bottom line. But what she enjoys most is building business ownership across the site, helping people connect to how they contribute to results and create value.

“It’s helping people see how they actually make a difference,” Jessie said. “Those stop, think and ask moments, and then tracing those decisions back to how they tie directly to creating value for the company.”

Jessie credits her time in Fort Dodge and Brandon with preparing her for the role in Wever, including all the people along the way who nudged her outside of her comfort zone and opened opportunities for her to grow.

“It set me up to be able to take this role and add value,” Jessie said. “It showed me that site finance and being boots on the ground in the operations space is where my passion is.”

STAYING OPEN & SAYING YES

Throughout her four years at Koch Fertilizer — six years if you count her internships and co-op — Jessie has remained open to new opportunities.

That openness, combined with an eagerness to learn, has defined every step of Jessie’s journey. Her advice for anyone considering a career at Koch is simple.

“Pick opportunities off the ground,” Jessie said. “I never would have pictured this career path for myself, but I said yes to new roles, to different teams, to moving. At Koch, where you start doesn’t determine where you can go.”

Jessie may not know what her next opportunity will be or where it might take her, but one thing is certain: she feels empowered to keep growing.