Face Behind the Fertilizer: Nathan Sharrard

Nathan Sharrard pursued a passion many kids share but few turn into a profession: working on cars. Growing up, he was fascinated with them and as he got older, his curiosity and interest in mechanics never waned. This eventually led him to the College of Dayton, where he trained to work on Chryslers.

“Nobody in my family was a mechanic,” Nathan said, “but I loved cars and I wanted to learn.”

His talent and continuous drive for knowledge earned Nathan a job at a Chrysler dealership following graduation, where he spent nearly a decade honing his hands-on skills. This solid foundation in mechanics set the stage for what was to come … when a connection with a customer opened the door to Koch.

The then-terminal leader at the Koch Fertilizer location in Huntington, Indiana regularly brought his truck to be serviced at the shop where Nathan worked. He recognized Nathan’s mechanical expertise — as well as his personal values and contribution-motivated mindset — and encouraged him to apply for an open role at the terminal.

“He knew I had some mechanical aptitude,” Nathan said, “and he thought working with compressors and pumps at the Koch terminal might be a good fit for me, both professionally and culturally.”

He was right. Soon after, Nathan started as an operations technician, where he oversaw the Huntington terminal’s truck loading and process equipment. For an unassuming facility, it gets a lot of traffic — sometimes up to 100-125 trucks a day. Drivers come from Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Kentucky to load anhydrous ammonia to deliver to co-ops and farmers.

Nathan spent eight years in an operations technician role, learning the ins and outs of terminal operations. That knowledge set him up to move into a leadership role when the terminal leader position opened.

“During my eight years as an operator, I gained a lot of experience and had opportunities to mentor new team members,” Nathan said. “Someone stepping directly into a leadership role may not have developed that capability if they haven’t gained similar experience in a previous job."

As terminal leader, the development of his team is one of Nathan’s highest priorities, and it didn’t take long for him to get a chance to put his years of coaching experience and knowledge to use.

“When I was offered the terminal leader position it was right before a big 20-year tank project,” Nathan said. “Every 20 years it’s standard to bring the tank down and out of service and inspect the inside of it. A lot of moving pieces and people are involved. I was new in my role and no one on our four-person team had been through a project like that.”

The 20-year tank project was not only a success from a planning and execution perspective, but also a valuable opportunity to solidify a strong team connection.

“We all understood we were learning together,” Nathan said. “That built a lot of trust and teamwork and throughout the project we became a really close-knit team.”

Beyond large-scale initiatives, daily operations at the terminal demand constant attention and teamwork — it's truly all hands on deck.

“We’re a four-person team, so everyone pitches in,” Nathan said. “It’s an environment of teamwork and ownership, but also one of humility. No one has all the knowledge or all the time, so it’s not uncommon for us to rotate responsibilities or step up when needed. I still get my hands on things and get messy and I enjoy that.”

The Huntington terminal has the ability to load six trucks at one time. With an average loading time of around 20 minutes, it’s an efficient operation, which drivers working long hours appreciate.

“The drivers are trained to load 24 hours even though we're not here 24 hours,” Nathan said. “They use the LoadView™ app, they pre-check, they show up, they hook up, they card in, they hit start, they blow down, they disconnect and they leave.”

Even though drivers can self-load, Nathan and his team see them often enough that they get to know them on a first name basis. In fact, they recognize them by their truck before they pull in.

“We know drivers compare us to other facilities, and we try our best to make their experience as smooth as possible,” Nathan said. “We work hard to be their partner of choice. We want them to choose Koch Fertilizer this time, next time — every time.”

Nathan Sharrard’s journey — from a mechanic with a passion for cars to a dedicated terminal leader with a team-first focus — truly embodies the Koch experience: empowering, supportive, and driven by people who use their unique talents to make positive contributions every day.