Face Behind the Fertilizer: Nick Slota

When Nick Slota started working at the Koch Fertilizer Canada plant in Brandon, Manitoba in 2012, he was a temporary employee still figuring out his path and the person he wanted to become. He was young — 21 at the time — and he had a nine-month employment term loading liquid fertilizer into trucks and railcars.

He may not have had a clear direction yet, but Nick was motivated to contribute, and three days before his nine months were up, he was offered a permanent position as a liquid loader.

“I started with Koch at a young age, and to be honest, I didn’t know what I wanted to do or who I wanted to be for a long time,” Nick said. “I went through different roles trying to contribute the most I could until I figured out where I truly wanted to be.”

Fast forward 14 years, Nick progressed from liquid loader to transportation operator to transportation shift supervisor. During his three years as a supervisor, Nick worked with the human resources team on a regular basis and saw firsthand the value of their efforts to grow and develop employees.

His interactions with the HR team piqued Nick’s interest and he began thinking about the possibility of working in HR — but he wasn’t sure how realistic those thoughts were. After all, he had spent the past 14 years working out in the plant and he didn’t have any formal human resources education.

Nick tucked away the thought of working in HR in the back of his mind — until the day he saw an open role for a human resources business partner at the plant.

“I just had a light bulb moment and decided I would apply for it and see what happened,” Nick said. “My previous roles were opportunities that were put in front of me, so I took them and tried to contribute the most I could.

“This is the first role I really thought about and decided, ‘This is what I want to do, this is the role I want to be in.’”

He got the job and Nick is now three months into his newest role at Koch Fertilizer Canada as a human resources business partner. He’s just as motivated to contribute as ever, but now he’s focused on developing people into who they want to be and helping them succeed.

Nick especially enjoys coaching and connecting employees to the principles that enable them to make the best decisions for themselves and the company.

“I feel like this role is the perfect fit for who I am as a person,” Nick said. “Now, I need to continue to learn so I can create value for my coworkers and the company the way I want to.

“The most challenging part is also the most intriguing part, which is trying to determine people’s different motivations and talents. To help someone grow, you need to go beyond the surface.”

In a short amount of time in his new HR role, Nick has already seen dividends from his days in the field as a loader and operator. His past positions at the plant allow him to bring a firsthand perspective to situations that aren’t typical for HR employees to have experienced.

“When someone is describing something out in the plant, I know what they’re talking about,” Nick said. “I know the equipment out there and the jobs people are performing, and I think that’s something unique I bring to the HR space.”

You could say Nick’s path to HR wasn’t the traditional route. According to him, that’s what makes Koch so unique — a culture where everyone can be part of the company’s success and the ability to discover how they can best contribute to it.

“There are so many different paths you can take and so much support to get to where you want to be,” Nick said. “There are opportunities out there for something you want to do.

“Maybe you have to try a few different things to find it, but at Koch they want to find the right role for the right people,” he continued.

“There is nowhere else like it.”