March 8, 2025
International Women's Day 2025: Misty Mathews
This International Women’s Day, we’re celebrating the incredible women who make an impact every day with their dedication, expertise and leadership. The details of their career journeys are different, but their daily motivations share a lot of common ground. They’re driving innovation, creating value and, most importantly, enjoying every minute of it.
Celebrating 35 years with Koch, Misty Mathews began her remarkable career journey in 1990 as a soon-to-be graduate of Pittsburg State University with a degree in accounting. As she began to consider job opportunities, she saw Koch as a promising option.
“Back in ‘those days’ there were no internships to apply for at Koch,” Misty said. “You signed up for interviews on campus and if you were lucky, you were invited to the company headquarters for an interview.”
As luck would have it, Misty received an invitation for an interview. She instantly fell in love with the people and culture and knew right away she wanted to work at Koch. Thankfully, the feeling was mutual — but luck didn’t play any part. Misty’s talents and contribution-motivated mindset landed her the role and soon after she started with Koch Refinery, now Flint Hills Resources. Fun fact: On Misty’s first day they broke ground on the current Koch headquarters building.
While working on projects for Koch Refinery, Misty traveled numerous times to the facilities in Pine Bend and Corpus Christi, each time expanding her knowledge of the refining process. It was an exciting time in her early career that she summed up this way: “Who knew an accountant from southeast Kansas would be doing something like this?”
After holding various positions with Koch Refinery, she spent time at Koch Supply and Trading before accepting an opportunity in 2004 to move to a role with Koch Fertilizer as a truck logistics scheduler. From there she took on rail logistics, ammonia pipeline scheduling, ammonia barge scheduling and pipeline optimization — each time gaining a new customer base and learning new systems.
A self-admitted “numbers geek,” Misty also considers herself a people person. She spends her days working with both numbers and people, so it’s a perfect fit for her unique skills.
“Experimenting over the years and finding my comparative advantages has been a win-win for myself and for Koch,” Misty said. “Koch provides so many opportunities and focuses on employees' talents and self-actualization if you just take the time to assess your passions and then aren’t afraid to speak up for yourself.”
In her current role, Misty is responsible for the entire Koch Fertilizer ammonia system. It’s no small feat to ensure enough ammonia is in place at each plant and terminal for the spring and fall seasons to meet customer needs.
“It’s like putting together a big jigsaw puzzle, but one with pieces that are constantly moving and changing,” Misty said. “The most exciting — and challenging — part of my job is how quickly things change and the rate at which we must pivot. I spend most of my day in spreadsheets and reviewing data to make the best overall decisions for the team.”
With the growth of Koch Fertilizer over the years, the logistics group has expanded tremendously, bringing with it many new systems and efficiencies that continue to create value through transformation. Misty counts the joy of working with the ammonia team and celebrating successes together through it all as her inspiration to contribute at a high level.
“We have worked together for a long time and have a tremendous amount of teamwork amongst our group that makes us successful,” Misty said. “We embrace the challenge process to look for what creates the most value for Koch. We are proud of what we do and accomplish and share in each other’s successes.”
So, what’s kept Misty at Koch for 35 years?
“Hands down, the people!” Misty said. “I have worked with some of the most amazing people over the years and the group I work with now couldn’t be any better. I learn from them daily and hope they learn a few things from me as well. I love doing what I do!”
From crossing her fingers for an interview to a storied career spanning an impressive three and a half decades, Misty Mathews has experienced and accomplished a lot along her professional journey. Each chapter a testament to teamwork, dedication and a passion to drive success.
Not bad for an accountant from southeast Kansas.
