Cedar Bayou Plant Manager Dirk Perrin on Leadership and Industry Challenges

Dirk Perrin, plant manager at Chevron Phillips Chemical's (CPChem) Cedar Bayou facility, has spent nearly three decades in the industry. Born and raised on a farm in rural Oklahoma, Perrin was the first from his immediate family to leave the area and pursue an engineering career.

After graduating with a degree in chemical engineering, Perrin took a job offer from Phillips 66 in Pasadena, Texas, where he has stayed ever since.

Perrin's time as maintenance manager early in his career had a lasting impact on his approach to leadership. He believes that effective leaders must start by building trust and empowering their teams to solve complex problems.

At Cedar Bayou, which produces approximately 4.5 billion pounds of product annually, Perrin spends about 30% of his week engaging with employees and contractors in the field. He emphasizes the importance of prioritizing safety and aligning expectations with his team.