Koch Voted ‘Wichita’s Best Place to Work’ in 2022

Koch has been selected as “Wichita’s Best Place to Work” in 2022 in a new survey of employees and community members. The company employs more than 3,300 people in the Wichita area.

The award was announced Dec. 4 in The Wichita Eagle’s “Best of Wichita” magazine. Readers selected various outstanding people, businesses and places among more than 7,300 entrants across 236 categories.

“We could not be prouder to salute and pay tribute to the great businesses that were voted the best in their individual categories,” the Eagle said while announcing the honors.

Over the decades, Wichita has seen major transformations in its community and culture. Innovation drives this progress, as Wichitans have stayed true to their midwestern values, such as mutual benefit, integrity, respect and meaningful work. These are the same values that have made Koch one of the world’s largest and most successful private companies.

Koch’s headquarters has 1.3 million square feet of office space, two full-service cafes and a coffeehouse, as well as a reputation for good pay and benefits – but that isn’t why Koch employees love their jobs. The real reason is the opportunity to be in a role that allows them to contribute more fully by applying their abilities and passions.

At Koch, one of the most important measures of success comes down to the individual employee and their journey to self-actualize – to become all they can be. The foundation for this is Principle Based Management™, the framework that has enabled countless success stories for Koch and its employees.

Koch employee Lisa Loera is a great example of one of these stories. Her transformation from a professional accountant to a human resources analyst allowed her to better apply her gifts and interests. Now, she’s analyzing big data – and leveraging her bilingual skills to translate between employees for Koch Shared Services Mexico, using her gifts to succeed by helping others.

Another example is Pedro Osornio, an employee who started at Koch as a member of the contract cleaning crew. Through a desire to grow and more fully contribute, he developed a talent for laser-cutting, a skilled position using a high energy beam to precisely cut thick materials, such as steel plates. He now works as a machine programmer for Koch-Glitsch.

“I like my job,” said Pedro. “I like the challenge. It’s the first time I’ve loved Mondays.”

When these principles, such as respect for the individual and the opportunity to self-actualize, are applied consistently and correctly, employees become empowered. When they are able to use their gifts to do work they are passionate about, they can realize their potential and contribute more to the company’s success.

This results when employees practice mutual benefit, which starts with the recognition that they succeed when they help others succeed. The result is win-win for everyone involved.

As Charles Koch, chairman and CEO of Koch Industries, said: “The remarkable success of Koch and its employees is and has always been rooted in proven principles of human progress. The better we’ve understood and applied these principles, such as mutual benefit, the more we’ve prospered by benefiting others.”

By applying these principles, employees maximize their contributions and create value for Koch, its customers, the community and the world. See more stories of Koch employees in Wichita doing just that.

Find your opportunity at Koch Industries by visiting KochCareers.com.