There Is No Time for Complacency: Four Keys to Ensuring Your Business Stands the Test of Time

Read Ergon President & CEO Kris Patrick‘s latest LinkedIn article, as shown below, sharing his four keys to ensuring business continuity through evolving industry demands.

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Global manufacturing and infrastructure are moving faster than ever. If you want your business to thrive for the long haul, you simply cannot stand still. You must keep pace with change or, better yet, stay ahead of it. You must outpace while simultaneously holding tightly to the values that made you successful in the first place.

Transformation – No Time for Complacency
The strategy that brought you to this point will not always be the one that takes you where you need to go next. That does not mean you must abandon your identity or vision. You must be willing to adjust how you reach the goal. At Ergon, we aren’t moving away from our culture. In fact, we are doubling down on it. However, we recognize that our tactics must change for us to continue to be successful.

We have embraced the mindset that what got us here may not get us where we are headed. We constantly look for ways to expand our ability to serve customers, not only for today’s needs but also for tomorrow’s. While we market current products to meet immediate demands, we are also working behind the scenes to research, develop and deliver solutions for challenges our customers do not yet know they have.

Change is not something we fear. It is something we welcome with intentionality, careful thought and an unwavering focus on the customer.

Innovation – Staying Focused on the Customer
Any company can follow a blueprint. The companies that endure are the ones that solve problems no one else is solving.

At Ergon, we invest in people who study long-term trends and bring forward ideas driven by anticipation of what customers will need next. Our scientists work to turn those ideas into practical solutions. Sales and technical teams engage directly with customers to understand their definition of success and help them achieve it. Supply chain and quality teams protect the consistency and reliability of every product we deliver. Administrative teams create a smooth, straightforward experience for our customers. Every function works toward the same goal — helping our customers succeed through innovation and service.

In short, everyone plays a role in innovation. If you ask anyone at Ergon, they will tell you there is always something new happening. A new product, a new process or a new initiative is always in motion. That is not by accident. It is essential for business success today.

Motivation – Giving Change a Purpose
Change is only possible when people believe in what they are doing. It is easier to embrace change when it is tied to a larger purpose.

The Lampton family, and especially the second generation — Leslie, Lee, Bill and Robert — have carried forward the standard of showing genuine care for people and treating employees like family. They have continued to lead with the belief that when Ergon succeeds, everyone succeeds. That principle still guides us today.

We show up for each other. We lead with genuine care. We connect the work we do to a greater impact, both locally and globally, so our people know their efforts matter.

Foundation – Staying True to Your Values
Our mission is simple. Meet needs. Support families. Serve customers. Everything we do ties back to that. No matter how much we grow, we remain at our core a service company.

That is our legacy, and it is also our future. The question we will continue to ask is the same one that has guided us from the start: How can we serve?

Service and humility are core mindsets that have kept Ergon strong for over seven decades, and it is what will carry us forward. The real question is this: What will carry your business into the future?

Recognizing 40 Years of Pilot Plant Innovation and Excellence

In June 2025, Ergon Refining Inc. (ERI) celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Pilot Plant — a research facility in Vicksburg, Mississippi, designed to support both ERI and our Ergon – West Virginia Inc. (EWV) refineries.

The Pilot Plant plays a crucial role in Ergon’s research and development process, providing insights that lead to the implementation of new crudes, feedstocks, catalyst selections and more. Different types of oil discovery are constantly being brought to Ergon’s attention. The Marketing Team, Ergon Oil Purchasing Inc. and the Process Technology Group are responsible for identifying opportunities such as new crude wells or new catalysts that have entered the market, which are then tested through the Pilot Plant to determine viability.

The Pilot Plant operates 24 hours a day, five days a week with three sections incorporated into its layout. The first section is a Pilot Development Unit (PDU) which is used to test new catalysts and technologies. The second section is designated for crude assays, which involve testing the quality of new oils from all over the world. A five-gallon sample of oil is shipped to Vicksburg for the Pilot Plant Operations Group to start the crude distillation process, which fractionates the oil into all the different products that Ergon sells. From there, they can run the products through the laboratory to identify the quality of that oil and determine if we should purchase it. Last is a solvent extraction unit that processes flux and vacuum tower bottoms to identify strategic purchases that benefit ERI and Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions Inc. These efforts not only progress ERI, but the Pilot Plant also supports EWV and any other needs for Ergon companies. “Ergon has consistently been dedicated to being the world leader in our niche markets. This business model is what makes us successful year after year,” says Dylan DeRosia, Process Technical Services Manager.

The experiments conducted by skilled operators at ERI keep Ergon on the leading edge as new technologies are tested and proven. There are three operators that run the Pilot Plant and two lab analysts that help analyze all the oils that come off. Additionally, Carter Osborne is the Process Technologist who creates the work schedule and sets priorities on projects and other tasks behind the scenes.

The Pilot Plant has been such a vital part of Ergon’s success, even as technology advances. Equipment is constantly being updated as the capability of this technology develops. Updates include new micro reactor system equipment and building renovations. Something to look forward to is Ergon’s effort to increase specialty oil production by 2032, and a lot of this will be concentrated through pilot testing. DeRosia reassures us that the Pilot Plant will continue to be a big part of everything Ergon does for the next several years.

Ergon Announces Emission Reduction Goal for Energy & Specialty Solutions Companies

For Immediate Release

August 1, 2025

Ergon Announces Emission Reduction Goal for Energy & Specialty Solutions Companies

Flowood, Miss. — Ergon has announced a combined intensity-based emission reduction goal of 25% by 2028 for our Energy & Specialty Solutions companies. This goal utilizes a 2019 baseline of 0.31 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per tonne of product throughput.

In 2023, we introduced an intensity-based goal for Ergon Refining Inc. of reducing emissions by 25% by 2026. Recent insights from cradle-to-gate Life Cycle Assessments on products from our Vicksburg, Mississippi, and Newell, West Virginia, refineries, along with Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions data and additional process safety improvements led to the decision to expand our goal to a broader focus that includes all of our specialty oil and specialty chemical companies.

“This comprehensive goal demonstrates the collective efforts of the ESS companies toward Doing Right for our planet through multiple efficiency projects that will result in real progress based on real data,” said Lance Puckett, Executive Vice President – Energy & Specialty Solutions, Ergon Inc.

This goal and our sustainability efforts, such as our companies obtaining International Sustainability and Carbon Certification PLUS status and bringing sustainable specialty oils to market, are all part of our commitment to ensuring we remain the preferred partner for our customers while making a positive impact in communities worldwide.

Contact Information
Kathy Potts
Vice President – Marketing & Communications
Kathy.Potts@ergon.com
601.933.3000
ergon.com