Page 18 - Top Workplaces 2018

Operator: lwahowskidoell Desc: Time: 02-16-2018 13:09 Jobname:

MIDSIZE COMPANIES NO. 1
BUCKEYE PARTNERS L.P.

DOUGLAS KILPATRICK/SPECIAL TO THE MORNING CALL
Pipeline systems controllers, Julio Rodriguez (right) of Easton and Ed Mebs of Easton keep their eyes on conditions in the Northeast network pipeline corridor in the control room of Buckeye Partners L.P. at
the company’s regional headquarters in Breinigsville.
Buckeye Partners employees control their own destiny

Employees contribute, learn, grow and advance.

By Daryl Nerl executives show their appreciation for quarters in Breinigsville. make Buckeye successful because the
Special to The Morning Call hard work, Burgos said. They say thank It is from these operations head- company values the ability to work in
you for a job well done or award gift quarters that Buckeye controls and teams and solve problems, he said.
uan Burgos wasn’t looking for a cards to take a spouse out to dinner as a manages the flow of refined petroleum Rinker had previously worked in
new job when an opportunity with reward for extra hours worked. products and crude oil through a net- finance and accounting, but had also
Buckeye Partners came knocking “How they appreciate and value their work of 6,000 miles of pipeline and 120 been a petrochemical specialist in the
J on his door. employees, I really notice that’s differ- terminals extending from the East Coast Army. He said he decided to switch
In fact, he said he was ecstatic when ent,” Burgos said. to the Midwest. careers because he wanted the challenge
he was hired by his previous employer Ranked as the No. 1 midsize com- The heart of the operation is the of working in the fast-paced environ-
and had been working there for more pany in the 2018 Top Workplaces sur- Control Center, where employees over- ment of the Buckeye operations center.
than 10 years. vey, this is the fifth consecutive year see the flow of product through the “I think you hear it frequently, peo-
“I was very happy. There was noth- Buckeye Partners has rated among the system — in some cases managing it ple like the challenge of Buckeye be-
ing that I was in search of,” he said. “A best companies to work for in the directly and in some cases working with cause they are given the ability to con-
coworker that had worked with me told Lehigh Valley. employees in the field to ensure that the trol their own destiny in what they do
me about an opportunity that came up. I One of the largest independent liquid products get where they need to be and and they are actually able to have an
said, ‘Why not … try something new?’” petroleum pipeline operators in the on time for customers that include refin- effect on what’s happening in the com-
But before he made the leap, the United States, the Houston-based com- ers, wholesalers, airlines and railroads. pany,” Rinker said.
business analyst did some research into pany employs 1,650 people in the coun- While one might think an engineer- The opportunity to contribute, learn,
his prospective employer. What he try and 1,900 worldwide. ing degree would be needed to work in grow and advance is a big part of what
found was a company with a reputation The company was founded in 1886 that environment, George Rinker, a keeps Lisa Czonstka happy in her job
for financial stability and for treating its as a subsidiary of the Standard Oil Control Center console leader, said that working in regulatory compliance sup-
employees well. Company before becoming independent is not the case. port.
He learned that Buckeye Partners in 1911 after the parent company dis- “It’s a very eclectic group of people “Buckeye’s known for hiring overa-
had won several Top Workplace solved. It’s been a publicly traded lim- with a wide array of backgrounds that chievers. I’ve been told numerous times
Awards. ited master partnership since 1986. are capable of doing the job,” says and it’s true,” said Czonstka, who has
Since becoming an employee about a There are 321 Buckeye employees in Rinker, who has worked at Buckeye for worked in the company for six years.
year-and-a-half ago, he has found that the Lehigh Valley. A handful work at six years. “We’ve got quite a few people “If you’re really a hard worker,
the company’s reputation is well- the “tank farm” pipeline facility in with a background in finance or ac- there’s unlimited potential here. I’ve
earned. Lower Macungie Township, but most counting, economics … art majors.”
Even with small gestures, company work at the company’s operations head- A diverse set of backgrounds helps
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18 2018 ❘ TOP WORKPLACES