Q: What drew you to pursue a career at Kraton?  

A friend who was already working there told me about the company. She spoke very highly of it and her experience in the few years she had been there. After interviewing, I decided to stay not only because of the opportunities for growth but also because of the wonderful people I have met along the way.

Q: Can you briefly explain your role and what you do?  

I am the Global Business Process Owner for our business’s Order-to-Cash segment. I own all the processes, from putting a new customer in SAP to paying the customer’s invoice. I love my role because I get to work with both the Chemical and Polymer teams globally. Having the opportunity to work with people in other regions is a lot of fun. In my role, I get to make improvements to the process, help solve problems, and roll out new systems and changes as needed.

Q: How has Kraton contributed to your professional or personal growth and development? 

I have grown immensely in my time with Kraton. When I started in 2013, I only had my associate’s degree. In my time with Kraton, I have grown through several roles in the Customer Service team and earned my bachelor’s and master’s degrees, which led to my current role. Personally, Kraton has provided the stability I need to build a wonderful life with my husband and our two children.

Q: What aspects of Kraton’s company culture inspire or motivate you? 

I am fortunate to work in the Jacksonville, FL office, which has a fantastic culture. We have a great group of people who like to work hard and play hard. Everyone is approachable and eager to help with any questions.

Q: What role do you believe diversity and inclusion play in fostering a thriving and innovative workplace at Kraton?  

Diversity and inclusion play vital roles in our workplace. It’s our differences that make us unique, both in business and personally. I have met so many wonderful people with different backgrounds and experiences than I have had. I learn something new every day, and it is frequently from one of my colleagues. Being in a role where I am fortunate enough to speak with people worldwide is one of my favorite things about my job.

Q: In what ways has Kraton’s commitment to giving back to its communities resonated with you?  

I have always believed in supporting the community around me. Before my husband and I had our own children, we coached Little League. Now that we have children that play, we still volunteer at the baseball park. I also volunteer with a hospice organization and visit patients. Working for a company with just as strong a belief in giving back to the community as I do is important to me. The impact becomes much bigger when done on a company level.

Q: Can you share a personal accomplishment or project that you’re particularly proud of during your time at Kraton?  

One of the projects that I am most proud of and excited to have implemented is invoice automation for Chemicals. Sending the invoice is one benefit, but the biggest benefit is that SAP now checks the invoice’s value before creating it. This saves time with the manual review and removes the need to cancel invoices, as the system catches errors before the documents are created and can, therefore, be corrected.

Q: What’s a fun fact about you?  

I married my best friend on a little league baseball field. We had dated for a couple of years and were coaching Tee Ball together. We didn’t have children then, and both loved the game of baseball and spent much of our free time on the baseball field. It was the perfect setting for us to become husband and wife. We had baseball throughout the wedding- from our bridal party wearing baseball jerseys to a groom pitcher and bride batter as our wedding cake topper. It was an incredibly fun way to start our lives together.