vigilance to prevent lethal accidents. It was easily one of the most important divisions of Koch Industries, ranking in size only behind Georgia-Pacific and Flint Hills Resources.
Packebush was offering control over all of this to Chase Koch, if he wanted the job.
“What I was thinking at the time,” Chase recalled, “was, Oh, shit.”
* * *
For the first time, Chase would be the public face of Koch Industries. The occasion was a groundbreaking ceremony in October of 2013 at the company’s fertilizer plant in Enid, Oklahoma. The company erected a small tent outside the plant for the event, and Chase arrived in a suit and tie, a level of formality that was rare for senior Koch executives. This was one of the first big public speeches of his career.
Koch Fertilizer was investing $1.3 billion in the Enid plant to expand its footprint and ramp up production. There was a gold rush in the fertilizer business at this time, thanks to the crash in natural gas prices, which boosted profits. Koch was pressing its advantage, expanding its plant before competitors could enter the field and steal its market share. This was the kind of announcement that companies liked to publicize with ribbon cuttings and other ceremonies that drew local civic leaders. Under the small tent, the folding chairs were filled by Enid’s civic leaders, plant employees, and local law enforcement officers.
It was an awful day to make a speech. Strong, gusting winds forced everyone to cling to their papers, and Chase’s hair was blowing into a mess when he stepped onto the small wooden stage and walked to the podium. He delivered his remarks gamely, however, speaking over the wind, and then turned to watch the earth mover perform its ceremonial role. Chase also delivered remarks to a ballroom filled with more of Enid’s business leaders. This time the sound was better. Chase read from a script, which had the oratorical verve of a press release:
“Going forward, we are very, very excited about the future of Koch Fertilizer,” Chase said. “We see positive trends in global demand as the population grows from seven billion to nine billion over the next thirty to forty years, driving the need for more efficient products, more services, and more innovation as we keep up with this trend.”
Chase Koch didn’t come across as trying to impress anybody. He acted like the same guy whom so many people had encountered over the years: quiet, low-key, and humble. As he took over Koch Fertilizer, Chase revealed his leadership style, one that was developed over decades of hard work, often in solitary spaces like the tennis court or trading desks—he was quiet, focused on the matter at hand, and driven. If he came across as subdued, he also seemed like someone who was increasingly comfortable in his own skin. He could never escape the Koch name, but he was starting to wear it with a sense of ease.
Chase Koch’s confidence might have come, in part, to changes in his personal life. On November 1, 2010, Chase married a Wichita girl named Annie Breitenbach, a registered nurse who had gone to college at the University of Kansas. Leslie Rudd noticed a change come over Chase after the wedding. Annie Koch clearly had a mind of her own. She made her own decisions. Her independence seemed to give Chase his own foundation as an adult. “I think that [Annie] was an ideal wife for Chase,” Rudd said. “She’s smart. She’s got resolve, and she’s got her own opinion; it’s not influenced by Charles or Liz. I think Chase feels that. He feels he’s got support beyond his family.”
Chase and Annie Koch spent $3 million to buy a seventy-acre parcel of land in Wichita for their home. Much of the property remained undeveloped. Chase Koch now had his own family estate. He became a father when he and Annie had their son. A second son followed.
In the small circle of Wichita business leaders, a lot of people were talking about Chase Koch. His rise to the highest levels in Koch Industries seemed assured. Ever since Chase was a kid, the specter had hung over his head—“WELCOME CROWN PRINCE”—and now he was on his way to filling the job. The pathway to Koch’s senior executive suite seemed to be short, straightforward, and predictable.
The only thing standing in Chase Koch’s way was the fact that he was miserable.
* * *
Being Koch Fertilizer’s president wasn’t what most people might think it would be. The job was