Providing Solutions, Making His Family Proud: Jorge's Journey
Jorge's father loved chemistry and studied chemical engineering.
Like father, like son.
“I’ve always been interested in figuring out how things work, how everything is made. Chemistry explains most of that,” said Jorge, technical sales engineer for moleko, Tessenderlo Kerley. “All kids like to make solutions and want to look cool in a lab coat. That comes afterwards, of course. But I really like it.”
Jorge grew up and went to school in Mexico City, where he became a metallurgist by degree. He moved to Sonora and worked in the mining industry before joining the moleko team in the U.S.
For Jorge, providing long-term solutions is the most satisfying part of his job.
“You go to different mines, you see their processes, their infrastructure, their setup, and immediately you start thinking about how we can fix this,” he said. “I like to see my own equipment and processes work. I like to be a part of it. When they come back and say, ‘Thank you, you guys helped us a lot,’ or, ‘You guys discovered some things that we had no idea about,’ that’s amazing.”
One of Jorge's proudest achievements during his seven years at moleko came in 2016, when a large mining company that recovers gold needed help with its cyanide destruction process. Jorge recommended ABS (Ammonium Bisulfate Solution) as a solution.
“It solved the problem, and they’re now using 1,200 tons of ABS per month,” he said. “After that, the demand of ABS skyrocketed, and it hasn’t come back down.”
One of Jorge's favorite aspects of the job is travel. Along with trips throughout the United States and Canada, he gets to return to Mexico to educate customers about moleko’s products.
So many of Tessenderlo Kerley’s employees have been with the company for 20 years, 30 years, or even longer. Jorge understands why.
“We’re a big family. I know it sounds cheesy, but it’s true,” he said. “All of us just work in a nice synergy. We all support each other. You can reach for help to engineering, communications, IT, and everyone’s willing to help. We connect and help each other, and we’re always aware of what going on. We’re all taking care of each other, and it’s the same all over. Even with our sister business units, NovaSource and Crop Vitality, you can always find a helping hand.”
Jorge's father recently passed away, but he’s thankful to have the chance to carry his dad’s legacy of learning how the world works through chemistry, and using that knowledge to provide solutions.
“I don’t know what my life would have been without Tessenderlo Kerley,” he said. “When I look at my friends, my family, my mom saying, ‘I’m so proud of you,’ that’s definitely amazing. And when you look back and just see these accomplishments, it’s just fantastic.”