Gary Mortensen Email & Phone Number

Green River Wyoming

Much of this time, I was privileged to manage an exceptional group of talented technical people, Chemical Engineers and Chemists. The "Site Support Group" was tasked with the more complex projects being developed at the site. I also executed projects as an individual contributor throughout the site including work at the coal-fired powerhouse and at the individual soda ash, sodium bicarbonate and caustic plants at the site. The last year as in this position was spent working as an individual contributor and as a mentor to some of the less experienced Process Engineers. I retired from this position in 2011, however spent most of the next two years working part-time as a consultant. Have gone back several times to consult since then including in 2014, but not regularly.

Green River Wyoming

I moved from the FMC Coke Plant Technical Superintendent to this position in Green River to be able to have more time to do Process Engineering as an individual contributor rather than the administrative work required by the Coke Plant position. In this position I had the opportunity to work at the individual plants and powerhouses of the site. Larger projects included pressure leaf filter replacement; reducing waste from the powerhouse scrubber through an improved control strategy; installing low NOx burners at the coal fired powerhouse; Installing a fluid bed calciner; and working at the now defunct phosphate plant to improve efficiency, increase granular yield, developing a continuous process to recover scrap phosphates at high rates and various other smaller projects. Toward the end of this time there was a reorganization in the Technology Team and I was asked to manage a group of experienced Chemical Engineers and a Chemist on a temporary basis, the group was called the Site Support Group. I was later awarded this position on a more permanent basis. The purpose of the group was to work the more complex projects as they occurred at the site. This was perhaps my favorite position at my FMC career mainly because of the talent and work ethic of the individuals. In addition to leading the Site Support Group, I was able to work some projects as an individual contributor.

Kemmerer Wyoming

The Technical Superintendent position at the Coke Plant was responsible for the Process Engineering, Environmental, and Laboratory functions at the site. There were 3 to 5 Chemical Engineers, a Lab Tech and an Environmental Tech reporting to the position. Originally it was intended that the Tech Superintendent spend half of their time as a process engineering individual contributor. During this time, SARA Title III was passed and Lincoln County (Kemmerer is the county seat) was required to organize a "Local Emergency Planning Committee" (LEPC) to develop an Emergency Plan for the communities. I became the chairman for the Lincoln County LEPC and worked with the various communities for several years developing that document. I continued as the Chairman of the LEPC for about 6 years. In addition to this function, additional administrative tasks were added to the position because of circumstances such as the elimination of the project engineering superintendent position so these admin tasks were added to the Tech Superintend along with Responsible Care and a number of others. Toward the end, there was inadequate time to function as a individual engineer for any substantial time. Late in 2004, I was asked if there were any senior process engineers in the group that would be willing to move to the Green River Site. This provided an opportunity to move to Green River and work full time in the process engineering function that I much preferred.

Newark California

The Newark Phosphate Plant made a variety of food-grade and tech-grade phosphate products and phosphoric acids. My responsibility was to manage a group of a total of 58 to 80 people, 12 salaried and the rest hourly workers. The plant consisted of two phosphorus furnaces; a spray dryer, a rotary dryer; a phosphate glass furnace; food grading facilities; and packaging areas that loaded product into drums or bags. There was also a catalyst plant initially, but that was shut down in 1980.

Green River Wyoming

Initially I was a entry Process Engineer then as a development position a Production Shift Supervisor at the "Sesqui Soda Ash Plant". I was then promoted to the Phosphate Plant Area Supervisor Position and spent 5 years at that facility setting production records in the last two years. Was then transferred to the Sesqui Powerhouse Area Supervisor position where I was responsible for an area that had 4 gas-fired boilers and 3 steam turbine-generators. This responsibility also included the river pumping station and all the natural gas brought into the site. After approximately 2 years, I was asked to supervise a group of engineers in the Technical Department.

Bsche, Chemical Engineering

Associate Of Science (A.S.), Physical Sciences