WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Koch Industries is looking to fill 2,500 job openings across the nation thanks to the commercial growth of most of its subsidiaries. Company officials said most of the 300 job openings at Koch Industries and 10 of its subsidiaries in Wichita are new, professional positions in areas such as information technology, accounting and engineering, The Wichita Eagle (http://bit.ly/t02aP1) reported Friday.
"Most of the job openings are due to growth as opposed to replacement," said Jeff Morris, director of talent development for Koch Industries.
"It's a good problem to have," he said of the overall job openings. "You'd like to be able to fill positions as quickly as you can. But we are selective and find the best we can hire. It's not necessarily a quick catch-up."
Flint Hills Resources, one of the business units adding jobs, has been expanding its renewable fuels operations the past couple of years, including an equity investment earlier this year in Benefuel and an acquisition last year of ethanol plants in Iowa. Koch Fertilizer has boosted its production internationally. Koch Pipeline has expanded its transportation capabilities.
Koch Industries and its subsidiaries have increased its Wichita workforce from 2,200 a few years ago to 2,555 employees this year.
Other business units adding jobs include Koch Chemical Technology Group, Invista, Koch Industries, Koch Carbon, Koch Fertilizer, Koch Minerals, Koch Pipeline Co., Koch Supply and Trading, Matador Cattle Co. and the C. Reiss Coal Co.
Morris also noted that the company plans to bring in more than 100 interns and co-op students next summer, compared to 79 this past summer and 65 the previous year.
"We just completed our most active college recruiting season in the last several years," Morris said.
