After 26 2/3 years on the job, I’m being let go. Actually, my position and director title are being eliminated as of December 24, 2024, and nothing else is there for me. My company is 4 years into the new ownership, a venture capital company, and it’s likely that thoughts of the big payoff are in the air. In preparation for this the CEO, just back from a board meeting, is cutting costs and polishing up the balance sheet for an impending sale. Or so some believe. The mighty and all-knowing overlords of Oz are looking to cash in their chips.

Anecdote

Early after the buyout I had the occasion to speak with one of the board members before their first on-site meeting. This fellow was the retired founder of a chemical company and owned a personal business jet which he flew to the meeting himself. It was an Embraer Phenom 100 which can be flown by a single pilot and under instrument conditions. Both he and his wife were instrument rated and signed off to fly the twin engine jet as a single pilot. As we got to the meeting room, he was greeted by the board chairman whereupon they began to compare notes on their business jets- a Phenom and a Gulfstream. I left since I had no jet of my own to discuss. I was not dejected but merely amused at the different existence these kings of the world occupy.

Back to the story

Having joined the company in 1998 when it was a family operation and coming from a small liberal arts college teaching background, I adapted well to the isolated, almost tribal, company life. Outside influence was scarce. We were inbred and operating on a remote desert island. I got to wear many interesting hats in the organization, and it made for an interesting job despite the lack of structure. Many years later though and with new ownership, the problem became one of wearing too many hats. My job description got overloaded with diverse activities and defied any orthodox job description. My career had become the kitchen junk drawer. I was warned by a friend and boss not to do this. His counsel was to leave and find a more orthodox corporation, but it was just too interesting. In the end he was right. I should have left about 2004.

These days job descriptions are built to exacting standards. None of the cross-disciplinary general chemist stuff that I was used to. I think this is part of what did me in. Early on I had traveled much of the northern hemisphere on sales and sourcing trips. I managed the sales and marketing department for 6 years, did patent analysis and IP due diligence, wrote and submitted a patent application, did some R&D, led accident investigations, conducted R&D on the pyro- and hydrometallurgy of several rare earth minerals, started a process safety department, conducted reaction calorimetry experiments for over 12 years, and finally jumped into TSCA regulatory compliance when we were short staffed. After 3 years I’m still in regulatory compliance.

I have no interest in retirement and halting all chemistry-related activity and doddering into my retirement years because I really dig chemistry. Sitting on the porch whittling a stick and telling stories is not what I want. But a chemist without an organization is hard pressed to continue being involved with actual chemistry. It is true that for everything there is a season. The transition to the next season has begun.