PROFILE: Chevron Phillips siblings training next generation

SWEENY

On Sept. 13, 1976, Darrell “DJ” Johnson was told to report to work.

“I went to technology school in Dallas and graduated in 1975,” Darrell Johnson, 63, said. “I worked various jobs until something came open in my field. Phillips 66 was hiring electricians. My training was in electronics. I got a call to come to Phillips to report to work.”

Two years later, Darrell helped his brother get the same call.

“After some time in college, I decided I preferred to go to work for a living,” Melvin Johnson said. “DJ already worked here and I knew some other people here, so I applied at Phillips 66 Petroleum at the time as an operator.”

The federal government built the Sweeny refinery in 1942 and Phillips 66 purchased it in 1947. On July 1, 2000, Chevron Corp. and Phillips Petroleum Co. merged their chemical operations and became Chevron Phillips.

The Sweeny complex employs 615 people and all of them started out as trainees. Training is very important to the company, but also to the workers.

“We’re both trainers; he’s an operator and I’m on maintenance,” DJ Johnson said.

“Operators nowadays have to get process technology certification, but they still need six months of training before they can be left alone,” 61-year-old Melvin Johnson said.

Melvin Johnson’s favorite part of the job is being in the classroom, he said.

“I love working with people in the classroom. Training, teaching, explaining,” he said. “I like to take complex things and turn them into simple things. I get motivated by it. I like to see young eyes light up. It’s rewarding for me.”

The brothers have what they feel like is an extended family at Chevron Phillips.

“My happiest workday was the day I started,” DJ Johnson said. “The day I signed the contract for Phillips 66, I was a company man.”

“It’s a good work environment, and safety is critical,” Melvin Johnson said. “The place becomes almost like a second home. The culture is inviting and participatory.”

The family connection goes beyond this generation of brothers.

“My dad was an inspiration,” Melvin Johnson said. “He worked at another plant and inspired me and gave me a work ethic that’s lasted to today.”

The Johnson brothers want to pass down their knowledge to the next generation of their Chevron Phillips family, they said.

Along with the commitment to their work family, the Johnsons also value their close personal relationship and spending a lot of time together.

“We have a way of keeping each other in check,” Melvin Johnson said. “We communicate and talk and it’s a relationship. I love him; he’s been my brother all my life. DJ is my big brother and gives me advice sometimes.”

The brothers extend their roles as mentors and trainers into the community. Melvin is a pastor and DJ is a deacon at Heart of Christ Community Church.

As DJ puts it, the brothers operate on biblical principles in their day-to-day lives.

“Knowledge carries you through life,” he said.