Kevin S. Crutchfield joined Compass Minerals as president and chief executive officer (CEO) in May 2019. He is also a member of the company’s board of directors and serves on the Environmental, Health, Safety and Sustainability (EHS&S) committee.

Mr. Crutchfield has more than 30 years of mining experience. Prior to joining Compass Minerals, Mr. Crutchfield served as CEO and member of the board of directors of Alpha Metallurgical Resources Inc. (f/k/a Contura Energy Inc.), a publicly traded, leading coal supplier, since the company’s inception in 2016. Previously, he served as chairman (from 2012 to 2016) and CEO (from 2009 to 2016) of Alpha Natural Resources Inc., a coal producer. From 2003 to 2009, he held roles of increasing responsibility at Alpha Natural Resources. Prior to Alpha Natural Resources, Mr. Crutchfield spent over 15 years working at El Paso Corporation, a natural gas and energy provider, as well as other coal and gas producers. He also previously served on the board of directors of Couer Mining, Inc.

Mr. Crutchfield earned a Bachelor of Science in Mining and Minerals Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He also completed the Executive Program at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.

Could you provide an overview of your role and responsibilities within the company?

As president and CEO, I am the channel between our board of directors and the rest of the company. I’m responsible for ensuring that our company operates successfully and creates value for all stakeholders. To do this, I lead and collaborate with the rest of our Senior Management Team to develop and execute on a strategic plan for our company, develop and motivate a high-performing culture, and oversee all operations and business activities to ensure successful outcomes. Ultimately, I drive progress toward our Core Purpose as an essential minerals company to help keep people safe, feed the world and enrich lives.

“Successful leaders need to bring to the table more than just technical or deep subject matter expertise. They need to value people, keenly understand the benefits of collaboration and be able to operate as part of a team.”

What do you consider your organization’s most significant achievement or highlight over the past year?
Over the past year, Compass Minerals made considerable headway in advancing a key strategic growth initiative. Specifically, we completed a transaction to acquire full ownership of Fortress North America, a next-generation, long-term fire-retardant business that is creating the first domestic competition in that sector in over 20 years. By providing a growing product line of aerial and ground fire retardants proven to be more effective and safer on the environment than traditional retardants on the market, we are excited about the counter-seasonal growth potential this new business can provide for our company.

What would you say are some of the futuristic trends that will have an impact in the next 18-24 months?

The ongoing introduction and accelerated adoption of artificial intelligence into day-to-day business operations is a development that is increasingly becoming a requirement. It will require a balance to ensure AI is appropriately integrated to create process improvement and automation when and where it makes sense. It will also be important for leaders to manage potential risks related to job displacement and even ethical concerns around decision-making algorithms that are still evolving and being tested.