Farris takes on new leadership role at K+S Potash Canada
Formerly known as the Legacy Project, Bethune is the first greenfield potash mine in Saskatchewan in nearly 50 years. Also new in his role is Sam Farris: K+S Potash Canada’s (KSPC) new president and general manager. KSPC is a subsidiary of the German company K+S Group and Farris was appointed president of KSPC following the retirement of Dr. Ulrich Lamp.
Farris, who grew up on a farm in Shaunavon, southwest Saskatchewan, has worked for KSPC since August 2011. He was most recently in the role of senior vicepresidentandgeneralmanager of the Bethune mine. Farris will continue to serve as the general manager of the mine, as well as his newroleaspresident.
Not only is Bethune the province’s first new solution potash mine in 50 years, it is only the second solution mine “by design” in Saskatchewan. The other is the Mosaic Company’s nearby mine in Belle Plaine. Building a greenfield potash mine involves decades of planning and a massive financial commitment, with the risk of commodity prices fluctuating during that time.
“Being president of KSPC is exciting. It has been a unique chance to bring KSPC closer together between our locations. I live in Regina and my GM duties still have me spending the majority of my time at the Bethune mine, but I do try to get to Saskatoon at least every second week. The sales and marketing of our potash is done out of K+S Group’s head office in Kassel, Germany,” says Farris.
Farris has both undergraduate and graduate degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Saskatchewan. He worked for two years as a consultant before joining the team at Belle Plaine mine in 2000. Since then, he has immersed himself in the world of potash mining.
Bethune is K+S Group’s largest investment in North America and employs approximately 360 people. The mine and production facility officially opened in spring 2017. KSPC’S other Canadian activities are based out of its Wall Street corporate office in Saskatoon, where approximately 70 employees work.
KSPC also includes a world-class potash handling and storage facility, operated in partnership with Pacific Coast Terminals, in Port Moody, British Columbia.
“During the Legacy Project’s operational readiness phases, our engineering team was primarily based in Saskatoon. Now that the mine is operational and ramping up, the emphasis has shifted to fully integrating our Saskatoon, Vancouver and Bethune teams into one company and blurring the lines between the offices.”
Parent company K+S AG is traded on the Frankfurt stock exchange under the ticker symbol ‘SDF.’ Canadians will be familiar with the company’s name because, three years ago, Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan launched a public offer for all outstanding shares of K+S AG. In October 2015, Potashcorp ultimately backed away from the multi billion-dollar takeover offer. Potashcorp has since merged with Agrium to form Nutrien.
Farris’ primary objective for the company in his new position as president is cultural integration of the company, but he has longerterm goals as well.
“I want to continue to build on KSPC as a single, cohesive team. Over the next year or two, we’re focusing on technical and production stabilization, as well as organizational stabilization. I believe that our employees are getting comfortable and hitting their stride. Ramping-up the Bethune mine has been an immensely high rate of change to absorb. It’s incredible to think that our team is on track to hit our forecast of 1.4 to 1.5 million tonnes of production in 2018.”
When asked what makes the Bethune mine unique in the province’s potash industry, Farris is quick to answer, “It’s 50 years newer!
“We hear from our vendors and suppliers – who obviously see many different worksites and leadership styles – that at KSPC it’s our culture that is our strength. That we go above and beyond the technical merits of an individual employee. I’m proud of that.”
Finally, Farris is honoured that KSPC was named one of Saskatchewan’s Top Employers for the fifth year in a row. In November 2018 KSPC was also named one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers, an accolade the company has received since 2014. Canada’s Top 100 Employers is based on factors such as the physical workplace, employee benefits, performance management, training and skills development, and community involvement.