Check out a Q/A with the head of Lubrizol.

Ever wonder what it would be like to know and work for Warren Buffet, the legendary businessman and investor who operates out of Omaha, Nebraska, and is one of the wealthiest men in the world with an estimated net worth in excess of $80 billion?

Kirtland Hills resident Eric R. Schnur can answer that question.

Schnur is president, CEO and chairman of the board of The Lubrizol Corp., the Wickliffe-based company that is a worldwide leader in the development, marketing and sales of lubricant additives and other specialty chemicals.

Lubrizol has annual sales approaching $6.5 billion and 8,500 employees in facilities across the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia.

Buffet’s umbrella company, Berkshire Hathaway, acquired Lubrizol in 2011.

Schnur has spent 28 years with Lubrizol, beginning in 1989 while he was a junior at Penn State University majoring in chemical engineering.

“I started in the maintenance department in the pilot plant, just across this campus,” Schnur said recently during an interview in his headquarters office. “That’s a chemical processing area where you take things from the laboratory and figure how to make them on a larger scale. It’s the step before products go out to the manufacturing plant.”

Schnur has been with the company ever since, earning an MBA at Case Western Reserve University while steadily rising in the ranks. Prior to taking over the top job on Jan. 2, 2017, his administrative postings had included executive vice president, chief operating officer as well as president of Lubrizol Advanced Materials Inc.

Q You took over this job one year ago. How has the experience compared to expectations?

A It hasn’t been any easier or harder than I expected. There is a lot to learn. I’ve been lucky in a couple of respects. I’ve had really good people to help me learn. I knew Lubrizol was very involved in the Lake County and Greater Cleveland communities. I knew a lot about the company, but it’s different when you are in this job. And, also, I have to give a lot of credit to my predecessor, James Hambrick. He was with the company for 38 years and served it as president and CEO since 2004. Over that time, while I didn’t always quite realize it, he was helping to prepare me for this job with different assignments and with the advice he gave me. Sometimes he gave that advice in a very nice way and sometimes in a very stern, more direct way, as James sometimes had a tendency to do. He put a lot of time and thought into the transition. To the extent I moved into this job in a reasonably smooth way, he had a lot to do with that.

Q Is there anything about this job that has challenged you in a way that was unexpected?

A It’s not necessarily a challenge, but our ownership structure and my reporting relationship are a little unique. We’re owned by Berkshire Hathaway. My boss sits in Omaha and his name is Warren Buffet. He has a reputation for being extremely hands-off. And that reputation is correct. I have a boss, but it’s almost like I don’t. He gets involved when we have significant investment opportunities and plan to spend a certain amount of money. But I have almost complete freedom to manage and operate the company. The challenge is, what is important enough to seek Warren Buffet’s advice or counsel? I think I have a decent understanding of that. He is incredibly available and says, “Come and see me or call me any time.” It’s a different supervisory relationship that I’ve ever had in my life or anticipated having. Berkshire and Warren, the whole organization, make it very easy.

Q Is he as down-to earth as he comes off in public appearances?

A Absolutely.

Q Is he a phone call guy, text guy, email guy, none of the above?

A Famously, he doesn’t text. Based on what he’s written publicly, he’s only sent one email in his life. All of his email goes through his secretary, Debbie. She gets all the emails and responds on his behalf. She’s wonderful. Warren is a conversation guy.

Q Lubrizol has evolved into a multi-national company competing in a global marketplace, yet its roots run deep in Northeast Ohio. What is it about the Cleveland area, in particular, that serves the company so well as its headquarters.

A We could probably be headquartered in other places and still be successful. There is a work ethic and value system deeply ingrained in Cleveland that you feel in our company. We have a lot of discussions now about culture and what it will take to move the company forward. Those values and work ethic from Cleveland seem to pervade through the entire organization now spread across many countries.

Q There are numerous references in company literature to values handed down from its founders. What are those values?

A Fundamentally, our corporate philosophy comes down to three things. It’s about people and how important they are. I talk to employees at all of our major locations and ask them about the company, its culture and what they would never want to change. The first answer always is our focus on people. They feel the company really cares about people. This is something I felt walking through the door that first day at the pilot plant. There is a focus on safety. You cannot care deeply about people and expect them to work in an unsafe environment. We operate chemical plants. Those can be unsafe environments if you don’t invest in them and have policies and procedures. The last is business and corporate ethics.. Never do anything illegal. When you have thousands of people around the world, that doesn’t mean everyone is acting perfectly every single moment of the day. But we are vigilant about it. We do things the right way. It isn’t just a slogan. We want to move faster and drive quicker decision making, all the things companies our size talk about. But the focus always is on people, ethics and safety.

Q What might outsiders find surprising or interesting about Lubrizol?

A Few people who don’t work here know about our company. We’re very low profile. I think people are surprised when they realize the number of different applications and the way their lives are touched by Lubrizol products multiple times on a daily basis. The name itself implies lubrication. At any given moment,. half the vehicles on the planet have Lubrizol technology in them. We’re also in half the shampoo bottles. We’re in cancer and diabetes treatments. We have technology in many implanted medical devices and 3-D printers. Our polymers are used in very well-known athletic shoe brands. Our products are everywhere.

Schnur