Two Operations Leaders Promoted to Vice President
Compass Minerals announced today the promotion of two leaders who have demonstrated a strong commitment to the company’s Core Values, delivered meaningful results and earned the respect of their colleagues through their dedication to employees, customers and communities.
“At Compass Minerals, our success is dependent upon strong leaders who are committed to operational excellence, continuous improvement and, above all, safety,” said Brandon Risner, chief operating officer. “As we continue to advance our strategic priorities and strengthen our operations, it’s important that we also continue to have leaders in place who will support our teams, drive performance and foster a culture where safety and continuous improvement remain at the center of everything we do.”
Kade Fowers has been promoted to vice president, operations, Ogden. He will be responsible for leading production activities for both the Salt and SOP plants at the company’s solar evaporation site. Serving as plant manager for the past year, he has led significant operational improvement efforts, including optimizing the performance of the Ogden pond system. Fowers has 17 years of experience in engineering and operations. He joined Compass Minerals in 2016 as a process engineer and operations supervisor and has advanced through roles of increasing responsibility, including operations superintendent and operations manager before becoming plant manager in September 2025. He holds a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from Brigham Young University and is currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration from Oklahoma State University.
Chris Ray has been named vice president, consumer and industrial (C&I) manufacturing. In this role, he will lead the North American production and packaging plants. Ray joined Compass Minerals in March 2021 as plant manager at Lyons. During his time there, he has demonstrated a strong ability to improve operational performance by driving efficiencies, encouraging workforce engagement and championing continuous improvement initiatives. He has more than 30 years of experience in mining and mineral processing operations. Before joining the company, Ray held numerous leadership roles, including manager and president/superintendent of Contura’s Power Mountain Coal Preparation Plant and business unit continuous improvement/running right coordinator at Alpha Natural Resources.
