Smith turns Industry experience into student success

Process technology instructor Greg Smith stands in the LyondellBasell Center for Petrochemical, Energy, & Technology at San Jacinto College, watching students huddle around control panels, competing to produce the most on-spec isopropyl alcohol. Every inch they make earns them $1,000 in imaginary profit — and very real bragging rights. 

"The morning class gets grilled by the afternoon class about how much they produced," Smith said. "And if somebody on the team is messing up, I don't have to get involved necessarily because they are checking each other." 

This blend of competition and real-world simulation defines Smith's teaching philosophy, shaped by nearly two decades in the petrochemical industry before he became an educator.

Born in Houston and raised in Pasadena, Smith earned a bachelor's degree in industrial distribution from Texas A&M in 1982. After working odd jobs during an economic downturn, he landed a position with ARCO Chemical in 1992. 

"I was one of 2,000 people tested and 200 interviewed for 20 spots," Smith said. 

He spent years working four-on, four-off shifts in the utilities unit before moving into logistics when LyondellBasell acquired ARCO in 1998. Later, he managed the Coastal Chemical Company facility in Pasadena, but quickly discovered management wasn't his calling. 

"I'm too nice for management," he said. "I was going to work knowing I wouldn't get everything done and I was unhappy."  

In fall 2008, Smith started teaching in San Jacinto College's process technology program, drawing on his previous experience as a substitute teacher. 

Now, 16 years later, Smith teaches systems and equipment courses and serves as the on-site subject matter expert on the glass distillation unit at CPET. The glass lab is a scaled model plant designed as a hands-on training tool, allowing students to see the inner workings of the distillation process. 

"It's number one of one," he said. "They were smart to put an observation deck in here, because it draws a crowd every tour." 

Smith deliberately requests to teach the operations class — the final course before graduation — because he wants to see students when it all comes together. 

"They all of a sudden become a little bit more serious," he said. "You see the lightbulbs go off for them." 

His favorite day at work? Graduation. 

Watching our students celebrate with their families, slinging hats, and going 'woohoo' is my favorite part. As instructors, we're out there doing the same thing. 

Decades after starting in the industry himself, Smith now guides the next generation toward the same opportunities that once changed his life. 

 "It's funny how things work out," he said. "Now I get to help them find their start." 

Learn more about the programs at the LyondellBasell Center for Petrochemical, Energy & Technology