[March 08, 2015] During my three years in Iraq as a U.S. Army engineer, I was exposed almost daily to KBR personnel who provided engineering and logistical support to the U.S. military. Without the capability provided by this firm, the military could not have operated at the level that U.S. and Coalition did to attack insurgent and terrorist groups located there.
KBR Inc. is an engineering firm headquartered in Houston, Texas. Formerly Kellogg, Brown, and Root and subsidiary of Halliburton, KBR has serviced large contracts with the U.S. military from World War II to Operation Iraqi Freedom. They are highly respected for their large engineering and logistical capabilities.
Many people are aware of some of controversies surrounding the company, especially as related to their maintenance work in Iraq. KBR was criticized by a few U.S. congressional members and some military members for poor quality and unsafe work. Some of this has been litigated with mixed results. However, much of the criticism showed a lack of understanding of their work requirements in a complex, evolving, combat environment.
The core values1 of KBR Inc. are a significant reason that the company has been so successful:
- Uncompromising commitment to Quality, Health, Safety and Environment
- An open relationship with our employees based on mutual trust, respect and success
- Transparency, Accountability and Discipline in our business
- Best in class Risk Awareness
- Integrity in all we do
- Financial Responsibility to our stakeholders
“KBR’s history goes back to the days before the Wright Brothers successfully flew the first airplane, automobiles were a rarity and the primary means of communication was the telegraph.” – from the history of KBR
Maintaining the strength of KBR has been a challenge and its success is never guaranteed without the great leadership provided by its experienced management team.2,3,4 KBR is an example of a company with core values that matter and are one of the reasons, along with its leadership, that it has done so well and is so highly respected by professionals in the business.
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[1] http://www.kbr.com/about/Mission-Vision-and-Values/
[2] KBR’s mission is to safely deliver any project, any time, in any environment for the benefit of our customers, shareholders, employees and the communities we serve.
[3] KBR’s vision is “To be the world’s Contractor and Employer of Choice by safely and consistently delivering successful and innovative capital projects and services anywhere in the world’.
[4] KBR’s motto or slogan is ‘We Deliver’.