Investor Spotlight: BASF

By Stephanie Jensen | Director of Professional & Specialty Solutions, BASF Crop Protection NA

When I joined the Board of Directors at Wake Education Partnership in January 2016, little did I know I would be the board chair in 2018-2019. It’s a tremendous honor for me to serve our education community. As a mother of two children in Wake County Schools, I’m also pleased to help provide additional resources to teachers and schools.

In 2050, more than nine billion people will live on our planet. The world population and its demands will keep growing, while the planet’s resources are finite. If nothing changes, we will need the resources of almost three of our planets to meet the demands of the population – a huge global challenge.

BASF creates chemistry for a sustainable future – and we have been doing so for over 150 years. These words represent who BASF is as the world’s leading chemical company, as well as confirm our commitment to conserving resources, ensuring nutrition and improving quality of life.

The BASF portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. Research Triangle Park is the headquarters for our North America Crop Protection business, which is where I work. The team I work for specializes in turf, ornamentals, pest control, and vegetation management, but our business also works closely with farmers to help them get the most out of every acre so they can feed our growing population.

Customers are the center of everything we do. To provide them with value we must effectively manage the present while anticipating the future. One way we accomplish this is by making a long-term investment in education. As we look to the future we see the students in Wake County as our future customers and employees.

I’m proud to work for a company that helps prepare our future leaders by interacting with students and educators. We are proud to be a SummerSTEM host site again this summer. We are ready to have about 20 teachers from Wake County immersed in our STEM culture this month. These teachers will get a firsthand look at our laboratories and greenhouses and will have the opportunity to meet with experts in the field of chemistry, biology, marketing and operations. Over the years, BASF scientists have conducted hands-on science experiments in classrooms and participated in education outreach and mentorship initiatives.

We see great value in this partnership. Bringing teachers out of the classroom into a business setting will help them in educating our next generation. BASF cares about the sustainability of our land, soil and crops, and the sustainability of the workforce in the coming years.  Programs like SummerSTEM are the investments we are making in the workforce of tomorrow.

As a Cornerstone Investor with Wake Education Partnership since 2015, we recognize the organization’s proven history of successful unions between the business community and schools, as well as innovative and impactful programs for teachers and students. We continue to be impressed with the outcomes produced by the organization’s programs and initiatives.

BASF is committed to financially supporting WakeEd efforts and to contributing employee time and expertise. It takes both resources to yield success. We encourage other businesses to partner with WakeEd and join in our effort to continue to provide the best possible education in Wake County. It truly takes a village and we all have a stake in our future.