Aurora Phosphate Operations: A Giant Playground for Engineering Talent

From a co-op student 18 years ago to a superintendent today, Alex Hunt has found a giant engineering playground at Nutrien with every type of equipment and process on site. “You’re constantly learning,” he says about his career-defining journey.

When Alex Hunt first stumbled across a listing for a co-op opportunity with Nutrien, he had never even heard of Aurora, North Carolina, despite living in the same state.

But that chance discovery would launch a career that’s spanned nearly two decades, multiple departments, and a deep-rooted connection to a company and community he now considers home.

“When I first got here, I was blown away,” says Alex, now the Phosphoric Acid Operating Superintendent. “The site is massive. From a chemical engineering perspective, we’ve got every unit operation you can think of on the site — catalytic reactors, concentrators, absorption towers. I thought, this is where I can really learn.”

That sense of scale and complexity at the Phosphate Operations site wasn’t intimidating, it was energizing.

“I love learning new things, new equipment. So, from a career development standpoint, this place is gold.”

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From Co-op to Career

Alex’s story with Nutrien began in 2007 when he joined the company as a co-op student. The co-op program allowed him to rotate through several departments while still in school at North Carolina State.

Alternating semesters between school and work, he rotated through all the areas — sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, silicon tetrafluoride – along the way gaining exposure to different processes and building relationships that would prove invaluable and give him a “huge leg up.”

It also helped him connect the dots between theory and practice. “Before my first co-op, I was struggling a bit in school. But once I saw how everything I was learning applied in the real world, it all clicked. My grades improved dramatically. It made everything more engaging.”

A Career Built on Variety

Since joining the company full-time in 2010, Alex has held multiple roles across different departments.

“I bounced around a little,” he says with a smile. “I had three engineering roles in four years, then became an operating superintendent in 2014.”

That variety has been key to his growth.

“You might spend five years in one department and never see the rest of the plant. But because I did a co-op in different areas, I had a good feel for how everything fits together and that’s been a huge advantage.”

He thrives on the challenge of pushing the process further.

“Phosphate is tough. Making phosphoric acid involves a lot of solid handling, a lot of scaling. But I love the challenge of asking, ‘Can we break this record? Can we run this recovery?’” Alex says. “That’s how we make the business successful.”

But it’s not just about the numbers. A big part of Alex’s role is mentoring young engineers and frontline supervisors. “It’s a great mix,” he says. “You’re close enough to the process to stay hands-on, but you’re also developing people and shaping the future of the site.”

The People Make the Place

While the technical challenges keep him engaged, it’s the people that make Aurora feel like home.

“Everywhere I’ve worked here, I’ve made strong connections. These aren’t just coworkers—they’re friends.”

Those friendships extend beyond the plant gates into the outdoors and annual trips with his colleagues.

“We fish together, we hunt together, we hang out outside of work,” says Alex. “The work can be challenging, but when you’re working with good people, it doesn’t feel that way.”

Advice for Future Engineers

For students considering a co-op or career at Nutrien, Alex is clear: “The co-op program changed everything for me. It made school more meaningful. Okay, this is why I’m learning this.”

The hands-on experience was and continues to be invaluable.

“You get to a site like ours, and you realize the magnitude of what you’re learning. The breadth of it. And you can’t really get that unless you’re on the job, learning from people who’ve been doing it for 25 years.”