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For Clay and David Robinson, ExxonMobil isn’t just a major employer in Baton Rouge. It’s part of their family story.
The brothers are fourth-generation ExxonMobil employees. Their father and grandfather both worked at the company’s Baton Rouge chemical plant, and both of their great-grandfathers were among Exxon’s earliest employees in Baton Rouge.
Today, Clay continues that legacy as a process planning coordinator, while David recently retired after a 33-year career that took him from plant operations to a global supply chain role.
Looking back, David says the company’s impact wasn’t measured in numbers but was felt in everyday life. “We weren’t a wealthy family by any means,” he says. “But we did a lot of things. We went a lot of places. We had good insurance. We never really wanted for anything.”
That sense of stability and opportunity is what ultimately drew both brothers to ExxonMobil. “It just gave you a sense of security,” Clay says. “You knew you could take care of your family.”
Stories like theirs put a human face on ExxonMobil’s broader economic footprint – one that extends across thousands of families in the Capital Region.
By the Numbers: ExxonMobil’s Baton Rouge Economic Impact (2022–2024)
- ~6,000 employees and contractors supported locally
- $625M+ in average annual payroll
- $11.87B contributed to the Baton Rouge area’s GDP
- $69.1M in property taxes to East Baton Rouge Parish
- $96.4M in property taxes statewide
- $624M invested in capital projects
- Supporting roughly $1 out of every $16 in the regional economy
Beyond direct employment, those numbers also reflect ExxonMobil’s impact on local contractors, suppliers and small businesses throughout the region.
For Cherotamekia “Kisha” Young Morris, owner of Kisha’s Soul Katering, the relationship with ExxonMobil has helped transform a home-based catering business she launched during the pandemic into a growing source of income for her family.
Morris began catering for ExxonMobil a few months after opening her business, providing meals for meetings, volunteer events and employee gatherings. Word quickly spread throughout the plant.
Today, she estimates ExxonMobil accounts for roughly 70% of her business. From wraps and salads to blackened fish and homemade chicken salad, her food has become a regular part of employee events.
For Morris, the company’s economic impact is personal. “As a small business owner, it’s helped me provide for my family,” she says. “They give local vendors and small businesses opportunities.”
Her story reflects another side of ExxonMobil’s footprint in Baton Rouge – one that extends beyond refinery gates and into the network of contractors, suppliers and locally owned businesses that support day-to-day operations throughout the region.
Back in the Robinson family, Clay is already seeing the next generation explore similar career paths, with two of his children pursuing industry-related careers in school. He also points to ExxonMobil’s workforce development programs at the high school and college level as an important way the company helps connect local students with careers in industry.
For David, the legacy is about more than a career. It’s about what that career makes possible over a lifetime. “The opportunity to provide for your family and then retire comfortably without worrying about things … that doesn’t come along very often,” he says.
In Baton Rouge, ExxonMobil’s impact can be measured in billions. But for families and businesses across the region, it’s measured in something simpler: stability, opportunity and the chance to build a life. Learn more about ExxonMobil’s Baton Rouge operations and subscribe to the company’s newsletter here.
