Engineering Good: US Synthetic and CHOICE Humanitarian

Engineering Good

Years ago, Louis Pope, founder and former CEO of US Synthetic, businessman, and philanthropist, knew he wanted to make a difference.   

This desire drew him to CHOICE Humanitarian. Thus began an incredible partnership between the two organizations that has lasted 17 years and has funded dozens of community-led projects across the globe.   

US Synthetic and CHOICE’s History 

US Synthetic was officially formed in 1978 in Orem, Utah. US Synthetic, a ChampionX company, is a leader in the energy industry, with over 40 years of diamond experience. Louis had supported CHOICE Humanitarian personally for years, having been on a CHOICE expedition to Mexico in 1996 and Kenya the year after. These early humanitarian experiences led Louis to develop a partnership with CHOICE Humanitarian and US Synthetic in 2006. This bond, guided by Louis Pope’s example, resulted in US Synthetic becoming a Corporate Partner with CHOICE.  

Turning Employees into Humanitarians  

One of the key ways that US Synthetic has emphasized corporate responsibility and supported CHOICE’s mission to reduce global poverty has been by encouraging payroll giving amongst their employees. US Synthetic workers can donate a percentage of their paychecks to CHOICE Humanitarian. The impact of each generous donation is amplified by company matching.   

“I started donating to CHOICE many years ago based on the relationship we built with them at US [Synthetic],” said US Synthetic employee Rick Frost about the payroll giving program.  “I knew that my donation, along with the company match, would be well utilized by CHOICE, and I believed in the mission they serve.” 

When asked about US Synthetic’s company culture, Landen Garner, Director of Engineering Good, had this to say: “The vision of US Synthetic is to Improve Lives. Everything we do at US Synthetic is to impact our vision. A big part of that vision is to Improve the Lives of the communities around us, so partnering with CHOICE through payroll and expeditions was a great compliment to help us engage our team in accomplishing our vision to Improve Lives.”  

Travel, Team Building, and Changing Lives 

Beyond payroll giving and large-scale corporate donations, US Synthetic has also participated in several expeditions with CHOICE Humanitarian. US Synthetic employees have traveled to and worked on projects in Nepal, Peru, Mexico, Kenya, and Guatemala.   

When asked about these corporate expeditions, Landen said, “We love the mindset and model of how the projects are chosen—where the villages are the main source of ideas for projects on what they feel would benefit their community—and how we work together as expeditioners with members of the village.”  

US Synthetic employee Brett Hooper said this about his experience on an expedition with CHOICE Humanitarian: “I chose to go on an expedition because I wanted to have some kind of moving and deeply meaningful experience that would help me develop a wholehearted view of worldwide charity.”  

Expeditions are an important part of CHOICE Humanitarian’s philosophy around culture exchange and global connectedness. On a corporate expedition, coworkers have the chance to work on a community-led project together in one of the 8 countries where CHOICE operates.   

Brett Hooper was also asked about the corporate expedition's impact on him: “In just a matter of days, I made a lifelong friend who turns out to be my brother that just happens to live in another part of the world. We want the same thing: to provide for our families. The difference is the challenges we will face given our circumstances.”   

Shared Values 

CHOICE Humanitarian’s Director of Community and Corporate Impact, Jen Dyer, shared this about US Synthetic: “The relationship between CHOICE Humanitarian and US Synthetic, a ChampionX company, came from a place of shared values decades ago and has grown to amplify the impact of both organizations. We're so grateful for US Synthetic's commitment to engineering good and we hold this association near to our hearts.”  

The connection between US Synthetic and CHOICE is a special one. Both organizations believe in creating a better world for the future where everyone has access to expanded choices. As a Corporate Partner, US Synthetic is taking a big step toward that better future.