Richard McMichael was in Winfield Correctional Facility in Kansas picking up trash along the highway when he saw people heading to work at Koch Industries headquarters. He wanted that for himself.
One year later he became an accountant for Koch Minerals and Trading after Koch hired him on second-chance hiring, the practice of hiring individuals with a criminal record. This benefits both the individual with a record, the companies that hire them, and their communities.
McMichael had excelled at science and math in school but started making bad decisions in his life. He was arrested for aggravated battery after a bar fight and then sold drugs to pay his legal fees. After he was charged he was sentenced to 61 months in prison.
Inside the jail, he read an article by Mark Holden, who was Koch Industries’ general counsel. It explained how Koch was using second chance hiring practices. He also read Charles Koch’s book, “Good Profit” with his goal being to get a job at Koch.
He obtained permission to finish his degree from Adams State University in Colorado, where he would do classes by mail.
He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
With a year left in his sentence, he began writing letters to the people who lead Koch’s second chance hiring efforts. Koch provided resume critiques and interview coaching sessions.
Because of his skills and values and his excitement to work at Koch, he got a job there after an interview.
He rides his bike every morning to the Wichita Work Release Facility and is the first one in and the last one to leave.
Most of his co-workers didn’t know that he was in prison until he told them.
Koch is hoping other businesses begin to see the mutual benefits second chance hiring can bring.
