EDSPC Recognizes Several Local Companies with Longevity

EDSPC honored several local industries last night at its annual Manufacturer's Milestone Anniversary Recognition Dinner, held at the Sedalia Country Club.

Twenty-two industries were recognized for their longevity, but only 13 companies sent representatives to the steak & potatoes dinner.

Companies were recognized in increments of five years, including:

Alro Steel – 5
Wildlife Ridge Winery -10
QC Supply – 10
NEAT Tooling Solutions – 15
Load King - 15
Jake's Creative Wooodworks, Inc. - 20
Heritage Fabrication - 20
Stribling, Inc. - 25
Tyson Foods – 30
Ideal Tool – 30
Stanley Black & Decker – 45
Maxion Wheels – 45
Advantage Metals Recycling – 45
Marcum Hauling – 50
Prysmian – 55
W & M Welding – 60
Viebrock Sales & Service – 60
DeLong's – 60
CED Phillips & Co – 60
State Fair Moving & Storage – 75
Inter-State Studios – 90

Those company representatives who did attend were presented with a plaque by EDSPC (Economic Development Sedalia-Pettis County) President Rusty Kahrs and EDSPC Executive Director Jessica Craig.

“We encourage and honor companies every five years on their milestone anniversaries, whether they've been here for five years, or 100 years. And we're excited to welcome to a company to our community, but it's absolutely most important to recognize those companies that have been here for a long time, and continue to be here and prosper here, reinvest here, and employ the people that we do,” Craig commented.

“Mergers and acquisitions happen all the time, not here locally alone, but globally. And we want to make sure those local leaders and national leaders and global leaders know that we are a place for business, pro-business, pro-growth, and we're open for business. So we're excited to host local leaders and those national leaders,” she said.

Craig credited the Sedalia Country Club with treating EDSPC well. “They're fantastic, they appreciate all the companies that are here doing business here, reinvesting in the local economy. So yes we appreciate the turnout, and all the businesses that came to support each other, whether it was banks or car dealerships, they really support each other, so we're really thankful for that,” she noted.

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What's in store for economic development in Pettis County in 2024?

“You know, we have a really strong pipeline. We have a lot of projects in construction now that will finish construction in 2024. So we're very, very excited about that … in terms of new business, and business expansion, so stay tuned. I think it will be a good year,” Craig told KSIS.

In addition, Craig said, “We do have a fantastic number of job openings. We're not just talking about like 10 or 12-dollar-an-hour jobs, these are family-supporting, family-sustaining wages. So check out your local manufacturers. They are hiring with fantastic benefits. So I would encourage people to do so.”

Craig added that “over 40 percent of our local jobs are in manufacturing, whether it's accounting, marketing, the technical piece of it, safety, you name it, with that manufacturing umbrella, we are very much a sweet spot for that industry,” she said.

And finally, Craig said she and her staff are excited about the end of 2023.

“We have a few projects yet to announce,” she said, “and in 2024 we have several on the horizon. And a couple of really exciting projects that I can't really speak about, but we will keep you posted.”

Craig and her economic development specialist Sydnae Cavness, were also recognized for their never-ending, behind-the-scenes work all year round to make the economy in Sedalia and Pettis County a huge success.

Sponsors for the event included BTCC Bank, Callis, Central Bank, Central Missouri Electric Cooperative, CSC Construction Group, LLC, Ditzfeld Transfer, Lamy's Septagon Construction, State Fair Comunity College, Sedalia-Pettis County Community Service Corporation, Stribling Inc., Thompson Hills Investment Corporation, Viebrock Sales & Service, W & M Welding, & Wood & Huston.

In the top photo: Gary McMullin, owner of W & M Welding and Viebrock Sales & Service, LLC, accepts plaques from EDSPC Executive Director Jessica Craig, left, and EDSPC President (and emcee for the event) Rusty Kahrs, right, during a Manufacturer's Milestone Awards Banquet Thursday night. Both companies have been in business for 60 years.