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Spotlight on an Innovative Business
- Sept. 2021 - Dixon Contracting Services
- August 2021 - Spring Hill Sports Live
- June 2021 - The Drive-In at Midway
- May 2021 - ASKC Powell Observatory
- April 2021 - Price Chopper
- Feb. 2021 - Wright Way Homes
- Jan. 2021 - KRS Corporation
In October of 2012, Jerry Dixon started a general contracting company to specialize in projects involving the insurance claims process. Although this service was not new to the market, the approach was as unique as each project itself.
Dixon Contracting Services has executed hundreds of projects involving fire, water and storm damage on residential and commercial properties. As DCS evolved, it added commercial remodeling and tenant finish work to its service offering in late 2013.
Due to growth, their services expanded again, and DCS split off its roofing division into a stand-alone company. Prairie Shield Roofing L.L.C was established in 2015 to focus on the roofing market and offer their regional clients in-depth service across the Midwest. As of today, they have completed more than $15 million in projects in 13 different states.
MISSION
Dedicated to providing quality and ethical construction services to improve the environment in which our customers live and work.
“Louisburg has been my hometown since the early 1970s,” said Jerry Dixon, owner. “To be able to build a business that creates opportunities for local people is something I set out to do since day one. All of our employees are Louisburg, Paola or Osawatomie graduates.”
Convincing his wife Beth, to leave her career as a teacher to manage the company finances was a game changer for DCS. She helps keep the company going with her organizational skills and accurate finance tracking, which allows for good decision making.
“Our strength is our people and their desire to pursue new horizons. Identifying opportunities that may not be the norm in the industry but fit our stable of personnel is our true innovation,” Jerry said.
DCS believes giving a portion of their profits back to local organizations and charities is a way for them to help Louisburg and surrounding communities grow.
His advice to others?
“Ask questions of every business owner and CEO you can find, regardless of the industry. Then listen. Never quit pursuing knowledge. Find a mentor and read,” he said.
- Dec. 2020 - Seats Inc.
- Nov. 2020 - One Way Deliveries
- Oct. 2020 - On Point Catering
- Sept. 2020 - Social: Managed.
- August 2020 - BlackHawk Apartments
- July 2020 - Be Well Spa
- ..
Seats Incorporated brings innovation to Spring Hill with their outside-the-box thinking and care for their employees.
Seats Inc. is a seating manufacturer that provides diverse options to a wide variety of applications including industrial trucks, over-the-highway semi-tractors, off-highway equipment, earth moving equipment, military and emergency vehicles.
Already established in Wisconsin, Seats Inc. expanded their innovative practices to Spring Hill in 2018. They are now one of the largest seat manufacturers in the United States. The company utilizes highly advanced polyurethane foam-making machines as well as powder-coating lines, robotic welding stations and built-in communication stations help train employees in their assembly line.
Seats Inc. has also come up with some creative ways to keep their 200 employees happy. Employee satisfaction surveys are conducted frequently in addition to wage increases. They also offer onsite chiropractic services and hope to offer full-service medical clinics, similar to those in their home plant in Reedsburg, Wisconsin. Of course, all work and no play would make for a dull workplace, so Seats Inc. makes sure to inject some fun into their employees’ day.
“There’s a lot of quirky things [Halloween costume and ugly sweater contests] that we’re trying to do to create that family culture that we have up in Wisconsin and trying to incorporate that here,” Tim Stevens, general manager, said. “Seats prides itself on growing people from coming in and working on the shop floor and going to higher levels.”
In addition to manufacturing seats and caring for their employees, the company also thought outside the box to come up with creative partnerships within the community. Fastenal, a supplier of industrial goods, leases a space inside the facility. That has allowed the Seats Inc. plant to remain stocked as well as supply goods to others in the area. Fastenal also brought personal protective equipment (PPE) vending machines to the plant, allowing employees to remain safe.
Another innovative partnership came in the form of an unused commercial kitchen at the facility and a pastry chef needing space. Seats Inc. reached out to Lupita’s Kitchen, another Spring Hill business, who was needing room to grow her baked goods venture and offering customers a storefront. In November, Lupita’s Kitchen opened inside the commercial kitchen at the Seats Inc. facility.
“We’re here to stay,” Stevens said. “We’re not a company that hops around to find different opportunities. We’re a growing company in this area that’s doing a lot for their employees.”
Seats Inc. is currently accepting applications for their Spring Hill plant. To learn more about Seats Inc. or to apply for a job, visit their website at www.seatsinc.com
there is one word in the business world that has heard a lot lately, it would be “pivot.” 
Before forming Social: Managed., David Alexander owned a website design firm in Kansas City that was ranked one of the best in Kansas City by Ingram Magazine. His firm had constructed more than 1,000 websites in the Kansas City area before he sold his shares to start a solo venture. That venture became Social: Managed., a full digital agency with a mission to provide customers with a seamless marketing experience across all of their digital assets. 
Be Well Spa is