DE SOTO AT WORK

ARTICLE BY Jackie Hostetler

PHOTOS BY Kevin Anderson

Last year was a difficult year in many ways, to say the least. It seemed that no place was immune to the hardships faced around the globe in 2020, including De Soto.

Financial strains, divisive political stances, and illness were just a few factors that left cities across the country reeling during the pandemic. However, a mix of small-town values and big business savvy has proven to be the perfect combination to keep De Soto not only surviving but thriving.

At the center of this flourishing community is the De Soto Chamber of Commerce. The chamber plays host to about 190 members, ranging from small, homebased businesses to nationwide household names. Its mission is to increase visibility and growth for its members while serving the community and holding fast to its values. It’s easy to see that this mission is being accomplished just by taking a look at a few of the booming businesses in the area.

Engineered Air

De Soto is home to the head office of Engineered Air, one of North America’s largest manufacturers of heating, air conditioning, refrigeration, ventilation, and energy recovery equipment. Engineered Air employs more than 1,300 team members, with facilities all over the continent, including 12 sales offices in Canada, 20 offices in the United States, and a total of nine factories, both north and south of the Canadian border. The De Soto facility employs just under 300.

Biggest Perk of a Having a Facility in De Soto: “The people, both employees from De Soto and surrounding areas, as well as the people throughout the community, from the mayor to Sara Ritter (president, Chamber of Commerce), to other businesses in town. It’s a real benefit to have a town like De Soto to support a business and work with us as we’ve grown and expanded.” —Paul Hansen, Engineered Air general manager

Custom Foods

Like most successful corporations, Custom Foods is in the business of making dough. However, they take their dough a little more literally. Custom Foods has been producing pizza dough, cookie dough, pie crusts, and a host of other bread and pastry goods in De Soto for the past 24 years. Products can be purchased by restaurants, grocery stores, and even for fundraising purposes, so customers can make a little dough of their own. Custom Foods employees 63 team members for round-the-clock, quality dough production.

Biggest Perk of Having a Facility in De Soto: “De Soto is highly accessible, and the people are great to work with. There is a strong sense of comradery in the industrial park between the business entities located here, and the community is growing. Housing development has been key. Most of our employees are very local. As De Soto continues to offer more housing solutions and support businesses for the community, we find it easier to maintain staffing requirements and grow our businesses.” —Ethan Hart, Custom Foods president

Huhtamaki

Huhtamaki, manufacturers of disposable tableware and food packaging, is home to 18 production facilities in North America with 3,800 employees and more than $1.2 billion in revenue. In addition to housing the corporate offices, the De Soto site also converts paperboard for both frozen and dry goods to be distributed to numerous grocery and retail outlets.

Biggest Perk of Having a Facility in De Soto: “De Soto’s location seems like it’s out away from the city, but that’s what makes it great. Our employees can easily commute from anywhere, and they have the convenience of being close to Kansas City and Lawrence. They can then return to their family’s activities and homes without … special arrangements. It’s small-town living with big-city convenience.” —Wessley Hudelson, communications manager

USD 232

Though not technically a business, the De Soto school district, USD 232, certainly is thriving. The district includes 12 campuses with seven elementary schools, three middle schools, and two high schools. With a student population of more than 7,400, the district has a record of consistent improvement with a continued quest for excellence. One of the hallmarks of the district is its dedication to acting in the best interest of students, families, teachers, and the community as a whole. This dedicated service, combined with the support of civic leaders and the cooperation of other community organizations and institutions, has resulted in the outstanding success USD 232 is now experiencing.

Biggest Perk of a Thriving School District: “We are proud to be part of the De Soto community — one that supports USD 232 and its commitment to provide the best possible education for all students. The school district benefits from its association with De Soto because of its focus on the future and its great location in Johnson County. Families are choosing to relocate into this area for the wonderful amenities and great schools.” —Alvie L. Cater, assistant superintendent

Merck Animal Health

When it comes to animals, customers, employees, and the community, Merck Animal Health is dedicated to doing the right thing. This supplier of veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and health management solutions puts people before profits. For more on the business, turn to page 9.

Biggest Perk of Having a Facility in De Soto: “De Soto lies in the heart of the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor, which is home to more than 300 animal health companies. In addition to the quality of life and economics of the area, the location gives Merck Animal Health access to a strong pipeline of talent.” —Thomas Schad, director of North American communications

Rehrig Pacific Co.

The philosophy of the Rehrig Pacific Co. could be, “If you move something from Point A to Point B, we’ve got a product that can better your business.” Originally named Rehrig Box and Manufacturing Co., Rehrig has been producing shipping containers and crates for more than 100 years, with a current emphasis on roll-out carts and recycling bins. Values such as family, service, growth, intrapreneurship, and innovation lie at the core of their work.

Biggest Perk of Having a Facility in De Soto: “For over 20 years, Rehrig Pacific Co. has enjoyed the benefits of urban resources with a smalltown personality, right here in De Soto. The local government and school systems are stable and growth-minded. We’re able to attract across a wide area, from the Kansas City metro through De Soto and over to Lawrence and Topeka. As a fourth-generation, family-owned light industrial manufacturer, Rehrig Pacific looks forward to growing our team and deepening our roots in De Soto.” —Chris Gab, plant manager

Harps Food

Harps is one of the largest employee-owned businesses in the United States. What started as a single, small grocery store in Arkansas in the 1930s has exploded into a Midwest chain, boasting 110 locations. In total, Harps employs more than 5,600 team members; 60 of those team members are working hard to bring residents of De Soto fresh, quality foods at competitive prices.

Biggest Perk of Having a Facility in De Soto: “With De Soto being a smaller community, it’s nice to get to know individual customers on a personal level.” —Shane Murray, De Soto store manager

First Student Bus Transportation

First Student has been partnering with the De Soto School District to ensure safe transportation of local students for more than 20 years. Each school day, a team of nearly 90 expertly trained drivers, monitors, dispatchers, and maintenance technicians come together to provide the safest form of school transportation for approximately 2,800 students and families. If you are interested in making a difference, First Student is always hiring drivers who are committed to safety, customer service and have genuine, caring attitudes for children. Prospective candidates must be at least 21 years old, able to pass all background checks and drug screens, plus have a valid driver’s license with three years of driving experience.

Biggest Perk of Working Within the De Soto Community: “A hometown feel, with the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children in our community by providing them with a safe and reliable way to get to and from school.” —Roxanne Sanford, location safety manager.

PROGRAM HELPS STUDENTS PREPARE FOR WORKFORCE

What began as an idea with the Governor’s Council on Education has reached another milestone. The state’s Work-Based Learning curriculum is being tested by five school districts, including De Soto USD 232.

In 2019, when the council was formed, the mandate was to develop ways of improving education in Kansas, along with ways of improving relationships between the education and business sectors that would also address Kansas businesses’ need for a skilled workforce. This partnership led to the work-based curriculum now in the testing phase.

USD 232’s program is overseen by Dr. Cindy Swartz, the director of the Career & Technical Education area of the Curriculum and Instruction Department.

The work-based learning initiative includes all levels of education within the school district. For those in elementary school, WBL takes the form of ‘Career Awareness,’ offering guest speakers, career fairs, field trips, and business tours. Those at the middle-school level are on the ‘Career Exploration’ track and can participate in job shadowing, mock interviews, field trips, and career mentoring. The high-schoolers are in the ‘Career Preparation’ level with internships and apprenticeships with local businesses, work simulations within their various classes, as well as learning about entrepreneurship and community service.

The goal of these initiatives is to create learning experiences for Kansas students that will prepare them for success in the workforce, in particular in the high-wage, high-demand, high-tech, and critical needs occupations the state will need to fill in the near future.

The De Soto program has partnered with the Kansas City-based Kauffman Foundation to connect with its Real World Learning initiative. The goal of both programs is to equip high-school graduates with Market Value Assets—skills recognized by business and industry to help students transition from school to work more seamlessly and with a greater likelihood of success and economic independence.

“To provide our students with client-based projects or internships, we will need to partner with many businesses in our community,” Swartz says.

For more information on the USD 232 program, go to www.USD232.org; for more on the Governor’s Council on Education, go to www.KansasRegents.org/ about/governors-education-council, and for more on the Kauffman Foundation’s RWL program, go to www. Kauffman.org/real-world-learning. Reach Dr. Swartz at USD 232, 913-667-6200, extension 2803, or via email, cswartz@usd232.org.