Ingram's March 2023

Marco Assis Propio Language Solutions, Overland Park Marco Assis is your walking-talking proof that the global economy is thriving in Kansas. The Brazilian native moved to Johnson County with his wife to be closer to her family and is now the CEO of Propio Language Services. In three years on his watch, the small company’s revenues have

Todd Allison Progressive Products, Pittsburg

Todd Allison will admit: Art students don’t normally pursue careers in manufacturing. Yet he credits his art and design background for the adaptability and thinking needed to tackle the complex challenges at PPI, a Pittsburg-based company specializing

exploded nearly 12-fold, to $140 million, and the staff has grown from 10 when he was hired to more than 200 today as it claims its place among the Inc. 5000 list of the nation’s fastest-growing companies. “I spent the early part of my career working in various financial positi ons in various countries for Shell Oil Co. and Puma Energy,” says Assis, who is fluent in English and Spanish, as well as his native Portuguese. “Having lived in so many different cities, I had an immediate appreciation for the local culture, exceptionally friendly people, food, and exciting sports scene in Kansas City and knew it was the perfect place to raise our family, build a business and make a big impact.” “At Propio, which specializes in business-related translation services, Assis is hip-deep in the same challenge facing so many business sec tors in the state: The eternal quest for talent. Fortunately, “Kansas is home to an abundance of talented people for all areas of our business,” he says. “And the combination of a lower cost of living than other metro areas, a great assortment of shopping and restaurants, winning sports teams, as well as so many other great perks too numerous to list, makes it easy to recruit out-of-state talent to move here as well.”

in abrasion-resistant equipment for pneumatic conveying. A native Kansan, Allison grew up in Lawrence, got a bachelor’s in photography in Georgia, and even ran his own photography store in Lawrence until he decided to change careers when his wife was laid off. His father was one of the original partners in PPI, so Allison found himself moving to Pittsburg and starting as a regional sales manager and sales engineer at the company before eventually being promoted to president. Under his leadership, the company has grown to 46 employees and three separate production lines and has expanded its offerings by now manufacturing Apex Stages, the top American-made mobile concert stage brand. He’s proud to call southeast Kansas home and appreciates the opportunities Pittsburg offers to manufacturers. “This area is more conducive to manufacturing than many more metropolitan areas. I also think—from a logistics point of view—that being centrally located in Kansas has real advantages for national product distribution. Pittsburg is a great place to start a new business.”

Aaron Bastian Fidelity Bank, Wichita This part of the country has no shortage of iconic surnames in banking—think of the Kempers in Kansas City and the Chandlers in Wichita—but even those families are getting a run for their money with the Bastian clan, specifically, with Aaron Bastian, president and CEO of Wichita-based Fidelity Bank, who

Jeff Blaesing J.E. Dunn Construction, Shawnee

Jeff Blaesing likes to keep things simple: He’s worked for precisely one employer since college, and he’s lived in Shawnee since moving to the Kansas City area. “I figure I’ll be in both places until I die,” he jokes. A native of Lockport, Ill., he headed to the University of Nebraska

represents generation four of that family. He took the helm from his father, Clark, in 2020 and is responsible for the overall vision and strategic direction of the bank, as well as day-to-day business operations. How’s it been going? Well, during his time as president, Fidelity achieved its most profitable years, substantially grown assets, and navigated a charter change to a national banking association. He’s been with Fidelity since 2007, coming on board as a commercial loan officer. He worked in that sphere for five years before becoming president of Fidelity’s Oklahoma market, and his work there—including record profitability in the Oklahoma City market—prepped him for senior leadership at the Wichita bank, starting as president in 2015 and serving in that role until 2020. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Wisconsin, then finished first in his class at UW’s Graduate School of Banking. His civic engagements include the board of directors for the Greater Wichita Partnership, which brings various organizations together to promote the region’s business interests. He also was a founding co-chair of Project Wichita, which works to set a 10-year vision for the city’s growth.

with a pair of interests—construction management on the academic side and baseball on the athletic side, where he pitched for the Cornhuskers. Baseball free agency didn’t appeal to him—“I was married and wanted to get to work,” he says—but he did land with the pros in Kansas City, joining JE Dunn Construction and working in project management. Today, he’s the Kansas City office director for the region’s largest contractor, overseeing the mother ship in an enterprise with 20 locations nationwide. On his way up, he says, “I focused on knowing the business and knowing what makes our project teams and our people successful. Every time something came up, trivial or difficult or fun, I raised my hand. I would not trade this for the world—it is my dream job.” Leading that office carries a special responsibility because of the way Dunn has grown up with the community. “It is absolutely different,” Blaesing says, “because we pride ourselves on being a community builder. We work with so many not-for-profits and businesses, and a lot of our other markets don’t have that depth of relationships as we do in our hometown.”

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