YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY

Springfield, MO

Log in Subscribe

Members of the Carson family, from left Jim, Chris, Kit, Doug, and Jason are taking their family business into the third generation. The company builds in Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas and Oklahoma.
Members of the Carson family, from left Jim, Chris, Kit, Doug, and Jason are taking their family business into the third generation. The company builds in Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas and Oklahoma.

2008 Economic Impact Awards Top Honors, Contractors: Carson-Mitchell Inc.

Posted online
As Carson-Mitchell Inc. heads into its third generation of family ownership, the building and engineering company continues to fuel Springfield’s economy.

“Generally, we’re just an active and expanding construction business,” says Chester “Kit” Carson Jr., president and co-owner with brothers Jim and Doug.

“We’re trying to expand the opportunities for us and the community.”, he adds.

Family roots

Chester Carson founded the firm in 1946 with partner Larry Mitchell, keeping the combined name even after Mitchell left a few years later. When the senior Carson died in the mid-1990s, his three sons assumed ownership.

Each, in turn, have a son who is or will be involved in Carson-Mitchell.

The company works within the four-state region of Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas and Oklahoma.

“We try to stay … as close to the flag pole as we can, because you have better control that way,” says Jim Carson, vice president.

Carson-Mitchell stays in close contact with job sites, often visiting daily.

“I guess if we specialize in anything, we really like the challenging projects that are out of the ordinary,” Jim Carson adds.

One that springs to mind: the foundation for the smokestack at the Southwest 2 power plant currently under construction.

The “2,000-cubic-yard pour” is 10-feet thick and all had to be done at one time, Jim Carson says.

Work began at 2 a.m. and finished at 4 p.m.

“It was a challenge to organize and to meet the specifications the engineers and city wanted to meet,” Jim Carson says.

“It’s … an example of the kind (of projects) we like to do that are difficult and out of the box,” he adds.

Ahead of the curve

A look at the company’s history shows that innovation is part of Carson-Mitchell’s heritage.

When the company worked on the Blair-Shannon dorms at Missouri State University in the mid-1960s, it was the first time a concrete pump had been used on a high-rise in this area, sparking a trend, Jim Carson says.

Back in the 1990s when the company needed a type of crane unavailable in the state, Carson-Mitchell bought one and an additional business was created.

The company has five cranes it rents – with its own operators only – on a regular basis.

Moving forward

Although a slower home-building market has brought increased competition in commercial construction, Springfield tends to avoid the peaks and valleys that roil other areas in the country, Jim Carson says.

“Our economy and the economic activity here are on a fairly flat curve … and part of the reason is the great diversity of Springfield,” he says.

“We’re not concentrated in one or two industries.”

So there’s every indication Carson-Mitchell will head into a fourth generation as a family-owned business contributing to the local economy.

“We have a lot of people, and we’ve been continually expanding the construction business, which is a big business in Springfield,” Kit Carson says.

Carson-Mitchell Inc.

Address: 601 N. Glenstone Ave., Springfield, MO 65802

Web: www.carson-mitchell.com

Employees: 35 full time, 45 total

2007 Revenues: $18.2 million

Did you know?

When Chester Carson Jr. was born at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, his mother hadn’t yet chosen a name. The nurses began calling him Kit Carson, and the nickname stuck.

Information accurate at the time of the honor.[[In-content Ad]]

Comments

No comments on this story |
Please log in to add your comment
Editors' Pick
From the Ground Up: Republic Intermediate School

The Republic School District is on track to open its Intermediate School for fifth- and sixth-grade students for the 2025-26 academic year.

Most Read
Update cookies preferences