June 6, 2012

During a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday, Derksen Buildings Midwest was welcomed into the business community with open arms.

Derksen Buildings Midwest has been in operation in El Dorado Springs since 2003, but the company recently relocated to the old Little Bit of Everything building on S. 65 and Highway V.

Since moving into the building, Derksen has completed a 7,500-square-foot addition to the building.

They began production on April 1, according to owner John Berryman.

President of the Board of Directors of Economic Development Sedalia-Pettis County John Swearingen served as the emcee of the event and several local, county, and state officials were on hand for the ribbon cutting.

Derksen Buildings Midwest is the manufacturer of storage buildings of various sizes. Porta & Grace Midwest Distributing is an authorized dealer of Derksen Buildings Midwest and co-owner Stephanie Lefevers couldn’t be more pleased with the products they offer.

“I have been selling Derksen for 10 years. I work with six different vendors, and they are by far and away the best vendor for me to work with. They are like family,” Lefevers said.

The News-Journal had a chance to speak with owner John Berryman after the event.

Berryman was asked how many people Derksen Buildings Midwest will employ.

“We have 13 right now, but we are going to expand a little more and add some new product lines. We plan to have up around twenty employees on site,” Berryman said.

Berryman was asked if he was approached by the EDSPC about relocating to the Sedalia-Pettis County area.

“We got lucky. We found a possible workforce and we investigated the area. Once we started looking around, we realized all of what Sedalia has to offer. Everybody is happy that we are here,” Berryman said.

Dale Lehman is the manager of the Derksen Buildings Midwest, and he handles the day-to-day operations.

Having Derksen in the Sedalia-Pettis County area has been beneficial to Porta & Grace Midwest Distributing and they are pleased.

“We really encouraged them to look at Sedalia as an option for relocating. It is more central to everybody, the lots and the dealers.

“This helps us save on fuel, turn-around time, and travel expenses, so we can maximize our time and money,” Lefevers said.

“I was lucky enough to find this area. I have never done business where I have felt more welcome,” Berryman said. Photos by Randy Kirby, Sedalia News Journal.

— News Article by Kyle Siegel
— Photos by Randy Kirby
Sedalia News Journal