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Crossland Family Purchases Pitsco

The following article was originally published in The Morning Sun. 

Pittsburg, KS – Pitsco Education, a leading hands-on education company for 50 years this year, was sold recently to the Crossland Family, ensuring that Pitsco will maintain its roots in Pittsburg, Kansas, according to a press release sent out Wednesday morning.  

Founder and CEO Dr. Harvey Dean said in the release his decision to sell Pitsco hinged on the new owners’ commitment to grow the company around its long-standing mission to lead education that positively affects learners from its campus in southeast Kansas.  

As a testament to that fact, Ivan Crossland Jr., CEO of Crossland Construction of Columbus, Kansas, said in the release he will keep Pitsco running as is with no changes to personnel, internal structure, or product development.  

“Pitsco Education, LLC, will continue to develop and market K-12 STEM, robotics, coding, and drone solutions and curriculum across the US and the world,” Crossland said in the release. 

Dean said he didn’t imagine when starting Pitsco that it would grow as it has during the past half century. What started as a small business in 1971 creating hands-on learning kits — most famously their C02 car kits — in Dean’s garage, has grown into a company with international reach creating new and exciting ways for kids to learn about STEM topics.  

According to the release, more than 280 million students have used Pitsco products, and hundreds of employees have contributed to Pitsco’s educational offerings that are designed to reach and teach all students, regardless of their preferred learning styles. 

“Our focus has always been on students and teachers, helping them to experience relevance in education through the kits, equipment, and materials we provide. The Crossland family will continue to take that same approach and lead Pitsco into the next 50 years,” Dean said in the release. “We appreciate our employees’ tireless efforts and will miss drawing from their strength and determination to offer the best STEM education materials anywhere.” 

According to the release, Dean consulted with Crossland 17 years ago when the construction company was starting what has become an award-winning construction education program. Crossland said in the release that his experience with Dean spurred his interest in acquiring Pitsco. 

“Crossland constructs the school buildings where Pitsco Education products and tools assist educators in providing effective and creative learning experiences,” Crossland said. “We have great respect for what the Dean family has built. The Pitsco leadership team and 100-plus employees have formed an innovative international education company poised to bring education to life for students over the next 50 years.” 

According to the release, the sale was completed on June 30. Pitsco will continue to be directed by President Lisa Paterni, who has served in that role for more than 13 years. Paterni oversees the Pitsco Way Leadership Team that handles the company’s day-to-day operations. 

 

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Workforce Development

2020-07-17_001bwColumbus, KS – At Crossland, we believe in the power of a passionate and well-developed workforce. More than a decade ago, we began to see a decline in skilled workers. Our leadership took an innovative approach to support Crossland’s future and the construction industry’s outlook. In 2004, we hired a teacher with a background in construction and established the Crossland Academy—our in-house talent development department. 

Crossland Academy was formed around two critical missions: offering trade-specific training and certifications to Crossland employees and introducing students early on to opportunities within the construction industry. Both tasks would be crucial in creating an industry pipeline of qualified tradespeople.

Today, the Crossland Academy is a nationally accredited, award-winning education and training program. We provide a wide range of professional development courses and skills training to employees who are new to Crossland or the construction industry.

Educating our Youth 

It’s common for well-paying jobs to sit empty while high school graduates attend college. There are pros and cons to both paths, and either course can lead to a successful career in construction. Our goal was to introduce students to the construction industry and let them know they have options. To achieve this, many Crossland leaders serve on education advisory boards in their communities, and our employees are active in their local schools. 

Since the conception of Crossland Academy, we have conducted over 200 field trips, 1,000 career fairs, and sponsored 500+ high school and post-secondary trade programs. These crucial initiatives give students a two- to three-year jumpstart and help our communities build a stable industry workforce.

Crossland Apprenticeship Program

Some people don’t thrive in a classroom environment. Instead, they learn better through hands-on experiences. The Crossland Apprenticeship Program empowers people to learn the construction industry through on-the-job mentoring. The program is NCCER recognized and offers apprenticeships for carpentry, steel, and equipment operators. We pair apprentices with a Crossland mentor who provides guidance, one-on-one training, and support throughout the program. 

Shae-ReynoldsLike many other students, college was not the right path for Shae Reynolds. When weighing his options, Shae decided to jumpstart his career right out of high school and enter the Crossland Academy. He is now 20 and already working on a job site, with benefits, while also receiving on-the-job training in carpentry.

“If I go to college, I can end up working four years down the road, or I can start fresh out of high school and get a jumpstart on my career now.” – Shae Reynolds, Carpentry Apprentice

Stories like Shae’s are the reward for our investment in these programs. He and others like him receive the opportunity to learn while being paid to do it. “I love seeing people come straight out of high school, run through this program, gain knowledge and experience, become a mentor, and then go on to leadership roles as a Project Superintendent,” said Mark Robinson, Crossland Mentor.

Crossland Internship Program

In addition to offering an apprenticeship program, Crossland was also one of the first construction companies to embrace paid internships for students who extend their education through college. To date, we’ve provided work experience, training, transportation, and housing to over 1,000 college interns, and awarded over $1M in tuition assistance to returning interns. We currently average around 150 interns per year from more than 15 regional colleges and universities and go onto hire an average of 35 interns yearly after graduation.

Tomorrow’s Leaders

Innovation has always been at our core – if there isn’t a way, we’ll make one. Having a strategic focus on education leads to long-term success for our employees and communities. We believe that creating this pipeline for the construction community is worth the investment. It’s a collaborative effort that results in valuable knowledge transfer from current construction leaders to tomorrow’s workforce.

Ways For Crews To Beat The Heat

During these months, when the heat is at its peak, the best defense is a great offense. Here a few ways to help your crews keep cool during these Summer months. 

1) Drink plenty of water 

2) Wear protective clothing 

3) Plan strenuous work on cooler days, if possible. If this is not possible, make sure there is plenty of help to give everyone a break. 

4) Create some shade to work in and rest in 

5) Let new workers get acclimatized to the heat 

6) Know your sign – your body will tell you if you are low on water or getting too hot

  • Headache
  • Nausea
  • Muscle cramps
  • Cool moist skin with goosebumps when in heat
  • Heavy sweating
  • Faintness
  • Dizziness
  • Fatigue

Always remember: drink plenty of water, do not overexert yourself, take frequent short breaks. Go Safe everyone and take care of one another.

Crossland Cares Initiative Benefits Kansas City Hospice

Crossland employees are always game for an opportunity to give back to the community. So when our friends at Geiger Ready-Mix reached out about a volunteer project that would help out Kansas City Hospice and Palliative Care, our Kansas City team jumped at the opportunity to lend a hand. The project consisted of adding sidewalks to four Kansas City Hospice locations. Palmer Electric, Sunbelt Rentals, Remco, Decorative Concrete Suppliers, Goedecke, Kiwi Landscaping, Mercer Zimmerman and Crossland Heavy Contractors were several other companies whom we partnered with Crossland and Geiger Ready-Mix to get the job done! There is nothing better than coming together to help out friends and our communities. Thank you KC Hospice for all that you do for the City of Kansas City!