iSi Celebrates 20 Years in Business

iSi Environmental Services (iSi) will celebrate 20 years of business in Wichita on June 1, 2010. Located at 215 S. Laura in Wichita, iSi provides EPA, OSHA and hazardous materials-related services to industry and government.

Now a nationally-recognized firm for its growth, success, and commitment to its community, Gary and Karma Mason started iSi from more humble beginnings: the dining room table of their home. They started with a computer, a phone, a fax machine, and a checking account containing $700. Gary was a chemical engineer with over 12 years of environmental experience in government, consulting, and industry while Karma was a geologist with over 8 years of experience in petroleum exploration, groundwater assessments, and technical research.

The Masons say they had two motivations for starting their business. One was Karma's reluctance to relocate to Vulcan Chemicals' corporate headquarters. Gary was Vulcan Chemicals' first local environmental, health and safety coordinator whose only chance for advancement was to move to the headquarters. The other motivation was their desire to continue to challenge themselves and enhance professional opportunities. Karma had already been forced to re-invent her career once due to the general downturn of the petroleum industry in the 1980s.

Gary quit his full-time position at Vulcan Chemicals, while Karma continued working there full-time and doing iSi projects in her spare time. Little did Gary realize that his official "first day" of self-employment was also the first day of summer vacation for their three children. This provided a lot of distractions that summer and it was hard work growing from the ground up. However, during their second successful year of business, Gary was able to move the office out of their home and the number of projects to be accomplished allowed Karma to join the business full-time.

iSi steadily gained employees and contracts. The client base grew and so did the number of services the company was able to provide. In 2005, several large projects, including a contract with the newly formed Spirit AeroSystems allowed iSi to grow from 25 employees to over 75 in one year. In 2006, iSi was named the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce's Small Business of the Year.

Today, iSi has over 125 employees and is a regional leader in environmental, health and safety solutions. iSi works for many of the state's largest employers and provides services for companies and government installations all across the U.S.

The Masons' children, who were once on summer break during the company's first days, all are a part of iSi as well.