Steve Schmidt

Steve Schmidt has worked in the foundation repair industry for nearly four decades and is one of the original installers of helical piles for foundation repair. Starting as an installer and advancing in the industry Steve has become a top professional. Because of his field experience and knowledge Steve has acquired over the years he is the go-to guy when engineers and contractors need assistance with their design and installation methods.  

 Prior to getting into the foundation repair industry Steve attended Platte College and graduated with an associate degree in mechanical engineering and design. He has also attended seminars on helical pile installation, grouted piles and has taught certification and training classes for several systems. Steve has also attended numerous sales seminars over the years to help advance his career in being a professional sales representative.

Steve has experience in the commercial deep foundation venue that gives him the opportunity to train contractors and assist them with safety, correctly bidding projects, value engineering, on-site installation procedures, submittal process, load testing and foundation failure analysis.

Chris Jackson

In addition to his role as Co-Founder of Midwest Helical Solutions, Chris Jackson serves as President of Perma Jack of St. Louis. Founded in 1974, Perma Jack of St. Louis has been a Better Business Bureau A+ accredited business since 1987 and is widely recognized as the St. Louis area’s most trusted commercial and residential waterproofing and foundation repair provider.

Prior to his entry into the foundation repair industry, Chris honed his entrepreneurial skills in the automotive industry, where he grew AMS Automotive into the 71st largest North American automotive aftermarket supplier. Core areas of his focus were on business planning, product development, outsource manufacturing, process driven operations, channel management, corporate strategy, distribution management, and team development. Chris is a past member of the Automotive Sales Council, an invitation-only membership group limited to 100 or fewer senior aftermarket executives.

Education

  • Master of Business Administration / Southern Methodist University / Dallas, TX / 1988
    • MBA Advisory Council – Vice President of Operations
  • Bachelor of Science, Business Administration / Southeast Missouri State University / Cape Girardeau, MO / 1987
    • Intercollegiate football team
    • Pi Kappa Alpha / Chapter Secretary

Other Education

  • University of the Aftermarket/ Northwood University / Midland, MI / 1997
  • International Student Exchange (ISE) / Ulm, Baden-Wurttemberg Germany / 1984

Previous Professional Experience

  • President & Founder / Ovis Industries / Established in 2005
    • An automotive specific research, engineering, and design firm that developed the industry’s broadest offering of automotive flywheels and class 6-8 manual transmission products.
  • President & Partner / AMS Automotive, LLC / Fenton, MO / Established in 1987
    • A leading multi-national automotive aftermarket supplier of manual transmission products, brake products, sintered metallic friction material, and lift supports.

Professional Affiliations

  • National Association of REALTORS® / Affiliate Member
  • Missouri REALTORS® / Affiliate Member
  • Louis Association of REALTORS® / Affiliate Member

Chris Jones

Chris Jones has been involved in logistics management most of his professional career, starting at a Tennessee nursery, where he was in charge of inventory management, receiving, and order fulfillment.

Chris later founded New Holmes Construction in association with Jim Barna Log & Timber Homes. Located in the Highland Rim area of Tennessee, the company specialized in the construction of luxury custom log homes, buildings, bridges, and boat docks. The company also contracted to rehab historic homes and other structures. During this time, New Holmes Construction crafted dozens of timber homes, many of which were intended as vacation rentals or retreats.

For personal reasons, Chris closed the business but wanted to build on his past logistics and construction experience, so he joined Hopkins Construction, as the Shipping & Receiving Manager, Construction Products. His responsibilities included supply chain oversight, strategic planning and logistics management, warehouse planning, as well as management oversight of stock levels, delivery times, and delivery costs. Chris was charged with analyzing the logistical and materials needs of each project, to ensure availability and timely delivery.

In 2016 Chris relocated to St. Louis to accept an offer to oversee all logistics management at Woodmaster, LLC. After five years, he started a new career as Logistics Manager in the helical distribution industry. In addition to his duties in logistics management, he learned about proper installation procedures, safety practices, foundation system design and implementation, and load testing of helical anchors.

In his spare time, Chris enjoys hunting, fishing, and woodworking.