- Date published
Humble Beginnings
Before Ceramex became the go-to-pros for Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) and Diesel Oxidation Catalyst (DOC) restoration, they were a small team on a mission to make diesel filters shine like new. And their launchpad for innovation that helped fuel their dreams? That started at efactory.
“The plan was to get it off the ground as quickly and as cheaply as possible. That’s where efactory was perfect — it was affordable, provided a home base and allowed us to keep costs low while we were still figuring things out,” says Mike Wilson, General Manager of Ceramex.
Road to Expansion
Starting with just two people stationed at efactory and seven more handling production in Monett, Missouri, Ceramex was a lean operation.
After four years at efactory, Ceramex moved into their own facility in 2018, doubling in size along the way. Their initial focus was on serving OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers). But as Wilson explains, their visibility was limited.
“We were really well known in OEM circles, but not so much to the general public. That changed in 2022 when we started reaching out directly to fleets and end users. Since then, we’ve doubled our team again, growing from 15 employees to 32.”
Now, the Ceramex crew is fully settled into their Sunshine Street location in Springfield, working alongside our partners at SRC.
The Right Crew Behind the Wheel
If you’ve began your entrepreneurial journey, you already know what looks like a walk in the park on paper can quickly turn into a marathon. Wilson’s biggest piece of advice?
“It really is all about the people. Lots of hats, lots of hustle. We often hear people say ‘location, location, location’ is crucial for real estate. In business, it’s ‘people, people, people.’”
In translation, you can have the best idea in the world, but without the right leadership and a team that truly gets the mission, you’re just spinning your wheels.
Wilson credits SRC’s Great Game of Business approach for helping employees understand the bigger picture.
“If everyone in the company — no matter their role — has a line of sight on how they affect financials, it’s powerful. People support what they help create.”
