iSi Celebrates Career of Founder Gary Mason
iSi Environmental co-founder Gary Mason retires after 30+ years building one of the Midwest's leading environmental and safety consulting firms.
Gary Mason
iSi Founder Gary Mason Retires After Three Decades of Leadership
On February 1, 2022, iSi Environmental co-founder Gary Mason officially retired from full-time duties. Gary and his wife Karma Mason started Integrated Solutions, Inc. — doing business as iSi Environmental and iSi Industrial Services — in 1990 from their dining room table. They built iSi into a company with two divisions, over 115 employees, and four office locations. iSi is a WBJ Small Business of the Year, Best in Business, and Family-Owned Business award winner.
⚡ TL;DR — Gary Mason co-founded iSi Environmental in 1990 and spent 30+ years building it into one of the Midwest’s leading environmental and safety compliance firms. Marc Mason now leads iSi as CEO, continuing the family’s commitment to plugging compliance gaps for industrial operations nationwide.
Gary’s Career
Gary started his career at the EPA and then with the State of Missouri’s environmental department. After a short time with an environmental consultant, he moved to Wichita to become the Environmental Compliance Coordinator, then Environmental Manager at Vulcan Chemicals. Karma also worked at Vulcan Chemicals. When they decided to start their own business, Gary left Vulcan and Karma stayed on, working nights and weekends to help keep the business running until she joined full time in 1991.
Gary was the operations manager and worked projects. Eventually he transitioned into managing business development and became CEO.
Entrepreneurship
Always with an entrepreneurial spirit, Gary helped iSi develop a number of new service offerings throughout the years, helping to grow the company exponentially. He has also worked on other notable research and development projects such as carbon fiber recycling, and more recently has supported a soil amendment startup, PrairieFood. PrairieFood manufactures a micro-carbon rich soil amendment made from recycled biomass waste sources such as animal manure, eliminating the need for synthetic and mined fertilizers.
Gary is a graduate of the former Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation’s Pipeline program and later mentored other entrepreneurs going through the program.
Business Advocacy and Community Leadership
One of Gary’s focuses has always been community involvement, advocating on behalf of businesses at the local, state, and national level:
- Member, EPA National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology
- Region VII EPA Representative to the National Compliance Advisory Panel
- Kansas Supreme Court Nominating Commission
- Kansas Chamber of Commerce Chairman of the Board
- Chairman, Kansas Small Business Compliance Advisory Panel
- Leadership Kansas Graduate
- KTEC Pipeline Vice Chair and Board Member
- Member, Kansas Entrepreneur Coalition Board
- Wichita Chamber of Commerce Board and Executive Committee Member
In 2015, Gary briefly left iSi to become the Deputy Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. He administered all aspects of the environmental side of the agency, serving as the primary liaison with the Governor’s Office, Kansas Legislature, and Kansas U.S. Congressional Delegation. At the conclusion of his appointment, Gary returned to iSi as CEO.
Moving Forward
Gary and Karma have seven grandkids. When not with family, you will likely find Gary at Reflection Ridge playing golf or at their lake cabin in Council Grove. He also plans on staying involved with startup business mentoring through Wichita State University’s entrepreneur programs and supporting PrairieFood as it moves into commercialization.
iSi Today: Continuing the Mission
iSi Environmental continues under the leadership of Marc Mason as CEO, carrying forward the mission Gary and Karma established: providing environmental, health, and safety compliance solutions that protect facilities, workers, and communities. iSi now operates in 40+ states, serving industrial operations across manufacturing, oil and gas, aerospace, food processing, and more.
Need environmental or safety compliance support? iSi’s team handles everything from compliance audits to industrial hygiene to Phase I ESAs — in 40+ states. Get started →
Frequently Asked Questions
Who founded iSi Environmental?
Gary and Karma Mason co-founded Integrated Solutions, Inc. (iSi Environmental and iSi Industrial Services) in 1990, building the company from their dining room table in Wichita, Kansas, into a firm with two divisions, 115+ employees, and four office locations.
Who leads iSi Environmental now?
Marc Mason serves as CEO of iSi Environmental, continuing the family leadership that Gary and Karma Mason established. iSi now operates in 40+ states providing environmental compliance, industrial hygiene, safety consulting, and industrial services.
What positions has Gary Mason held in the environmental field?
Gary’s career spans EPA work, State of Missouri environmental department roles, and positions at Vulcan Chemicals in Wichita. He served as iSi’s operations manager, project manager, business development manager, and CEO. In 2015, he served as Deputy Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, administering all environmental agency functions.
What business advocacy roles has Gary Mason held?
Gary’s advocacy includes membership on EPA’s National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology, Region VII EPA Representative to the National Compliance Advisory Panel, Kansas Chamber of Commerce Chairman of the Board, and Chairman of the Kansas Small Business Compliance Advisory Panel.
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