JAYSON CLARK
Regional Manager / North Region Quality Manager, XCEL NDT
Age: 35 City of Residence: DeWitt, IA Highest Level of Education: Air Force Technical School for Non-Destructive Testing
Favorite place in Clinton: Stouts / Legends / The river
Best career advice you have to give: Don’ t go stagnant, always strive for more.
How you define leadership: Leading by example, don’ t be a manager who sits in the office each day. Get out and engage with your crews in the field as well as customers.
What is something people might be surprised to know about you: I was in the United State Air Force for seven years in which I went on two deployments to the middle east with F15’ s out of North Carolina and Okinawa Japan.
What is something people might be surprised to know about your employer / business: XCEL NDT is a rapidly growing NDT( Nondestructive Testing) provider with roughly 350 employees nationwide which includes Alaska. We started with just two of us here in Clinton back in 2020, weeks before the pandemic and now employ 21 locally. When plant outages are going on at local facilities, we could have upwards of 40 XCEL employees in the area covering our customers ' inspections they need done. Our biggest workload is natural gas transmission line inspections during the spring / winter / fall when we have crews all throughout the central USA on multiple job sites.
What are some of your goals for the next five years: Obtaining my Level III certifications in NDT methods of RT / MT / PT.
SEAN CONNELL
President, Air Control Inc.
Age: 40 City of Residence: Clinton, IA Highest Level of Education: College
6 RISING STARS | 2025
Family: Kelli( wife), Jarek( son), Hadley( daughter), Harper( daughter), Jordyn( daughter).
Volunteering / Community Service: I am committed to serving the Clinton community and actively participating on various boards and committees. I take particular pride in my role as Chairman of the School Board at Prince of Peace Catholic School, which reflects my dedication to education and youth development. Beginning in July, I will also be Secretary for the Grow Clinton Board of Directors for the 2025 / 26 fiscal year, furthering my engagement in economic and community development.
Favorite aspect of living in Clinton: The people of Clinton make the community special. As a proud Prince of Peace School graduate and a longtime resident, I have built lifelong friendships through school and community involvement. I also enjoy the area ' s natural scenery. With children active in local athletics, my family participates in practices, tournaments, and recreational events organized by Clinton Parks & Recreation.
Best career advice you received: I received the best career advice regarding the importance of quality and timely customer service. At Air Control Inc., all of our success is a result of unmatched customer care and the development of strong relationships. If you treat your customers well, the rest will fall into place.
Best career advice you have to give: Remain curious and open to change. With the introduction of new technologies, we must be adaptable to remain a relevant company. Always seek out new opportunities for improvement, and don ' t rest on a desire to maintain what you have. Your competitors will out-hustle you if you don ' t put in the work.
Who is your local mentor, and why: I am blessed to have several mentors within our industry and outside the HVAC and metal fabrication business. Each has shared valuable advice, which I have leveraged and applied to grow as a business leader, father, and husband. If you ' re not seeking a mentor, you ' re missing out on an incredible opportunity to harness the knowledge of others and identify potential pitfalls.
How you define leadership: Leadership, like integrity, is a willingness to do what is right even when no one is watching. The actions of strong leaders are contagious, and I work hard to ensure my efforts serve as an example of what I expect from others. Work hard, but don ' t take yourself too seriously.