We had a fantastic visit with the team behind Heartland Recruiting, owned by Noah Prater and Dawson Montfort, right here in Anna!

Recently, our CEO team had the opportunity to visit Noah and Dawson at Rise and learn more about their rapidly growing company, Heartland Recruiting—a nationwide provider of construction professional services. Their work connects top-tier talent to large-scale, fast-paced projects across industrial, infrastructure, and mission-critical sectors all across the United States.

For many of our young professionals, this was their first time hearing about Heartland Recruiting—likely because it’s a business you don’t encounter unless you’re hiring at a high level. That made it even more eye-opening to learn that they currently employ over 150 people and have built a highly successful and rapidly growing business right here in Southern Illinois. It’s a powerful reminder that right here in our region, there are innovative, high-growth companies making a national impact.

One moment that really stood out was hearing Dawson share that at one point, he was taking 300–400 phone calls a day. That level of hustle, persistence, and communication is something our team won’t soon forget!

Beyond the numbers, Noah and Dawson shared valuable insights on entrepreneurship, including the idea of “failing forward”—learning from setbacks, staying consistent, and trusting that success comes from not giving up. They also spoke about managing multiple ventures, as they currently own 12 businesses, and the importance of partnerships, performance, and perseverance along the way.

We are incredibly grateful for the time, transparency, and encouragement they shared with our team. Experiences like this continue to open our eyes to what’s possible—and inspire our young professionals to think bigger, work harder, and pursue their own paths with confidence.

⸻

Team Member Reflections

Grant Miller:
On Tuesday, we went to Rise Performance 618 to learn about Heartland Recruiting with Dawson Montfort and Noah Prater. I thought it was really interesting learning about Heartland Recruiting because I literally had no idea it existed. It really surprised me because it is a local company that has scaled so much in recent years and I had no idea about it before this visit.

To me, this was one of the most inspiring visits so far. I’ve always known Dawson to be a great speaker, but something about the way he spoke on Tuesday made me sure I wanted to be an entrepreneur. He is only in his 30s and is already CEO of so many businesses. He really knows not only what it is to dream, but to actually get up and make it happen. One thing that stuck out to me on Tuesday was the room we were meeting in. I could just tell so many good ideas have been thought of in that little room.

Another thing that really stuck with me is when Dawson said to burn the ships. He means that if you have a dream to do something, don’t give yourself a plan B so you have to get it done. I think this is something I don’t do enough, and it really would help my procrastination. Overall, it was a great visit and I very much enjoyed the environment there.

Jayci Needling:
On Tuesday, we visited Rise Performance, where the guest speakers were Mr. Noah Prater and Mr. Dawson Montfort. I was especially excited for this visit because Mr. Montfort used to be my personal trainer, and every conversation I had with him was always meaningful and insightful. I was also interested in learning more about how their business operates. I was surprised to learn that they own 12 different businesses. It’s incredible to think that they started with just an idea during COVID and have now expanded to multiple gyms in Anna and other locations in our area.

What stood out to me the most was that they didn’t have college degrees in this field, yet they were still able to succeed by learning through experience. Their willingness to take risks was especially inspiring. They didn’t initially have the financial resources to open their gym and had to rely on a bank loan, which showed their confidence and belief in their vision. This visit taught me that success doesn’t require perfection—it requires effort, resilience, and the courage to take risks and trust the process.

⸻

Thank you again to Noah and Dawson for pouring into our young professionals and for being such a strong example of what’s possible right here in our community! 👏