L-R: Perry O’Brien and Peggy Davenport each own fifty percent of the business.

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“Our parents started the company in 1966,” Davenport said.  “I have been working here since 1967.  Originally a helper, Perry came on board full-time after high school in 1977.”

Davenport, secretary/treasurer, handles the financial side of the business and O’Brien, president, oversees the daily operation.

“Today, we have 13 employees,” Davenport said.  “When someone has a birthday, we will all get together at the office and celebrate. 

“Our last big company party was our 35th anniversary event.  In July 2011, we will reach our 45th anniversary and are planning to have another celebration.”

Davenport says if you go inside O’Brien’s office you will quickly learn about his favorite hobby.

“Perry is an avid deer hunter,” she said.  “He mainly goes hunting in Central Texas and South Texas.  He has also traveled to Canada, New Mexico, Colorado and Alabama.

“My hobbies are spending time with my grandkids, scrap booking and I love to go antique shopping on the weekends.  I also watch a lot of baseball in the spring.”

In the lobby at Domac, there is a large wooden replica of a 45-ton crane and there are a few more crane models in the training room.

“Our father opened Texas School of Cranes in 1988,” O’Brien said.  “He had the wooden models built to be used for instruction in the classroom.   He passed away 10 years ago, but we still hold the crane training classes today.”

To stay in business for more than four decades, O’Brien says it takes true hard work and you have to make your customers happy.

“This is the bottom line and the rest will follow,” he said.  “I also think it is important to diversify. We did this when we began to offer repair services.  You have to do a little bit of everything to keep a small company going. 

“Stay flexible.  If you have a trend or a direction you are going, you have to be willing to change direction when the customers and the lack of sales dictate it.”

Serving Galveston, Harris and Chamber counties, Domac is an equipment rental, repair and heavy hauling company in Texas City.   –ab

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