Today marks the 45th birthday of Daycos. Since it is kind of a milestone year, I wanted to share a few thoughts.
Forty-five years ago my parents moved from Houston, TX to the Washington DC area to start John Day and Associates, as Daycos was originally known. While it may have had a name that sounded professional, I recall the beginnings to be quite humble: a few tables in the basement of our rental home, and the "Associates" referenced in the name were my mom, my sister, and myself (and I was 6 years old at the time).
From those humble beginnings, Daycos has been very successful by the traditional measurements of businesses. We are consistently profitable, debt free, and have had consistent growth over decades in business. However, I don't think those traditional markers of success are what I think is worth noting. To me, the success of Daycos is about more than profits, it is about our people, our customers, and our community.
I’ve heard other business owners talk about how hard it is to have employees to take "ownership" in their companies, and we’ve been fortunate that we’ve never had that problem at Daycos. Our employees operate with such a high level of pride and ownership in the company that it humbles me. We are intentional about investing in our employees, and those investments have consistently paid off over the years in Daycos attracting and retaining some of the smartest, most dedicated, and hardworking people I could ever hope to work with.
And of course, none of this is possible without the great partnerships we have built with our loyal and supportive customers. We measure customer relationships in decades, not years, because we have always tried to focus on making our customers successful. We’ve probably said "yes" to a lot of requests from customers that we should’ve turned down from a strict dollars and cents point of view, but we have 45 years of evidence to show that our belief in those relationship investments has paid off over the long term for us and for our customers.
Finally, I believe Daycos wouldn’t have been as successful without the decision to move to Norfolk, Nebraska, which was my mother's hometown. Being located in this supportive community with such a strong culture of hard work and loyalty has been invaluable. When we give back to our community, it's not just because we charitable, it's because we’re returning some of the profits of this company to the community that helped make them possible.
While certainly not without challenges, it has been a great 45 years of business for Daycos. So to every person who has had a role in Daycos over the years, whether you are a current or former employee, a customer, an industry partner, a community member, or a friend, thank you for your contribution to 45 years of success to this unique small business trying to do business in the best way it can.
On this special day, we’re thrilled to mark the 45th birthday of Daycos! Thank you to our four stakeholders: Our loyal customers, hardworking employees, supportive community, and the foundation behind it all – our incredible company. Each one plays an essential role in our journey, propelling us forward and transforming Daycos into a powerful force for good in the world.
Learn more about Daycos4Good here: daycos.com/daycos4good/
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