Q&A: Larry Garza III - Wind Systems Magazine

How long have you been involved in the wind industry?
The company has been in business for more than two decades, but we’ve been involved in the wind industry for the past 10 or so years. My background is in the petrochemical and refining industries, and it was immediately apparent to me that our hydraulic tooling for controlled bolt tightening equipment could play an important role in the wind-energy market as well. So we’d already established our reputation and core competency prior to offering our products to wind industry professionals. In fact, if you take everyone here into consideration, we have more than 100 years worth of combined experience. From the very beginning I’ve wanted this company and its employees to be the very best at what we do, and that’s a commitment we renew every day that we come to work. So whether a company is looking for bolting equipment to rent or purchase, or calibration, repair, or field and training services, we’re the company to call.

You seem well diversified, in terms of the markets you serve.
Definitely, and that’s intentional. In addition to the markets I’ve already mentioned, we’re also involved in working with power generating facilities, offshore drilling contractors, in specialty manufacturing, and in heavy industry. While we’ve experienced tremendous growth in our wind-related activities, especially in the past three years, my experience has taught me that it’s not wise to depend too much on one market, or account, because when unexpected economic shifts occur you need other revenue streams to see you through the slump. And even though the wind market is somewhat volatile right now, we see a great deal of potential, especially considering the renewable energy initiatives, projected new wind sites, and building offshore wind farms. So we’re really being proactive in the wind energy sector, and we’re focusing on building longstanding relationships with our customers as they grow.

So many companies entering this market are new, but I would think the fact that you’re well established would play to your advantage.
You’re absolutely right. Whenever you have a relatively young market like wind—here in this country, at least—you’ll have a great many companies of all kinds wanting to get involved and capitalize on the various opportunities. Our level of experience and background is of interest to our present and future clients. They know we have been around for a long time, that we know what we’re doing, and that we’re not going anywhere. Our business relationships are not driven by the lowest price, but by providing quality products and services at any time, and anywhere in the continental United States. The proof that we live up to our commitments is found in the longstanding relationships we have with our existing clients. Once we’ve had the opportunity to prove what we can do, our customers generally call on us again. A great deal of our revenue is generated by repeat business, which is really the best endorsement you can have.

What benefits do hydraulic bolt-tightening tools provide?
Hydraulic tools provide a faster, safer way to break out larger bolts, or those that are frozen, as well as a highly accurate means of tightening them to begin with. It’s critical to insure the integrity of bolts, seals, flanges, and process equipment, and hydraulic tools can really help you to achieve that. As I’ve mentioned, customers can purchase or lease equipment, or we have trained technicians available to either handle the work themselves or train the client’s employees how to do so. The bottom line is that we’re here to help our customers in any way we can, and if we’re convinced we can meet a project’s requirements we proceed with a great deal of confidence based on our many years of experience in demanding industry applications.