Production Control Services started from humble beginnings in 1985. Jeff Giacomino and Bruce Victor were working for an oilfield equipment company. The industry was suffering from the oil glut, and oil prices were falling rapidly.
Despite the grim economy, Jeff and Bruce decided to strike out on their own. They started Production Control Services in Brighton, Colorado, with the goal of providing superior service and high quality plunger lift equipment to oil and gas producers in the DJ Basin. They started the company from Jeff 's duplex. He lived in one side, and the other side was their first office.
At the time, plunger lift was new and unproven in the market. Aside from the typical pressures of starting a small business, Jeff and Bruce faced the challenge of selling the credibility of plunger lift to skeptical customers. Using their meager personal savings to purchase equipment, they sold their inventory out of the back of a pickup truck. They re-invested the money they made to buy the next batch of equipment. To supplement cash flow between product sales, they offered repairs and service.
Over time, Jeff and Bruce developed a reputation for highly attentive and responsive customer service, the same philosophy that guides the company today. With the company starting to gain traction, PCS moved to a Brighton industrial park in 1986.
By this time, Jeff and Bruce were designing plungers and partnering with TD Machine to build them. They enjoyed the challenge of inventing new and better plungers to solve their customers' problems. They continued to expand their plunger lift product line. In 1991, they moved the company to a bigger location in Ft. Lupton and continued to expand sales around Colorado and in New Mexico. About the same time, PCS began to build and sell plunger lift controllers.
In the mid 1990s, PCS bought a significant ownership stake in TD Machine and expanded into Oklahoma, Texas and Canada. By 1999, PCS had purchased TD Machine, bringing Jason Thompson and Tim Diller on board. Both are still with the company today.
PCS continued to expand its product line by adding and improving plunger lift equipment and beginning development of well automation systems. To house its growing manufacturing operation and support its widening distribution network, PCS moved to its current headquarters in Frederick, Colorado, in 2007. In 2008, the company acquired Houston-based Opti-Flow, adding industry-leading gas lift expertise and a growing nitrogen generation business, and increasing its presence in the Barnett Shale.
Starting as two guys with a pickup a quarter century ago, PCS now employs more than 250 employees and serves customers from 28 locations in the major oil and gas plays throughout the U.S. and Alberta, Canada. The company's management team boasts more than a century of combined experience in the industry. Of its current and growing staff, more than 10% have been with the company for longer than five years. As the company recounts the past 25 years of growth and enjoys its success today, it is also looking ahead with optimism and enthusiasm.
Says Jeff Giacomino, President, "The growth of PCS is expected to continue and accelerate in the coming years. Our four products—PCS Plunger Lift, Opti-Flow Gas Lift, Nitro2Go Nitrogen Generation and SCADA/Well Automation—each play a significant role in helping oil and gas companies produce more from their assets. As our customers face the challenges of maximizing return on older wells and optimizing production from increasingly complex newer wells, PCS is well-positioned to support them with industry-leading expertise, innovative products and highly responsive service."
