Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Westmoreland, Rusty Darsey, and Brian McKenzie.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
During the energy industry deflation which started in 2014, a hole was left in the engineering services sector as larger engineering firms, looking to maintain their market share, gobbled up smaller engineering groups. Small to medium sized engineering services companies began to disappear, leaving only larger more expensive engineering companies to field even small projects. The founders of Vertex saw the need to fill this void to aid customers with smaller scope projects find cost effective engineering services.
Vertex 3D Engineering and Distribution was originally supposed to be an engineering and design company helping small to medium sized companies actualize concepts they may not have otherwise been able to bring to fruition due to project costs which were out of reach. Our services included 3D design, 3D printing of prototype parts, Virtual reality walk thru’s and other such new technologies along with prototyping for new products from inventors like medical devices, home products, all kinds of products that need to be brought to market. Today, engineering services have expanded to include every discipline of the engineering so we can handle even larger projects. We have also developed strong relationships with industry partners allowing us to sell products that provide technical solutions to customers often tough process applications. The combination of Engineering Services with Product Distribution is a unique business model in the industry.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Every startup company has its challenges. The two largest obstacles to overcome remain financing growth, and becoming an approved vendor to larger companies in the processing and refining sectors of the energy market. The principles of Vertex have made a huge commitment to maintaining financial stability while sustaining aggressive growth. Those commitments combined with our strong banking partners at Central Bank insure we can handle whatever the market throws at us. To obtain and sustain the level of quality necessary to be a valued supplier to larger energy sector customers but still including our smaller customers as well so that everyone feels they have that personal hands on attention, Vertex has adopted a Total Quality Management System based on the ISO industry standard. We expect ISO certification by the end of 2018, and will be ISO compliant until our formal ISO audit.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
As far as we know Vertex is the only Engineering Services company that also offers our customers manufacturing capabilities supported by a laundry list of distribution products to support our customer’s needs. Traditionally customers in the energy sector will hire an engineering firm to do the engineering required, then a construction company to build what the engineers develop, and often times are stuck buying products to meet the requirement their procurement folks have no idea how to purchase. Vertex’s approach is to centralize engineering, procurement of components, and construction all under one effort. This approach reduces costs and provides customers a single supplier to interface with rather than trying to coordinate multiple entities. This is a unique approach that sets us apart from every other engineering services company.
We are a people oriented company that wants that good, moral, and accountable reputations from our employees to give back to the community. We are very big into giving back and making a company that is about more than what we get in return. We donate not only portions of our profits to charities but our time as well. It is so important to continue assisting in helping Houston keep its friendly, caring, home style, love about it, even in the midst of all the new people moving to Houston. We want to be a pillar of the community that helps keep that focus and what draws other people to live here. We have an internal program that we are trying to develop and grow that takes expert mature members of the community that has a massive wealth of knowledge and take young women and join them on tasks as to be able to help the young women glen the knowledge that the more mature knowledge employees have, in hopes to give the younger women a stronger and more confident sense of knowledge and equalizing opportunities in the work place.
Houston is the central hub for the energy sector in the United States and is absolutely the BEST place for our company. All the major corporations who can benefit from our business approach are either based in Houston, or have extensions of their corporate offices here. Houston is the place to be if you want to work with the companies that make a difference in the energy market.
What were you like growing up?
Mr. Westmoreland – I have lived a wonderful life as a nomad I like to say. My father was in the military and then became a preacher. We were very poor money wise as my dad always preached at small churches because he wanted to make a difference and wasn’t focused on how much money he would make.
I was a very strong willed ready to go type person from birth. My mother will often tell the stories me trying to stand very early and during my youth she had to loop her finger in my pants loop so that she could even get a tiny nap. At age 7, I knew I wanted to be an Architect. I was a senior in high school and an Elder at church took me aside and told me that he knew I wanted to be an Architect but there was no money in it and that I should really consider Electrical Engineering because he could see that I had a very great grasp on engineering and the concepts of engineering.
My grandmother had relapsed for the third time with cancer and we were living in New Mexico at the time and she had called my dad and my parents discussed the situation and felt it was best to move to Houston to try and get my grandmother into M.D. Anderson. so me just having graduated high school and having a full ride to go to Arizona state college or make the choice to go with my parents to help my grandmother I chose to move to Houston with my family and help my grandmother. I would wind up meeting a man at our church that was the head of the CAD department at S&B engineering his name was Ira Britton. I had to work very hard in Houston not really having any support as my parents couldn’t afford to send us to college. I was attending San Jac at the time and had bugged Mr. Britton every single day and sometimes several times a day to give me a chance to get to work where he worked at S&B. finally after 4 months of solid perusing him, he gave me a chance. Since that point I would find myself on so many journeys I can’t even begin to tell but instead of becoming an Electrical Engineer I was derailed and became focused in the Mechanical part of the Oil & Gas sector. I have worked in all streams of the industry and from everything to oil, gas, plastics, pharmaceutical, to all kinds of amazing projects. I have traveled to all 50 states and 48 countries during my short life and see so many amazing things that my parents and my job have given me all thru the grace of GOD.
I have an amazing loving wife and two children that have challenges but are super amazing and you would only know that because I shared, My son has Asperger’s and my daughter is challenged with mental challenges. We live life not on who we are but who we want to be. No challenge can keep you from doing anything you want. Regardless if you lean on GOD and peruse your goals at the end of the day you have tried and didn’t give up and that is something that no one can ever take from you and that can make you a light. We have been blessed to have had challenges in our family’s life but we have GOD and each other and we know that as long as we have that, we can endure whatever we need to. I know it’s not popular to talk about love for GOD but that’s who I am and I will not hide that I need him in my life.
Contact Info:
- Address: 12909 Kathy ln
Cypress TX 77429 - Website: www.vertex3ddesign.com
- Phone: 8324237395
- Email: chrisw@vertex3ddesign.com
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/Vertex3ddesign
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