DATTCO a company that’s a lot bigger than one would suspect

By WILLIAM F. MILLERICK , Special to The Herald 03/26/2004




The last time I had done this much walking I was in Disneyworld. But this was a cold, blustery early spring afternoon in New Britain and the only similarity with Disneyworld was the creative use of every square inch of available space to shoehorn in people and equipment.

Dattco, best described as a transportation-oriented company, is celebrating its 80th anniversary in New Britain this year. You could spend the better part of a week, right here in Dattco’s hometown, finding someone, anyone, who can tell you all of the different transportation and travel services this company offers. Like so many New Britain companies, the Dattco of today is worlds away from the Dattco that was created.


But so often, perception of the company doesn’t keep up. In Dattco’s case, that’s an unfortunate occurrence because the company is bursting at its seams. There are some 1,400 employees and about 800 are in New Britain. I don’t know how they’ve done it and I toured almost every square inch of the approximately seven to eight acres off South Street, across from John Downey Drive.

Most people, when they think of Dattco, think of buses, school buses and big highway coaches. And that is the core of the business. But it’s only part of the business. Many of the products and services Dattco provides today are unduplicated in New England, the Northeast and in some instances, on a national basis. I got to see much of it pounding the gravel parking lots and concrete stairways and ducking in and out of buildings and garages on that windy, blustery tour this week.

For example, did you know that Dattco is now a full-service travel agency? People can come in and plan and book entire vacations. The tour businesses has started to really grow, in part because post 9/11 people have begun to travel again and, importantly because Dattco has unique events available. Who else, besides Dattco, has 130 tickets available for the Tony Awards in New York City? Hartford-area theater people have the opportunity to attend the Tonys and not worry about transportation.

Dattco today is a father-and-son team. Lou DeVivo is president and CEO and son Don is senior VP and COO. They form a complementary team. Dad’s more the financial guy and son Don is the idea man, who sees new opportunities.

Dattco’s core business splits into three groups. First is sales of buses and equipment. Second is vehicle operations, such as school bus contracts. And third is tours and travel. Taken together, this is a $75 million company that is growing in each of the areas. Obviously, that’s good news.

But there is also a downside. The bigger you get, the more space you need. In Dattco’s case, they are out of space. The New Britain operation is maxed out. We stopped by the drivers’ lounge, where school bus drivers check in for messages, or rest between routes. The word "lounge" is used in only the loosest sense. It’s a tiny, noisy room, filled with men and women cracking jokes, catching some TV and more than eager to let you know they’d love a new home with more space. Sales offices are in converted garages, parts departments are cubbyholed into storage areas. Everywhere, there is equipment and people. It is an astounding business, providing services for mass transportation throughout the northeast corridor.

Dattco, for instance, is one of the largest sellers of motor coaches in the country. They have one of the largest parts departments for busies in the nation. They take in and perform customization of buses for clients throughout the nation. Many of these are new lines of businesses and lines the general public isn’t aware of. They see school buses or they see highway coaches and they think Dattco.

The thing is, Don says as we climb another flight of stairs to another freshly carpeted converted space, they’d like to hire more people but they have nowhere to put them. The business potential is out there.

He could add sales staff tomorrow, but he’s trying to find places for the people he has now. Already, some critical overflow has had to be farmed out to Middletown. And many of these people are well paid.

Dattco performs engine repairs for many other companies in the business. The mechanics are among the best in the business and are paid commensurately. There are a lot of highly skilled, high-paying jobs on the payroll, which makes ensuring their viability in New Britain all the more important. Probably what impressed me the most about the operation was how friendly the employees were as DeVivo and I walked through. Drivers, tour people, mechanics, parts clerks, all had a friendly hello and a few words.

I asked DeVivo what the story was. "We hire the best people we can find," he told me. "We’re a family business and we hopefully treat people like they are family," he added.Over the next year, Dattco and New Britain will need to work to find a new, expanded home. Clearly, Dattco can’t stay where it is and grow. And just as clearly, this is one of the signature businesses in New Britain. The Chamber, the city’s Municipal Economic Development Agency (MEDA), the mayor’s office, the Common Council and the company itself will be working to keep Dattco in New Britain, growing and providing more jobs.

William F. Millerick is president of the New Britain Chamber of Commerce. He may be reached at bill@newbritainchamber.com.