Dace & Dace Manufacturers' Representatives

History of Dace & Dace

The Anatomy of a Sales Agency

Dace & Dace began in a way very similar to the beginnings of many other small businesses. Donna Dace first put forth the idea to begin a business while she and her husband, Lionel, lived in Western Springs, Illinois. Lionel managed the international sales of a prominent packaging machinery equipment company in the Chicago area. He had thought long and hard about what it may be like to run his own operation.

With Donna's support, Lionel decided to take a chance in an area that he liked, Texas. The couple had traveled extensively around the United States when he was a Field Engineer for a large steel strapping company. Texas seemed like a great place to start the agency and raise the family.

On October 12, 1975, Columbus Day, Lionel moved to Texas with his wife Donna, five children, and a collie dog. They started their sales agency with nothing to sell and no customers. The name, Dace & Dace, was an obvious choice. Donna and Lionel would split the work based on Donna handling the inside effort and Lionel handling the outside sales. The name had the ring of a multi-man agency. And, Lionel visualized its future. Dace & Dace incorporated in 1977.

The agency developed selling component parts and materials to OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers). In the late seventies, the agency expanded to include Western Tennessee and Mississippi. This expansion came as their principals wanted to expand coverage to additional areas. After about eight years, the agency narrowed its focus to "made to print" parts and equipment for the OEM.

By 1982, Dace & Dace outside sales had grown to Lionel and four salespeople. Then came the bust in oil exploration and production. The sales force dropped to Lionel and two other sales people. These were very hard times for most everyone in the area. This was especially difficult for an agency that had grown with a big push from the oil boom so soon after its origin. Agencies were now scrambling to get into products and those OEMs that were not dependent on the petroleum industry. Dace & Dace survived. Within a few years the company added back another sales rep and has since grown to seven outside salesmen in six different locations. This makes Dace & Dace one of the premier sales agencies in the southwest providing very strong coverage for its principals and service to its customers.

Dace & Dace expanded its territory to include Mexico in the early eighties and added bilingual representatives to call on the Maquilladoras along the Texas/Mexican border. The growth of manufacturers in Mexico resulted from the Maquilladora concept and later, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Mexico took nearly ten years to come to fruition and solidify as a legitimate marketplace. As operations in Mexico developed, purchasing and engineering followed.

In July of 2003, Jay Dace joined the company after working at PricewaterhouseCoopers, in both Auditing and Consulting. He received his degree in Finance from Texas Christian University and within a few years thereafter received his CPA while working with PwC. In 2007, Jay purchased the Agency and is the primary shareholder.