DBC HISTORY

DBC is a Bellingham company whose construction projects now include hospitals, oil refineries, and power plants, yet it actually began as the small subsidiary of a lumber company, selling scrap wood for fuel.

“Bloedel-Donovan Lumber Company created Diamond "B" Fuel to sell the scrap wood you always have in the lumber business,” says Paul S. Johansen, President of DBC. “We sold planer ends and that kind of thing for home heating, home cooking, and wood stoves. It started with wood, then progressed to coal, and then progressed to oil as it became available. DBC provided services for these changing times.”

Bloedel-Donovan had used a diamond surrounding a B as their lumber brand. It was this symbol that initiated the name of their new fuel company. In 1943, Lewis Knutzen, John Prentice, and John McMahon purchased DBC from Bloedel-Donovan. In 1944, Paul’s grandfather, Paul H. Johansen, purchased the ownerships of both Prentice and Knutzen, and joined forces with McMahon. That same year, the company became a Chevron heating oil dealer, eventually one of the most longstanding distributors in Puget Sound. McMahon was bought out the following year.

In 1947, Paul’s father, Paul A. Johansen joined the business, and it was under his direction that DBC really began to expand.

“He began working for the company after returning from the war and completing a degree in chemical engineering,” Paul says. “Prior to his time, we were strictly a fuel company. He developed the mechanical side and started doing the change-out for converting people from wood to coal and from coal to oil. That’s how DBC became involved in construction.”

It was also Paul A. who set up the sheet metal fabrication and installation division in 1955, a move which proved to be the gateway into commercial and eventually industrial contracting.

““There are two ways you can grow; expand within your field; and then expand the number of fields,” says Paul. Our existing field has expanded substantially, starting in residential construction, moving into commercial and then to the complex commercial work, such as the science facilities at the universities. We opened the industrial division in 1993 and that has been growing steadily in the power generation, petrochemical, and the pipe fabrication market.”

The company is presently under the management of Senior Vice President and General Manager Peter W. Chapman. The next generation Johansen to manage the company will be Paul’s son, Steve, who joined the company in 1992. As a licensed general contractor in Washington, Oregon, California, and Montana, DBC has completed jobs throughout the Pacific Northwest. The company’s operations at this time are concentrated in industrial and commercial fields, and distinguished by a total commitment to customer satisfaction.

“As long as we have good people who are creative and willing to experiment and move forward,” says Paul, “then we can be successful . We are fortunate enough to have such people, and you can bet we'll continue to be a leader in our field”