Family Owned: ‘Time flies’ for DeVries Business Services, celebrating its 30th year with family at helm

Entrepreneurship is part of the DeVries’ DNA.

Patrick DeVries, president and CEO of DeVries Business Services, said his family has a long history of owning and operating businesses in Spokane.

His grandfather, William, was one of the first auto mechanics in Spokane and opened Inland Battery Company downtown in 1927. His father, Bill, bought the business after serving in World War II. When that business closed, Bill bought a moving truck and traveled across the country. Soon, Patrick and his brother, Mike, bought their own rigs and joined him.

“I moved household goods across 48 states for five years,” Patrick said. “It was the hardest work I’d ever done.”

In 1981, the three of them bought a small local moving company. That’s where he met his wife, Susan.

“I was in sales at the Ridpath,” she said. “I drove out to the Industrial Park to try to sell him a Christmas party.”

He bought the party and married Susan in 1987.

“But we hired Susan before I married her,” he said.

After several years working alongside his brother and dad, Patrick traded his interest in the moving company for their record storage division and a building downtown.

“I’ve always thought entrepreneurial,” Patrick said.

DeVries Business Services was incorporated in 1995. He operates the business with Susan and their children, Joshua and Melanie.

Being nimble and adaptable to business trends allowed for growth. The company operates from several facilities and employs 40.

“We’ve excelled at branching into things,” he said.

Secure record storage and management is vital to the business. Legal documents, medical records, and property titles all need to be stored in a secure location. DeVries courier division offers quick access to those records.

Record management is where both Joshua and Melanie got their start.

“I started shuffling files in the warehouse at 16,” Melanie said. “I pulled the box and created work orders for our courier deliveries.”

That was 14 years ago.

“Now, I set up new accounts and provide accounting support,” she said. “I love working with my family. It’s cool because a lot of the employees here feel the same way.”

Joshua worked his way from pulling records to doing just about everything.

“I’m very hands-on,” he said. “I don’t sit well.”

He enjoys the ability to work throughout the company’s many divisions and has been part of the expansion into medical supply deliveries.

“It’s really grown in the past couple of years,” Joshua said. “We deliver to patients in rural areas and that sets us apart.”

In 2005, DeVries added document shredding to its list of services.

“Shredding is a huge part of our business,” he said. “As long they’re still making printers, there will be paper to shred.”

Patrick agreed.

“We have seven mobile shredder trucks that service Eastern Washington, North Idaho and parts of northeast Oregon,” he said. “We also added a plant-based shredder at our office.”

In addition to paper, their secure facility provides media and hard drive destruction. The company is also a Washington Materials Management & Financing Authority authorized collection center and takes care of e-waste like flat-screen TVs.

Commercial moving and office set-up continue to be part of their portfolio.

“During COVID, we were busy decommissioning offices,” Joshua said.

The company’s steady growth provides great satisfaction for Patrick and Susan.

“It’s amazing to see how everything has grown,” Susan said. “We feel blessed – we have a good crew.”

That includes director of operations Curt Sines, who’s worked with Patrick since they were both at the moving business.

“It’s amazing how time flies,” Sines said.

As DeVries Business Services celebrates its 30th year, Patrick said contemplating retirement is challenging. Building a business from the ground up takes more than long hours and hard work – it’s an emotional investment.

“It’s definitely our baby,” he said. “I’m really proud to have my kids here and the employees who’ve stayed with us all these years. I’m proud of starting a company that’s diversified enough to withstand the winds of change.”

Contact Cindy Hval at dchval@juno.com.