Zak O’Brien knows how important it is to take care of customers.

If you don’t do that, you’re not in business very long.

O’Brien Construction Company Inc. has always understood this fact.

It’s a reason the Kennewick company has been in business for close to 44 years.

“My dad started this business in 1973,” said Zak, the company’s vice president and general manager, as well as co-owner with his father, Tom O’Brien. “It was really out of necessity.”

The elder O’Brien grew up in Prosser. But by the time he was 19 years old, he was living in Hermiston and working on farms.

“Hermiston in the early 1970s was booming,” Zak said. “And agriculture got him going.”

But Tom O’Brien also saw a demand for construction, especially in the agricultural business.

So he founded the company and today is the president.

Zak, who runs the day-to-day operations of the company, said agriculture is still a key component to the business.

“We’re a design-build general contractor,” Zak said. “We design for commercial, agriculture and industrial.”

Besides Tom and Zak, Mickel den Hoed, Zak’s sister, is the company’s marketing and public relations director, making it a bigger family affair.

But how does a small family business with 24 employees last so long?

“The key has been planning for the worst, hoping for the best,” Zak said. “We’ve always been frugal or conservative with cash. Dad was always paying off his equipment, and when there was an economic downturn, we were able to weather the storm.”

But there are other reasons for their longevity.

“It’s also about taking care of your customers,” Zak said. “When you are doing work with a customer, you do a great job, and you stand behind that job. When there are down times, we’ve also done follow-up that we’re not paid to do.”

It’s making sure the customer is always happy, he said.

And it helps if you love what you’re doing.

“It’s really fun,” Zak said. “We listen to what customers want. Ask key questions. Then we go out and get it done.”

O’Brien Construction uses mainly a design-build concept, in which the firm designs and then builds the project.

“This helps us streamline things,” Zak said.

But he’s quick to add that the business still works with many architects outside the company.

He also won’t pick out one single project as a favorite.

“Every one of our design-build projects is special,” he said.

Yet some will be familiar to Tri-Citians.

O’Brien Construction built the Toyota of Tri-Cities complex on West Canal Drive in Kennewick.

The company impressed Dwight Marquart of Toyota of Tri-Cities.

“We employed O’Brien Construction in 2006-07 to construct our 43,000-square-foot Toyota dealership in Kennewick,” said Marquart in a testimonial. “We were very happy with the timeliness and attention to detail in getting this project completed and would have no reservations recommending O’Brien Construction.”

Zak sees the company doing more and more of the design-build process down the road, as well as bid-build projects.

“I see us growing into doing more of our own site work, our own excavation,” he added.

O’Brien Construction isn’t just successful in business. The company also works hard to be a good community supporter.

It’s involved with the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce, TRIDEC, Benton-Franklin Humane Society, Tri-City Union Gospel Mission, Toys for Tots and Second Harvest.

“We try not to overcommit. We concentrate on two or three things at the most,” Zak said. “This area is taking care of O’Brien Construction, and O’Brien Construction has taken care of this area. It’s really important to give back.”

Expect the O’Briens to keep up their mission.

“My father is still a consultant,” Zak said. “He’s still involved in the business. It’s a really great partnership between us. It’s very enjoyable.”

Not just because of working together, but also because of what they do, he said.

“In Eastern Washington, what we have here is unique and very special,” Zak said. “The most gratifying thing is to see fellow business owners succeed.”