Don Farmer Jr. recently celebrated what he estimates to be his 3,000th 2 a.m. wake-up call (yes, you read that correctly) to help a customer with a shutdown or maintenance emergency. At about four times a week for his many years in the industry, it adds up — literally.

“Call me, I’m probably up anyway,” said Farmer, president of Houston-based Great Western Metals.

This level of personal commitment tends to be common with smaller, family-run businesses, and Great Western Metals (GWM) is no exception.

GWM is owned and operated by the Farmer family. Don Farmer Sr. started GWM in 1977 in response to customer demand for raw metal goods as well as finished products. The company serves the petrochemical industry and metal fabricators along the Texas Gulf Coast, specializing in water cutting of stainless steel, aluminum and exotic metals in plate, sheet, round bar, flat bar, angle and shapes.

The original corporation, established and in continuous operation since 1920, is Farmer’s Marine Copper Works (FMCW), an alloy fabricator located in Galveston, Texas. Farmer could be found working in the warehouse at FMCW during college summers. GWM’s sister company, Farmer’s Copper LLC, also operates under the original corporation. FMCW now has more than 100,000 square feet of indoor fabrication space and, with its three supply companies, over 380,000 square feet of warehouse space.

Farmer, a Galveston native and graduate of the University of Texas in business, went to work for the family business in 1978 in outside sales for GWM. Sales was an area where the company needed some extra manpower, so Farmer’s father lead him in that direction. He transitioned into vice president in 1988 and president in 2005.

During his years in the business, one thing Farmer has learned is that worldwide economic and political factors beyond your control can and do hit close to home — and find their way to your building.

“Recessions affect everybody,” he said. “Matching production levels to meet demand, and watching expenses and inventory levels is critical to dealing with these issues.”

Farmer said the key to his success — and subsequently, the company’s — has been recognizing the value of hiring good people and helping them to do their job. Both his father and the late Bruce Farmer have served as business role models for him, another factor in the type of business leader he has evolved into.

“You have to treat every employee, customer and supplier with respect, and do whatever it takes to meet their expectations,” he said.

Farmer is leading GWM with a plan for controlled growth and an emphasis on value-added services, such as laser cutting, waterjet cutting and the company’s reliable 24-hour service.

A former president of the Steel Service Center Institute’s Texas chapter (its name has since changed to the Metals Service Center Institute), Farmer stays on top of news in his industry through trade journals, BIC magazine and, naturally, customer and supplier contacts.

Family business or not, Farmer feels the recipe for success in business or for someone just starting out on his career is quite simple.

“The first requirement, and maybe the most important, is to show up,” he said. “Then, listen and learn.”

Farmer and his wife, Cherie, have two sons — Tripp, 19, and Chase, 15. When not recovering from a 2 a.m. wake-up call kind of day, he enjoys golfing, hunting and fishing.

To learn more, call (281) 484-1150 or visit www.greatwesternmetals.com.