History

From Humble Origins to Thriving Success Story

Nearly three decades ago, the seeds of Data Specialties Inc. (DSI) were sown in a night school class at Los Angeles Trade Technical College where Phil Rafferty and Ric Maxson first met as students. Soon the two were working side by side at a Los Angeles-based technology company. During the next ten years, Phil and Ric came to recognize there was an urgent need for a specialty contractor in the data services industry. DSI was born from this entrepreneurial idea that the exploding technology revolution would value a highly ethical company that could design and build data centers. Today the company has three offices: our headquarters in Southern California and satellite offices in Northern California and Arizona.

Built On a Bedrock of Integrity

DSI was founded in 1991 to serve the electrical and communication systems needs of U.S. corporations. Since the beginning, our business has been built on a bedrock of integrity. We are firmly committed to openness, honesty and hard work in all of our client interactions. As a result of our deep-rooted values, many of our employees have been with us for 20-plus years. This kind of unprecedented continuity has led to many long-lasting customer relationships.

Dedicated to Quality

From our humble origins, DSI has evolved from an electrical contractor into a design and build general contractor that self-performs electrical work and communications wiring. Our clients entrust us to design, build and maintain data centers that are the lifeblood of their business. We manage all aspects of design, construction, commissioning, and maintenance of your mission-critical data centers. Our designs deliver the reliability demanded today, with the flexibility to accommodate any moves and future changes.

Our dedication to quality has led to key partnerships with Kyndryl, (formally IBM) Vertiv and APC. We understand the importance of housing and protecting your most valuable assets and bring our extensive knowledge and experience to bear on each and every project.

FOUNDED 1991
DATA CENTERS BUILT 400+
TOTAL SQUARE FEET 1,000,000+

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