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Dennis Paul Circo,
Founder & CEO

 

Circo CEO

Dennis Paul Circo is Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Circo Enterprises. Prior to that, Mr. Circo held the positions of Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Precision Industries. During his tenure at Precision Industries, Precision expanded from 16 Midwestern locations to over 160 locations throughout North America, Canada, and Mexico, with export operations worldwide. Annual revenues grew from $27MM to approximately $300MM. At that time, Precision Industries was the largest family-owned industrial distributor of its kind globally.

Circo agreed to the sale of Precision Industries in September 2007 to DXP (NASDAQ: DXPE) for $106MM in cash. Also included in the sale of Precision was Chase Maintenance Management System, including a preventative maintenance system and warranty tracking. Circo retained Circo Enterprises, Pacific Realty, and Circo Properties. Circo also retained the technology companies CFO Strategies & Neterprise, and licensed the use of those software strategies to DXP. Retained also was the production company, Circo Productions, which produces music, video, and documentary productions.

Scholastic Honors

  • Bachelor of Science, Business Administration, Creighton University (cum laude)
  • Alpha Sigma Nu – Membership in the National Jesuit Honor Society is the highest scholastic, loyalty and service honor bestowed by Creighton University.
  • Delta Sigma Pi Honors Key – Awarded for the highest ranking based on GPA. Dennis was valedictorian.
  • Creighton University – Presidential Scholarship Award & Superior Scholastic Achievement Award (3 years)
  • Beta Gamma Sigma (an international honor society serving business programs accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) – Membership is the highest recognition a business student can receive in a program accredited by AACSB International.
  • 2011 Alumnus Of The Year Creighton Preparatory School
  • Dennis Paul Circo Memorial for those who served at Creighton Prep and veterans who died in the service of our country

Boards & Committees

  • Ford Motor Company- MRO Council
  • Rockwell Manufacturing- Distributor Advisory Council
  • Bearing Specialists Association- Board of Directors and Data Processing Committee
  • Creighton University Business College- Executive Advisory Council
  • Power Transmission Distributors Assoc.- Nat’l Marketing Committee
  • Precision Industries- 1984-1987; Member of the Board of Directors / 1987-2007 Chairman of the Board
  • Pacific Realty, LLC – 1999 to present; Chairman of the Board

Industry & Community Honors

  • 1987-1990 Bearing Specialist Association-Recognition for Services as Director
  • 1992 Entrepreneur of the Year (Midwest Region- Ernst & Young)
  • 1992; 1993; 1998; 2004 U.S. Chamber of Commerce Blue Chip Enterprise Award- 25 Fastest Growing Companies (Ranking 3rd)
  • 1992-2007 Industrial Distribution’s Top 50 Industrial Distributors Globally
  • 1995 1st National Bank of Omaha- 50th Anniversary of our Relationship
  • 2004 Nebraska Future Business Leaders of America Business of the Year
  • 2004 ISO 9001:2000 Registrations (ISO Certified since 1995)
  • 2005 Industrial Supply Association- American Eagle Award

Precision Industries Awards

  • 1991 AT&T/Network Cable Systems-Vendor Recognition Award
  • 1992-2005 Lozier Manufacturing- Certified Supplier Award
  • 1993-1997 Fina Oil & Chemical Company- Exceptional Supplier Award
  • 1994 3M Supplier Award
  • 1995-2000 and 2003-2005 Hormel Foods- Spirit of Excellence Award
  • 1996 Bayer- Milestone Award
  • 1997 Eaton Corporation- Outstanding Service Award / 2000-2001 Best of Class Rating
  • 1997 Exxon Chemical- Recognition for SAP EDI Implementation
  • 2003-2004 U.S. Government Defense Supply- Award for Excellence
  • 2005 Timken Manufacturing- Recognition of Service Award
  • 2006 The Coca-Cola Company- Coca-Cola Parts Customer Service Recognition Award

Supplier & Manufacturer Awards

  • 1987 Reliance Electric/Master/Reeves Distributors-Service Recognition Award; 1992 & 1994 Reliance Electric- Electrical Distributor of the Year & Excellence in Sales & Marketing; 1995 Dodge Mfg./Reliance- 50th Anniversary Recognition

  • 1987-1993 Emerson Electric/Morse- Eagle Award

  • 1987-1988 SKF-Traction Motor Distributor of the Year Globally

  • 1989, 1991, and 2002-2005 Baldor Electric- Outstanding Distributor Award

  • 1995 Rexnord- 50th Anniversary

  • 1996 Sumitomo- Distinguished Distributor Award

  • 1999 CRC- Pinnacle Distributor Award

  • 2001 Ingersoll-Rand ARO- Exceptional Growth Award

  • 2001 Thomas Conveyor Company- Supplier of the Year Award

  • 2002 Equipto- CEO Club

  • 2005 Albion Industries Award- Outstanding Performance

Dennis Circo and Circo Enterprises sponsoring Buffett/Osborne TeamMates charity events for various events.

Other Positions & Ventures

Neterprise
Chairman of the Board/ Chief Executive Officer

Neterprise is a business-to-business, E-commerce procurement and fulfillment solution combining supply chain expertise with state of the art Internet search and procurement capabilities. Neterprise enables companies to buy indirect items online using sophisticated searching and workflow technologies. Neterprise is an internally developed solution released in 2000.

Skyliner
Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer, Skyliner, Inc.

Skyliner specializes in Executive and V.I.P. air charter service and air cargo emergency parts delivery.

Skyline Woods Country Club
1997-1990 Chief Executive Officer/Owner/Developer: Skyline Woods Country Club and Residential Development

Purchased and developed an 18 hole championship golf course and country club with homes and condominiums ranging from $400,000 to $4,500,000. Skyline Woods Country Club was acquired in 1990 by American Golf Corporation headquartered in Santa Monica, CA who at the time owned and operated 177 golf courses, including:

  • The Legend at Arrowhead
  • London Bridge Golf Course
  • The Vineyard at Escondido
  • Palm Valley Country Club
  • Trophy Club of Atlanta
  • Tamarack Golf Club
  • Las Vegas National Golf Course
  • The Tribute at The Colony

Mayor Fahey Addresses
Precision’s Annual Awards Banquet
00:33

Dennis Circo Accepts
The Future Business Leaders of America Award
00:36

Ben Nelson Presents Annual Award to
KPMG’s Omaha’s Fastest Growing Companies
00:18

Bob Herbolich Addresses
Precision’s Annual Awards Banquet
00:36

Sen. Kerrey Addresses
Precision’s Annual Awards Banquet
01:17

Dennis Circo Addresses the Student Body at
Creighton Prep at the 2011 Alumnus of the Year event
10:26

Dennis Circo Addresses the Student Body at
Creighton Prep at the 2011 Alumnus of the Year event
19:10

Olive & Dennis Circo Speak at the Dedication
of the Dennis Paul Circo Memorial Plaza at Creighton Preparatory School in 2014
06:21

Family

Sebastian Circo

OMAHA PROFILE

At South High School, Sebastian Circo, owner of Precision Bearing Co., wanted to be either a baseball catcher or a sports writer. However he chipped an ankle bone playing in the state basketball tournament. The wound became infected. It was the turning point of his life.

What had seemed to be a minor injury turned into osteomyelitis. It nearly killed him, permanently damaged his ankle and ran up a
$10,000 bill.

The Circo family could not pay it. It was 1936 and Sebastian’s father was earning $25 a week shoveling coal.

Sebastian went to South High Principal Roy Marr for help.

“I said, ‘I’m not looking for charity but I’ve been on the street for six months and I can’t find a job. Do you have any suggestions? I don’t want any charity. I just want a boost, a word of encouragement, maybe.'”

Marr arranged for Seb, who had studied typing and shorthand, to receive free training from the City of Omaha on a dictating machine.

Circo took the job and applied for a male stenographer’s position at Ahlberg Bearing Company at $15 a week.

Almost accidentally, he had entered the business where he would build a major company with sales of over $40 million a year.

“I studied the bearing business very seriously and sincerely,” he said. He was promoted to salesman then store manager.

“Now I’m making $200 a month with a car allowance and expense account and I was only 21 years old. I was the youngest manager of 32 stores that the Ahlberg Company had in the United States.”

In 1945, the parent company was having financial problems and closing stores. Circo arranged to open his own store next to Ahlberg’s at 2851 Farnam while continuing to sell for them. He called his new company Precision Bearing.

Circo said he sensed that industrial sales offered more growth potential than automotive sales. In 1947, his brother, Paul, joined him in business.

“Because of my injury, I was a genuine 4-F (during the war),” he said. “I couldn’t hardly walk so I coudn’t get in the service. Paul went in· the service in ’41. Paul came back from the service in ’47, so when he came back I gave him a gift of 50 per cent of Precision Bearing until six months ago, at which time I bought him out.”

In 1956, Precision Bearing moved to 1040 S. 21st St. because of interstate highway construction. It had expanded to serve five or six states. The biggest account was Union Pacific Railroad, followed closely by Burlington Northern Railroad.

Circo credited his son Dennis with much of the later growth of the firm.

“Dennis developed the systems-contract program about 18 years ago,” he said. Under such a program, parts can be ordered via computer without a purchase order.

“It can cost anywhere from $35 to $50 to cut a purchase order and a lot of times, they’ll only be spending $10 or $12 for a bearing. Systems contracting is a big part of our business. We probably have 80 customers that are electronically buying from us.

Precision Bearing formed various divisions for its wide product range. These include: Precision Material Handling; Precision Liquid Handling; Precision Air/Hydraulics; Precision Lubrication and MRO Sales.

The company also opened stores at scattered locations in: Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, California, Nevada, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Missouri.

Read about Dennis Circo’s mother, Olive Circo, who was Creighton’s first female cheerleader!

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About Us

The Circo Enterprises team is an incredible group of people who are proud to work in a family-owned business with decades of history. Find out more about us here.

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