Chuck’s father, Charles, told him, “You need to work for yourself.” Chuck had been working for a large oilfield supply company since graduating from South West Texas University in 1976. Chuck knew the business. The oilfield was in a terrible slump and Chuck felt that if he could get through one year, he could get through anything.
Chuck borrowed money from his father, found a building in Giddings to rent and secured 30-day accounts from two dozen vendors.
Chuck’s brother, Mike, hopped on board and Aubaine Supply Company opened for business on March 1, 1983.
There were other supply companies in town that sold the same product as Aubaine. They could compete with price, but they needed something else. Service. They needed to get the correct part to the correct place, before their competitors could. This became their focus and it remains Aubaine’s focus still today. They never claimed to be the cheapest, but they always claimed they would service their customers’ needs better than their competition. Taking care of their customers created loyalty.
Aubaine was the first supply house to design belt drives, size belts and calculate jack shaft ratios. They not only replaced hydraulic hoses, they identified issues with hydraulic applications. Many times, this entailed going to their client’s location and observing the machinery work to determine why the hose failed. Their willingness to find the root of the problem for their clients created a large customer base in Central Texas. They believed that if they had successful customers, it would translate to their success. They adopted the creed that what they wanted was for their customers to give them their order and then forget about it because they had faith in Aubaine Supply. Faith that the order would be correct and on time.
In the late 1980’s, Chuck got the chance to bid on belt drives to compressor packagers in Houston. Aubaine’s prices were competitive, but their service proved to be the best. Chuck listened to his customers’ needs and found ways to help them. That is where Aubaine’s competition fell short. Chuck got to know many people. When those people left their current company to start a new one, Chuck always asked for their business. The compressor packaging industry became a large part of his business, but he never forgot who he started with. To this day, Aubaine has customers that Chuck sold to on his first day of being in business.
Aubaine Supply Company is a family business.
Not only are its employees considered family, its customers are as well.
He served in the United States Navy as 2nd Class Petty Officer Quarter Master for five years and navigated the USS Constellation and USS Devastator while serving in Operating Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing and certified as an Advanced Sales Professional from the Program for Excellence in Selling, both from the University of Houston.
Jake began his career with Hilti as a Sales Account Manager for the Houston Metroplex and then served as Operations Manager of Bassler Energy Services – Fort Worth Division, before settling back home in Giddings to join Aubaine Supply permanently. He worked for Aubaine for two years as a sales representative and shop hand before attending U of H. He then rejoined Aubaine in 2013, which enabled him to be mentored by his father, Chuck, and learn every aspect of the family business with the intention of continuing the legacy his father has created.
After he graduated from Giddings High School, he walked on to play football for the Louisiana State University Tigers under Nick Saban. He then made the decision to put his degree on hold and entered the workforce instead. Gus Bob started as a Lease Operator for Sage Energy before moving on to Enhanced Energy Partners. While working full time, he finished his college degree through night classes. Gus earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Sam Houston University with a focus in General Business.
After working in multiple facets of the oilfield industry on the production side, he moved back to his hometown of Giddings to work at Aubaine along with Jake in 2014. Under their father's mentorship, Gus Bob learned about the family business until they both bought the company together in 2019. Since then, he has become Director of Sales and successfully expanded their product line to include I&E/Measurement materials.
Gus Bob and Jake work tirelessly for their customers and are proud to carry on their father's legacy.
