Q&A with the president of DeatschWerks, David Deatsch

We sat down with David Deatsch, the president of Greater OKC Chamber member DeatschWerks to hear more about his business and experience as an entrepreneur in Oklahoma City. An Oklahoma native, David has turned his passion for cars into a career, creating jobs and opportunity for the community. 

David, President, and his brother Mike Deatsch, Vice President of DeatschWerks

VeloCityOKC: Tell us a little about your background, and what brought you to begin DeatschWerks.

David Deatsch: Most people think I must have been an engineer before DW, however, my education is actually in Microbiology and Biochemistry.  I worked in a research lab after graduating OU, but always tinkered with cars as a hobby. DeatschWerks was actually born in my garage tinkering with my own fuel injectors trying to get more performance out of them. What I figured out for myself worked for buddies’ cars too and before long I had all sorts of car guys coming to me for bigger injectors. The hobby turned into a side-hustle and then a full-time job, then a legit small business. All of that was being run out of my suburban Edmond garage.  I thought we would have a garage-based business for years to come, but we outgrew that space in 3 months!

What are some of the most unique products that you manufacture?

Our DW440 fuel pump is a pretty unique product and one we are very proud of.  It was the first in-tank brushless fuel pump in the aftermarket industry.  Brushless motors (like the ones in your drill) are more efficient, more powerful, and more compact than traditional motors. So, our DW440 brushless fuel pump is one of our smallest pumps but also one of our most powerful. Also, because it’s brushless, it is compatible with all fuels including methanol, ethanol, and diesel.

Who is your typical customer and where are they located?

It’s hard to define the “typical” DW customer. Pretty much anyone who wants to go fast and needs a high-performance fuel system to do it. We sell to everyone from OE manufacturers (such as Ford Racing) to shade tree hobbyists. Our customers also span the globe. 25% of our business is outside of the US. Some of our hot spots are Germany, UK, Australia, and the Middle East.

Can you tell us a little more about your products? What makes them special?

I would say what is most unique about our products is their diversity. We only make fuel system components…but we make everything you need for a complete fuel system.  Fuel injectors and fuel pumps are our main products, but we also manufacture rails, filters, lines, fittings, tanks, and even fuel additives. We also don’t just make fuel components for cars. Our products are used in motorcycles, UTV’s, boats, snowmobiles, and aircraft.

What is the driving force behind your innovative products?

We are a company of motorheads. We not only design, build, and sell our products, but we use them in our own projects. We have employees who race dirt track, quarter-mile, half-mile, drifting, endurance road racing, and even one who races Semi-trucks! So, a lot of our product ideas come through our own experiences. We also keep in close contact with our customer base through social media, trade shows like SEMA and racing events. Our customers have great ideas for new products and how to improve our existing products.

What advice would you share with other entrepreneurs in our state?

Just. Get. Started. Fake it till you make it. If you wait for everything to be perfect before starting your business, it will never happen. Business plans, LLC documents, seed money… all these things are important but very little is needed to just get started. Start small, dream big, and fail fast. Yes, there will be failures (probably many). You will learn a lot from them, and they are a lot easier to recover from when you are small and nimble.

How has being located in Oklahoma City been good for your business?

OKC has been a great place to start and grow my business. The cost of doing business is super low and the government helps you instead of getting in the way. Employees here have a strong work ethic and there are enough engineers, managers, etc. to meet our needs. Also, being centrally located makes travel and shipping easier. OKC is big enough to provide the resources a business needs, but not so big that you get lost in the crowd.

With your national reach, what keeps you in Oklahoma City?

There is about a zero-percent chance of DW leaving Oklahoma. My roots run deep here because of my family, my friends, and my employees.  With the increasing prevalence of zoom meetings and remote work forces, the reasons for moving to a bigger market city are decreasing.

Is the growing popularity of electric vehicles going to threaten your business?

There is no doubt that electric vehicles are the future...and they are coming fast!  Like any company, we have to adapt to ever-changing business environments. Honestly, it’s exciting for us. We are working on performance cooling pumps for EV batteries, ballast pumps for wake boats, and new markets for our fueling products such as small aircraft and electrical generators. I also believe the internal combustion engine is going to be around for a long time in the racing and hobbyist community.