The History of Dominion Payroll Services

Wise Experience, Humble Beginnings

We've all heard stories about great companies that got their start years ago in a garage, and we're another company you can add to the list! Dominion Payroll Services (DPS) was founded in 2002 by David Fratkin and David Gallagher, started with $7,000 and a tiny office space in Gallagher's parents' garage.

Both Fratkin and Gallagher brought to the table a tremendous amount of experience and success in corporate America. Fratkin spent a dozen years at Verizon Communications in various management positions up and down the east coast. Most of his experience has been in operations and finance; at one point he was in charge of administering payroll for Verizon’s over 80,000 employees. Fratkin also had success managing start-up firms, but he knew he wanted the chance to create and grow his own organization. In 2001, he moved back to his hometown of Richmond to find a project that would afford him this opportunity.

Gallagher is a CPA and worked as a tax auditor/small business consultant before he joined ADP to learn about sales. He was able to leverage his background in accounting as a sales tool and set several records for his region. Shortly after joining ADP, he was promoted to sales manager. After a chance encounter with the CEO, he was sent to Australia to correct a merger that was not going well. His success managing the Southeast Asia region prompted a promotion to oversight of a national sales group in California, where he sold payroll services to clients as high profile as Microsoft. Gallagher knew that he wanted to start his own business after seeing how small business owners were able to work together in a community atmosphere, so he left ADP and moved back home to Richmond as well.

Time to Start Fresh

When Gallagher arrived in Richmond, he started DPS. His father, Tom, met Fratkin at a networking event where they had an in-depth discussion about Fratkin’s aspirations. Tom knew his son needed a partner with a strong background in finance and operations, so he introduced the two. After several weeks it was apparent that they had a strong set of core values and skills that complemented each other. Both men knew that they would make a dynamic duo, and a partnership was formed.

A Company Built on Core Values

From the very beginning, both Fratkin and Gallagher knew that they needed to set a strong set of core values for their company. In their previous careers, they had always been told what the values of the company were. When starting their own business, they realized they had an opportunity to set forth a very different set of values than the ones they'd seen before.

Leading a balanced life style was important for both men. While working in corporate America, they had always had to choose between success in their career and time with their families/involvement in their community. One thing they were sure of was that the atmosphere at DPS needed to be one where balance was encouraged and family always came first. Fratkin and Gallagher are also convinced that continuous self improvement is central to the success of any business and as such, it has been a core value at DPS since the company’s inception. Of course, integrity should be at the heart of any business, and DPS is no different. Our company and its’ employees are held to high standards of integrity and are encouraged to constantly deliver increased value to our clients.

These core values were used to lay the groundwork for the three pillars of our business: better product, better service, and better price. DPS is committed to offering the best of all three to their customers. Being a locally owned firm and without massive corporate infrastructure to maintain, we have been able to realize tremendous savings in our expenses and choose to chanel our resources into lower prices, better products, and superior service for you, our clients.

Expanding the Horizon

You can't slow down DPS! After being named by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest growing companies in the US, Dominion Payroll has only hit the gas. 2010 was the start of big changes - expanding the staff and locations.

In the Fall of 2010, Fratkin and Gallagher partnered with Gallagher's brother, Dennis, to open a new Dominion Payroll office in Tampa, Florida. The combination of quality service, useful products, and Dennis's financial experience in the Tampa business community have Dominion Payroll Florida poised for success.

Hot on the heels of Dennis setting up Dominion Payroll Florida, Fratkin and Gallagher saw a tremendous opportunity in Nashville, Tennessee. Ray Fadool, formerly of Richmond, and his Nashville-based Premier Payroll Consultants were picture perfect for DPS. After partnering with Fadool and rebranding what is now Dominion Payroll Tennesse, DPS is a competitive local providor in the Nashville business community.