Our History

In the middle of the second decade of the 20th century, Barrera’s Garage & Supply Co. was established at the corner of 500 North Conway in Mission, Texas. 1918 is the historical date used to designate BSCI’s inception. Since that time, the “supply company” has provided home building materials, hardware, automotive aftermarket supplies and most recently, industrial hydraulic and pneumatic components. Sam and Ben Olivarez are the third generation of the Barrera family to manage the business.

Through the years, the Rio Grande Valley has been transformed from a rural economy to one based on urban growth -- including industrial maquilas, medical centers, and retirement, entertainment and recreational opportunities. Barrera’s Supply has stayed flexible and been able to change along with the Valley’s industrial needs, whether it be agricultural, automotive, hardware or industrial. During the first twenty to thirty years, BSCI (Barrera’s Supply Co., Inc.) concentrated in home and hardware supplies, however, during World War II, the war effort consumed much of the transportation industry’s output. Once peacetime arrived, the demand for automotive aftermarket supplies was in great demand and Barrera’s Supply Co. filled that need. As non-agricultural industry began to establish itself on both sides of the Rio Grande, maintenance, repair and operational (MRO) components were needed to keep the original equipment manufacturers (OEM) on schedule and BSCI again shifted its focus to meet demand.

Fluid power components are a subset of mechanical power and BSCI made the effort to shift its inventory to supply pressure hose assemblies, adapters and tubing. Meanwhile, since industrial automation uses the lighter form of fluid power known as pneumatics, a source for compressed air components was needed. Again, BSCI expanded its expertise to not only supply these, but also to supply the knowledge and training required to properly apply their use.

During the last thirty years, Barrera’s Supply Co. incorporated its structure and gradually gave up its stock of automotive supplies and the hardware stock shifted from the consumer to the industrial standard. In order to provide support for these components, design and application engineering functions were added to the business repertoire. Air logic and other types of control systems have been designed for many well known global customers that purchase products from BSCI.

Although the scope of products has changed, BSCI is still in the supply business and it is the ability to be flexible that has allowed Barrera’s Supply Co., Inc. to now provide the fluid power goods and services in demand by the industrial, construction and manufacturing businesses in the Rio Grande Valley.