The Branin family during their 65th Wedding Anniversary Celebration: Barry, Vivian, daughter Brenda, grand-daughter Shaylah, daughter Linda, eldest grandson Alex. Photo courtesy of Barry Branin
The Estero Bay has attracted many life-experienced residents from afar willing to share their perspectives with those who grew up or already relocated here. The goal is to maintain core values that have defined our mutual paradise. And collectively our pooled talents, connections, and experiences will enrich the future of where we all call home.
Recently, I requested an interview with Morro Bay’s Barry Branin for the sole purpose of discovering more about him. What is typically an hour interview for me became 2.5 hours of sharing backgrounds and thoughtful conversation while barely scratching the surface how we might be of further service to our community.
First of all, congratulations to Barry and Vivian Branin! They recently celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary with four generations of their family. Surprisingly it has only been close to nine years since the couple officially relocated from their Southern California home to their retirement ranch near Morro Bay and Los Osos.
“We grew up on farms in Washington,” Barry shared, “but didn’t meet until we attended college in Oregon.” Vivian graduated in three years from a small teacher’s college. It’s been renamed Oregon State University and was about 19 miles away from the then Oregon State University. Barry graduated with degrees in mechanical engineering and business administration. “I would work summers to earn enough to pay for my education.” Both would go on to earn masters’ degrees in the early 1960s. Vivian’s degree is in education earned while teaching in Oregon as Barry expanded his expertise in finance, business development, and marketing.
Photo courtesy of Barry Branin
The California oil industry was booming so they decided Barry would have more career options in Southern California. “Our parents helped us with what they could.” The total was $300 and after Barry strategized, one of his talents, and he discovered the perfect area for them to live and raise a family. “It was 1963,” he explained. “We bought in Redondo Beach for $1,000. I had mapped all the coastal areas to live outside the fog-belt. Our home was just east of it but still near enough to the beach.”
Vivien had no trouble finding a teaching position job and Barry was successful finding work in the oil industry, which was actively looking for employees with engineering expertise. He interviewed with five oil companies. He accepted the Mobil Oil job in operations and would eventually train and work in its maintenance and marketing departments. The original offer came with a “critical skills deferment” during the Vietnam War allowing him to stay home with the family while his chosen industry was still considered to be serving the cause.
“After working at Mobil for five years, I moved to Continental (Conoco) Oil Companies for another five years in their operations and marketing departments.” His assignments focused on supply distribution and marketing of gasoline, oil and grease. At one point he managed development of the company’s California’s expansion of new truck loading facilities with focused efforts on installations of vapor recovery during the service station construction boom in Southern California.
During his decade with Douglas Oil, a subsidiary of Continental Oil (Conoco) he said, “I was primary engineer in California in charge of new self-serve gasoline stations in construction under the name Fast Gas. This was during California’s rush to build freeways to keep traffic moving. The industry’s goal became establishing a gas station at the end of the off ramp of every freeway.”
When you do a good job, you are asked to solve new challenges. The company wanted to transfer Barry to Texas to build more gas stations. Not wanting to uproot the family, he risked everything and left corporate life to take on the personal challenges of business ownership.
He said, “We bought one of the California stations I had developed. I operated PetroQuip for 30 years.” During the transition time to self-serve fueling stations, Barry had learned all he needed about the appropriate equipment to solve future environmental issues, especially smog. PetroQuip would also transition to become a major distributor of the service station dispensers, pump hoses and related equipment within the LA-Orange County areas. Although inactive, Barry still holds a C-61 contractor’s license with a HAZ certificate for service station petroleum related issues.
Meanwhile during that 30-years the couple would raise their two girls and rebuild their nest egg for their future retirement plans. Profits from his growing business was invested in real estate purchases. In 1989 their investments in area apartment buildings would provide the funding to purchase their ranch —“just outside the coastal fogbank, of course!” — plus multiple commercial properties. In 1993 they would purchase the previously leased Morro Bay commercial property on Quintana Road where Burger King, Morro Bay Urgent Care, State Farm Agent Karen Perlette and Perry’s Parcel & Gift continue to do business.
Meanwhile Barry has always enjoyed flying and sailing. He’s held a private pilot’s license for 47 years. He was often a commuter-by-air from LA to SLO to check on their ranch and commercial properties until they retired and moved to the ranch permanently almost nine years ago. They also loved sailing. A favorite sailing trip has been to and from Catalina.
The Branins are very proud of their daughters and their families. They have four grandchildren and a their very special great-grandson Casper, who reached one-year on June 8. They have enjoyed their retirement lives working the ranch, getting involved in community affairs, and traveling. Barry serves on the Morro Bay’s Citizens Financial Advisory Committee (CFAC) and is an active member of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA). He is currently restoring an antique 1932 WACO biplane. Barry and Vivian are also active members of the Morro Bay Seniors that helps sponsor the Morro Bay Recreation Department’s September Thursday night music in Tidelands Park.
Travel has always been a high priority for both of them. They particularly enjoy their USA road trips “away from the freeways and interstates” exploring smaller communities in America. They just returned from a road trip visiting roots, friends and family they formerly enjoyed in Washington and Oregon.
