Made in Oklahoma: Cousins carry on Cory's AV business

Within four hours that afternoon, Cory's technicians had the system up and running, and the church since has been a loyal customer.

It's the kind of story in which Cory Chief Executive Brad Poarch revels.

“Our company very much is relationship-based,” Poarch said. “We stand behind what we do and, if there's a problem, we're there.”

Cory's leases projectors, screens, lighting and other AV equipment to churches; schools, including the University of Central Oklahoma and Oklahoma City University; and other businesses and organizations hosting commencements, conferences and events.

But equipment rental is only half its business. Fifty percent of the company's revenues are from selling, installing and training on AV equipment, from $3,000 to half-million-dollar systems, for Devon Energy, Continental Resources, OGE Energy Corp. and others.

Said Chief Operating Officer John Cory, who custom designs corporate systems, “As equipment becomes cheaper and cheaper, many would rather buy than rent it three or five times a year.”

Poarch, 34, and Cory, 33, are cousins who bought the business in February of last year. Their grandfather, the late Joseph F. Cory, in 1953 founded the firm that was carried on by his son and John Cory's father, Joseph A. Cory.