David M Daggett CPA currently works as a tax accountant but has
helped many different positions in many different careers throughout his
life. When his grandfather passed away in 1994, he took over the family
business. It was a law enforcement equipment distribution business named F. Morton Pitt Co, named after his grandfather. Although his
grandfather had worked hard to make the business successful, the company
was losing 10% per month. He was able to build the business back up to
being 10% profitable and ended up selling the company five years later.
During
his time running the company it manufactured fiberglass rear seats for
police cars, a shotgun lock holder for Los Angeles Police Department and
a couple of other items for law enforcement agencies. He decided to
spin the manufacturing products out into a separate company called
Pittco, Inc. Under Pittco, he continued to manufacture the PITTCO rear
seat and redesigned it to meet the needs of the law enforcement
community. Departments such as NYPD and various local departments such
as Milwaukee PD and numerous others used the seat in their Crown
Victoria police cruisers.
In 1999 he was approached by another
entrepreneur named David Graves, who had come up with an idea. Together
they patented the product known as the DuraFlare. The DuraFlare was a
13" high traffic cone with an electronic system that included a strobe
light in it which was visible from a mile away. They brought it to the
International Chief of Police convention in October of 1999 and were
inundated with orders.
The development of the DuraFlare led Mr.
Daggett to meet the famous football player Rosie Greer who would later
become the company spokesperson. Although the business did not take off
as he had hoped, it provided him with an opportunity to raise capital
for a new venture, Gator Hawk Armor, Inc. With the help of a phenomenal
team of body armor designers, he developed some of the best body armor
in the industry in 2001. Gator Hawk was formed in February of 2001 and
for the next few months he went through the long process of testing and
shooting the armor to help develop and improve it. By September of 2001,
the company was ready to go to market with a new vest line.
Although
David M Daggett CPA enjoyed working to improve the business his
grandfather once owned, he decided it was best to sell it and pursue a
different career. He began working as a tax accountant at Lee, Cochran
& Daggett, CPAs, LLP, which is a firm he is a partner with. He
enjoys helping people with all their tax needs.