SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, May 20, 2022 (Gephardt Daily/Bill’s Marketplace/Sponsored) — It’s been more than a decade since the founders of Black Diamond Experts put forth an ambitious plan which would guide their plumbing and HVAC business for years to come; to provide Salt Lake City and the surrounding areas with the best electricians, the best plumbers, the best drain cleaners, and the best furnace and air conditioning experts anywhere in the state.
That dedication to excellence was the reason Jared Bytendorp, electrical repair expert and Black Diamond’s manager of revenues, joined the company as it was starting out. In fact, he was the first employee hired by owner-operator Dan James, back in 2009, when both were electricians working for other businesses.
“It’s been an awesome journey to watch us grow to where we are today,” Bytendorp said. “You know, from towing around an enclosed trailer behind Dan’s Jeep Cherokee and us working from his basement, till now, when we’ve got 330 to 340 employees. It’s been awesome to watch.
“We think that when it comes to drain cleaning, plumbing and HVAC repairs and replacements we’re the best in all types of repairs, replacements and new equipment installs,” Bytendorp said. “We also try to go above and beyond in giving our customers the best possible service. Basically, we try to keep the customer for a lifetime.”
For founder Dan James, the dream of owning a business and offering top quality service came before he was a senior in high school.
“My dad made sure to push me so the summer after my junior year in high school, and luckily I had a friend that was working for an electrical company, and he said they needed help,” James said. “I spent the summer doing electrical work on commercial buildings, and realized I had a knack for it, and I really enjoyed doing it.
“By the time I graduated, I knew that this is what I wanted to do, and I knew that I wanted to eventually turn it into a business.”
James had numerous and varied electrical jobs after graduation.
“I started doing more commercial work and different types of work and learning. I really enjoyed it, and developed into a really good electrician. I was always one of the younger guys on the job that was typically more advanced than a lot of the older guys, and I ended up being the boss of guys who were much older than me.”
By 2009, two years into the recession, James was working for a small company that was going out of business.
“I thought I’d rather take this into my own hands and do it on my own terms,” James said. “I got my master’s license. I was 28 or something like that, and I started Black Diamond Electric.”
The Black Diamond Electric name, James said, came from Utah’s world renowned ski slopes.
“Growing up, I did a lot of skiing and snowboarding,” James said. “The hard runs, for experts, had a sign with a black diamond, and the hardest had a double black diamond. We decided our slogan would be “experts only,” and that is kind of the model that followed us all the way to today.”
James hired Bytendorp, about 10 years his senior, after working with him on multiple commercial jobs. Both had similar easy-going styles, combined with high standards and top notch work ethics. Both often found themselves unifying and motivating other workers on large jobs.
Before long, Black Diamond made additional hires, and built a loyal following. But money was still tight.
Then, one lucky day, James’ air conditioner broke.
“One summer evening I came home from work and our air conditioning wasn’t working, and I had to have a guy come out, you know, and give us a quote,” he said. “And I told myself, this stuff can’t be that complicated, and I’m sure we could do it. And so I started talking to Jared and the other leaders in the company about it. And we realized, ‘Hey, we have customers that are ours for life, but they have to call somebody else if they need something that’s not electrical.'”
Soon after, the company became Black Diamond Experts, and key employees began training in plumbing and HVAC. The company hired licensed experts in heating and air conditioning, and in drains and plumbing.
“It was a very challenging process, a lot harder than I thought it would be,” James said of the expansion. “But once we started getting some traction and we started applying all the things that we’ve done well with Black Diamond Electric, we really started growing.”
In-house training and weekly meetings keep skills sharp and priorities clear, Bytendorp said.
“There’s an expectation we put with our technicians, when we hire them on, that our customers are everything. They’re our life’s blood. So we want to make sure that even if we take hits and things don’t go right pricing-wise, we want to make sure that they’re going to call us back. We make sure that we uphold a higher standard of craftsmanship and customer service.”
Bytendorp said the company has warranties on its work, and all technicians are trained to leave living areas cleaner than they found them.
James said he owes his high standards and core values to his upbringing. He was the second of five boys, and all his brothers have worked for him at some point.
And he’s happy to share his life and work philosophy:
“Do everything you can to try to accomplish your goals, and if you have good work ethic and you are committed to what you’re doing and don’t give up, you can do amazing things. And so that’s some advice I’ve had throughout my life, and it’s worked out well for me.”
For more information about trusted repair and replacement services provided by Black Diamond Experts click or call (833) 901 7508.
Black Diamond Experts serves American Fork, Bountiful, Cedar City, Clearfield, Cottonwood Heights, Draper, Farmington, Herber, Herriman, Hurricane, Ivins, Kamas, Layton, Lehi, Midway, Murray, Ogden, Orem, Park City, Payson, Pleasant Grove, Provo, Riverdale, Riverton, Salt Lake City, Sandy, Santa Clara, South Jordan, Southwest Utah, Spanish Fork, Springville, St. George, Washington, West Jordan, West Valley City.
*Black Diamond Experts are sponsors of Bill’s Marketplace and longtime members of Gephardt Approved.
