Owner reveals reasoning behind Black Diamond name

Rick Sperando was a licensed journeyman plumber with many years of experience working for big name companies when he decided to strike out on his own in 1999.

One of his first hurdles as a business owner was to come up with a suitable company name. Because he knew that every plumber's customer base is largely made up of women, he latched on to the idea of putting "diamond" in the name. He also knew that starting his own business wouldn't be an easy task, so he decided to adopt the name of the toughest type of slope for a snow skier - a black diamond.

And, as they say, the rest is history.

Today, Black Diamond Plumbing Sewer Electrical HVAC is based in Crystal Lake and it serves residential, retail, restaurant and office building clients throughout Illinois and into Northwest Indiana. In fact, they have three offices, two of which are located in Crystal Lake and the third is in Rockford.

"We started out as Black Diamond Plumbing and Mechanical and over the years we have grown and diversified. I purchased a local electrical company in 2006 and added electrical to our list of offerings. In 2009 we purchased a local HVAC company and expanded further," Sperando said.

"We like to be able to offer our clients one-stop shopping," he continued. "We are fortunate that we have several large national restaurant and grocery chains that we service across the entire state, going as far as Carbondale. We also work for a number of building management firms that manage apartment, condo and office buildings, as well as retail spaces."

But Sperando said the vast majority of the company's calls come from residential customers whose heat goes out, disposal clogs or hot water heater needs replacing.

"We have 92 employees and approximately 10 percent of their work involves electrical issues. The rest is evenly split between plumbing and HVAC calls," he said.

Very little of its work involves installing plumbing and mechanical systems in new construction. Most of Black Diamond's work consists of repairing existing systems.

"When I was out doing plumbing jobs, I always made sure my tools were the best and the cleanest. Today I know that my employees are my tools," Sperando said. "So, I make sure my employees are the best and that I treat them extremely well."

Sperando said, however, that the secret of Black Diamond's success is its call center that is staffed by Black Diamond employees - (not an answering service - 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"My philosophy is that I have people calling, in effect saying, 'Hey Rick, I want to give you money.' Why wouldn't I answer?" he said. "The phone is our most important tool."

Today, much of what Sperando does personally involves acquisitions and planning for company growth.

"When I am considering an acquisition, I often call those companies in the middle of the night to see if they really answer. It is that important to me," Sperando said.

Scott Underwood, who worked with Sperando prior to the company's formation, is a longtime partner whom Sperando brought to Black Diamond in the early days. The company's staff also includes Sperando's wife, Patty, whom he calls the matriarch of the business; their daughter, Jaclyn Szymczak, who works in human resources; and their son-in-law, Dave Growney, Black Diamond's executive director and Sperando's "heir apparent."

"Starting my own business is the best move I ever made. Patty and I live and breathe the business, so we often say that starting Black Diamond is both the best and worst thing that every happened to us," he said with a laugh.

He also has two other ventures. In 2004, Sperando started Illinois Plumbing Consultants, a continuing education and plumbing apprenticeship program that is accredited by the state of Illinois.

Black Diamond also has a sister company called Aeroseal, which Sperando acquired in 2011. Its employees clean HVAC ductwork and then seal gaps in that ductwork to ensure that heating and air conditioning is not wasted.

"We were already doing HVAC work, so I felt that it was a good fit for us. It was another service we could offer," Sperando said.

Black Diamond can be reached at (888) 649-0904. For more information, visit www.blackdiamondtoday.com.