We’re celebrating our 80th anniversary in business this year and we couldn’t be prouder of the contributions we’ve made to the infrastructure of the greater Salt Lake Valley and of our family of employees who have been on this long, successful ride with us.
Diamond S Company has been providing safe and reliable underground utility construction across Utah since 1942. Our company was actually founded in the early 1900’s when Enoch Smith, Sr., the great grandfather of the Smith family that currently runs the business, started as a local contractor. But the company wasn’t incorporated until 1942 when Enoch Smith, Jr. and his brothers officially formed what was then known as Enoch Smith Sons Co.
Since that time our company, now known as Diamond S Company, has been led by and handed down through generations of the Smith family, first to Enoch Richard who took the helm in the early 1980’s and then to the current Owner Operator team of siblings, including Enoch Smith, Teresa Jensen and Nate Smith, and the future leaders such as Brady Smith who is currently preparing to move into a leadership role one day by learning the ropes as a laborer and fuser.
Over the past 80 years, we have played an integral role in building the communities in the Salt Lake area. We’ve been instrumental in installing the gas lines that heat family homes in many of the subdivisions throughout Utah. We’ve also played a role in building some of Salt Lake City’s infrastructure and in helping to build the local ski resorts. Our focus on quality and safety has earned us a stellar reputation as a trusted, reliable partner—a reputation that we wouldn’t trade for anything.
We are certainly proud of the important role we’ve played in building our community’s infrastructure, and we are equally as proud of being able to provide the livelihoods of generations of Utah families.
From the World War II veterans who joined the company when they returned from the war and worked with us through retirement to the second- and third-generation workers with the company today, we are a company that values our employees. We treat our employees as a part of our family and provide an opportunity for those employees to move up in the company and make a great living. We’ve been rewarded for our employee-focused culture with generations of hardworking Utah families working side-by-side with us.
Our employees are our lifeblood, so we are happy that so many of them stay with us throughout their careers, and then pass the baton to their children. For instance, one of our Foremen, Kerry Jensen, has been with us for more than 40 years. He followed in the footsteps of his father, Gardell, who was part of the Diamond S. family for 45 years.
Kerry said that when he was just a kid, his dad took him to work with him and that’s all he needed to see. “I got addicted and I just knew that I wanted to run equipment,” he said proudly.
Jason Ludwig, who has been with the company for 26+ years, also followed in his father’s footsteps. He says that his father, who was a mechanic for the company for many years, encouraged him to work for the company, telling him that the Smith family values their employees. “He said it was a great place to be,” Jason explained.
There are numerous families that have worked with Diamond S Co. over the past 80 years and many other first-generation workers who are building careers that they can one day pass down to their families. You can hear some of their stories in this short video.
To sum up 80 years in business—and how grateful we are to do what we do with a great team of people—is no easy task, but Bo Velasquez, a Foreman who has been with the company for more than 38 years, hit the nail on the head when he said, “I can’t believe they pay me to do what I’m doing—it’s a lot of fun! Some of the stuff we do is legendary. Some of the infrastructure we fix and update is unbelievably awesome and I’m proud to be a part of that. We’re the guys that build America…we keep it going…we build the future.”
We certainly hope to continue to build the future of Utah for the next 80 years and beyond!