Mission first, people always and leading by example

Diamond Refractory Services

After a busy and successful 2021, Houston-based Diamond Refractory Services, an EMCOR Industrial Services Company, continues its work as one of the most sought-after refractory turnaround service providers in the country — able to deliver quality work on time and on budget.

Diamond Refractory Services (Diamond) focuses on building capable teams that perform at high levels and on working around the clock to meet customer expectations. Diamond’s talented management team is involved in nearly every level of every turnaround. Diamond reached one of its biggest milestones in company history. It was recently nominated by Marathon Petroleum Corporation, and awarded ‘Best in Class’ for soft craft.

“Our priorities are safety, a commitment to quality and adhering to our clients’ schedule and budget, not the number of turnarounds we undertake,” said Chase Drake, Diamond’s president and engineering manager. “Our commitment to quality starts with the skilled workers Diamond employs, many of whom are hand-picked to keep employee turnover low and performance high,” he said.

Diamond trains and pre-qualifies its nozzlemen and welders, pre-turnaround, utilizing third-party inspection to eliminate any delays and improving overall scheduling. One way Diamond drives performance is by having an entire management team that is API 936 certified. With average employment tenure of 10 years or more, Diamonds’ supervisors are among the refractory industry’s most experienced workers and are pivotal players in the company’s success.

Our personnel/hiring manager, Claudia Ayala, cites our employee loyalty — more than 200 certified alloy welders, nozzlemen, safety professionals, forklift drivers and other skilled professionals — as one of the reasons the company has avoided the skilled worker drought. Ayala has been a key resource in staying compliant with the various local union halls and working closely with our union sister company, PMI, to ensure the onboarding process for our skilled craftsmen goes smoothly. 25 percent of the Diamond workload is on the West coast, making it a top priority to stay complaint with the latest state regulations regarding skilled craftsmen.

“Our skilled workers stay with their teams,” Drake said. “I tell clients that the team you see this year will likely be the team you will see again in four years.”

Loyalty isn’t accidental — as many managers can attest. The loyalty to which Drake refers is the result of Diamond’s investment in its employees. He looks for ways to turn new, young craftsmen and women into leaders through mentoring — resulting in most of them staying with the company long-term. This loyalty is well-represented by Albert Bares and Jody Hanson. They are responsible for the day-to-day shop operations and equipment maintenance. Both employees have been with Diamond for over 20 years.

“We encourage employees to perfect current skills while also learning new skills,” Drake said, “with the goal of helping them to become the best at what they do.”

This employee continuity, fostered by a commitment to training and mentoring, can result in tremendous benefits to clients in the form of higher quality, better speed-to-project completion times and a stricter adherence to budget.

“Since Diamond became part of EMCOR,” Drake explained, “we all share the EMCOR Values of ‘Mission First. People Always.’ These values include our belief in mutual respect and trust, a commitment to safety and teamwork, and integrity, discipline and transparency in all that we do.”

Leading by example

Another reason the company has been able to deliver top-tier refractory turnaround services to the refining and process industries across the U.S. since 1999 is that Diamond’s leadership personnel lead by example. Company leadership is not afraid to roll up its collective sleeves and get its hands dirty. The autocratic leadership style that once dominated the American business landscape is purposefully absent at Diamond, replaced by an intense immersion by project managers and leaders in the day-to-day workings of the organization. It’s an approach that has 90 percent of the company’s clients returning for more work.

“I’m involved in each project, from start to finish,” Drake said of his personal commitment to customer satisfaction. “It starts on the business development/sales side. I interact with customers to make sure they’re comfortable doing business with Diamond. I make sure all their questions are answered. I make sure they see me on the jobsite. I do whatever the customer needs me to do.”

It doesn’t stop there, though. Throughout the contract stage, Drake works with clients to clarify details so each component of the turnaround is well-defined and well-understood.

“I start each project with a kickoff meeting,” Drake said. “Pre-turnaround, I let my team know what our objectives are and what I expect from each of them. I’ll leave my business card and encourage everyone on the turnaround, customers and employees alike, to contact me if there are any questions or problems. They know I’ll respond any time, day or night.”

“I do three to four site meetings throughout the course of a project,” Drake continued. “I also do the transition meetings and toolbox meetings in-between shifts. I want to set an example for our managers. By providing an example to follow, I expect all of our projects managers to approach the job the same way I do, and to be involved.”

Diamond’s footprint in maintenance and fireproofing has grown substantially with the knowledge and expertise of Randy Major, vice president of operations. In addition, project managers Jon Broussard and Aaron Mayeux execute over 100,000 plus manhours at two different sites.

“Keeping over 125-plus craftsmen year over year is a key concept for Diamond,” Major said. “The projects are executed alongside our EIS-affiliated companies, AltairStrickland, Repcon/TWS and Ohmstede.”

This attention to detail and oversight from field senior management, such as Ray Kirkpatrick and Tommy Motichek, who both have been with Diamond for over 20 years, help Diamond continue to outpace competitors — but it doesn’t stop there. At the end of a project, Drake and his team of turnaround professionals circle back to ask probing questions during a post-turnaround meeting to find out what could have been done better.

“It’s a long, detailed process,” Drake said. “But it’s a worthwhile one — a safer approach to 125-plus turnarounds and counting.”

The benefits of Diamond’s detailed approach to turnarounds extends to the company’s implementation of safety measures.

“We ask employees for solutions to safety concerns,” Drake said. “We look to our field personnel for real-world solutions to real-world safety issues. That’s one of the reasons we began using rapid arc welding (RAW) in the field, which is safer, eliminates fumes and lowers exposure to hexavalent chromium vapor.”

Engineer Martin De Leon, has been enhancing Diamond’s QC Program and RAW procedures to meet almost any base metal/ refractory anchor scenario.

Most of Diamond’s regular workforce is now RAW trained and certified, said De Leon, which makes them more efficient as a RAW-certified welders who can weld refractory anchors seven-times faster than a traditional welder using an electrode. To date, Diamond’s personnel have installed more than one million anchors — that fact alone makes the company one of the most experienced refractory specialists on the Gulf Coast.

Completing over 125 turnarounds with a 90-percent customer retention rate is the result of hard work, a fierce commitment to safety and training and a determined willingness to put words into action. Diamond is an industry leader to watch. As Drake said, “From the office to field, Diamond Refractory Services is committed to leading by example.”

For more information, visit www.diamondrefractory.com or call (713) 378- 9200.

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