From testing to inspection, preventative maintenance to repairs and improvements, AAA is there to ensure fire protection systems work if and when they are needed. And in case of an emergency, AAA’s dedicated fleet of highly trained, fully licensed technicians are ready when clients need them.

Unlike some companies with limited offerings, AAA Fire Protection’s services are comprehensive and include fire alarm systems, fire sprinkler systems, kitchen/restaurant systems, and much more. From emergency lights and exit signs to fire escape inspections, fire hose inspections, and fire hydrant testing, customers count on AAA’s friendly, prompt, and professional services.

“We are a full-service fire protection company,” says AAA’s CEO and President Mary Krinbring. “Unlike a lot of our competitors, we don’t sub any of our work. Everyone says they are ‘full service,’ but if you look under the hood, they subbed their sprinklers or their alarms, because they don’t hold those licenses or have the technicians.” In fact, the only area of the business AAA subcontracts is fire escapes, which it leaves to other experts.

The origins of AAA Fire Protection stretch back to 1954. The company operated under its previous owners until it was purchased by Mary’s father, Brian Krinbring, 40 years ago. Brian headed AAA for decades until Mary came on board in 2014. Three years later, Brian retired, and Mary became CEO and President. Today, Brian serves as the Chairman of the board for AAA Fire Protection.

“It was a good transition,” says Mary, who had majored in Business and Managerial Studies at the University of Redlands and worked at well-known companies including Nordstrom and Amazon before joining AAA Fire Protection. Realizing the importance of a succession plan—and seeing his daughter’s enthusiasm for the fire protection industry—Brian welcomed Mary to the company.

While working at Amazon as a toy buyer, Mary learned a lot about using data to make decisions. Bringing her business experience to the company, she immediately set about modernizing the company. This included moving from old-school tools like handwritten reports and triplicate carbon copy invoices to computers and technology like SaaS software for business intelligence and data management, which really changed the company’s growth pattern. Mary introduced ServiceTrade to the business. A service software platform used by fire, mechanical, and commercial HVAC companies, it was a bit of a transition for many of the technicians who, at the time, had never even used an iPhone before.

From there, Mary managed the company’s fire extinguisher and suppression business—comprising kitchen suppression and vehicle suppression and pre-engineered suppression—then moved into operations and overseeing general operations as she trained under her father. In 2017, after serving as CEO and President for over three decades, Brian announced his retirement and transitioned to his new role as Chairman of the Board.

At present, AAA is in the process of filing nationally (not just in in Washington State) to become a woman-owned business.

Founded on honesty and professionalism, the company continues to grow. Along with its other services, AAA is also the top local CO2 tank refill resource in western Washington. Since the company was founded, it has operated a retail counter from the Fremont neighborhood, which is also home to the company’s corporate office. “Our facility is DOT [U.S. Department of Transportation] certified for high and low pressure cylinder testing and our fully certified technicians are happy to make recommendations regarding the maintenance or replacement of your equipment,” says the company.

Providing refills in just minutes, AAA fills tanks, paintball cylinders, and beer kegerators on the spot. For customers needing fire extinguisher refills, AAA is on hand to make property visits. Depending on client needs, on-site services can include fire extinguisher maintenance and inspections, and with decades of combined experience, the AAA team can determine if customers have the right number of fire extinguishers and if they meet local and state fire codes, accounting for placement and signage, match type, and cabinetry and mounting.

Backed by a team of trained field technicians, estimators, and project managers, clients know they can count on AAA Fire Protection every time. “Every one of our technicians is fully licensed for their specific field of work—whether that means holding high or low voltage electrical license, state journeyman sprinkler license, national NICET certifications, city-specific licenses, or manufacture certifications,” says Mary. “This commitment to proper licensing and certification is a cornerstone of our company’s standards, and we place the utmost importance on it.”

For customers, there are numerous advantages to working with AAA Fire Protection, including its maintenance, inspection, and installation services. It is simple to request a quote online for a range of services, including repairs, fire sprinklers, fire alarms, kitchen suppression, extinguishers, monitoring, and many others.

On the maintenance side, AAA’s trained team regularly handles common fire extinguishers like ABC Dry Chemical—which needs total deconstruction every six years—and even rare types of extinguishers. When it comes to inspections, AAA Fire Protection’s licensed technicians perform 10-point fire extinguisher inspections, as required by the state. “This process takes less than 10 minutes but is critical to maintaining compliance with state codes and preventing future malfunctions,” says the company. And along with distributing many of the biggest brands like Ansul, Buckeye, Badger, and Amerex, AAA can acquire and install other brands upon customer request. AAA is a distributor for Potter Electric fire alarm systems, representing both their IPA and AFC product lines, allowing them to find the right solution for their customers’ needs.

The team will install kitchen suppression and fire alarm systems for new construction or tenant improvement projects. “In new construction spaces, AAA will often provide fire extinguisher cabinets and extinguishers for builders and general construction companies for their projects,” says Mary.

In fact, one of the busier sides of the business is tenant improvement projects. “If someone is expanding their space, we can add fire alarm devices, change their fire alarm, or upgrade their fire alarm system if their current fire alarm can support an additional number of devices or capabilities,” she explains.

Crucially, AAA provides its services to customers not only on land, but also on water. The company’s marine fire systems testing technicians are on hand 24/7 to ensure clients are in compliance with regulations and to ensure equipment such as extinguishers and marine fire suppression systems are in top working order.

On land, AAA’s experienced team provides power generation testing, shaft pressurization testing and annual certification, standpipe testing, and many other valuable services. These include internal sprinkler pipe inspection, checking pressure reducing valves (PRVs), and even areas some may not think of, such as paint booths.

A service that needs to be performed on a recommended semi-annual basis, paint booths use exhaust and intake filters, fans, belts, mechanical systems, and electronics. AAA Fire Protection’s comprehensive paint booth testing process “includes tripping the system through the link line and pull system, replacing the links, verifying that all piping and conduits are secure and tight, verifying that all nozzles are in the proper positions (with specified caps), verifying that all electrical items work correctly, and verifying that the system reports to the fire alarm panel, if one exists,” says the company.

Another important service AAA provides is backflow testing. Water in pipes is meant to move in one direction, and backflow refers to water going in reverse. This can prove disastrous, since fresh water can be contaminated, resulting in health risks. To ensure this doesn’t happen, AAA provides certified backflow preventer testing to industrial, commercial, and multi-family properties in Seattle, Bellevue, Kent, and Everett.

“We handle annual testing, repairs, and certification reports for full compliance with Washington State and local water districts,” states the company. “Backflow testing is a relatively quick process—often, it takes our team only 10 minutes to complete.” Professionally assessing backflow assemblies for fire sprinklers, irrigation systems, and domestic pipe systems, AAA’s technicians ensure backflow preventers are maintained or repaired if needed to ensure they are in compliance. “We’ll even file backflow test reports on your behalf, to keep your system in good standing with the city.”

To ensure quality and professionalism in all its services, AAA Fire Protection seeks the best candidates for the job. These include specialists in fire sprinkler inspection, fire alarm repair, fire extinguisher inspection, fire sprinkler inspection, and other key services. And to ensure opportunities exist, the company invests in developing apprentice technicians to serve the fire protection needs of customers today and long into the future.

For Mary Krinbring and the entire team, AAA isn’t solely about fire protection but being an important part of the community. Along with sponsoring regional Little League teams, the company recently created a Share Board. Employee-led, the Board invites employee input on charities for AAA to support and highlights local volunteer opportunities.

“It’s our opportunity to give back,” says Mary. The company has supported animal rescues and WestSide Baby, which supplies low-income families with clothing, diapers, formula, and other necessities for children. Every month, the Board also finds opportunities for hands-on staff involvement, like having a team lunch where AAA employees put together snack packs for kids for after-school needs. Recently, the company did a back-to-school supply drive.

“We really try to formalize our charitable giving so we have more of a focused effort,” says Mary. “And we survey our employees to find out what they are interested in supporting, and that helps guide the Board on their decisions. Then they bring the charities to me, and we select them. We hope to continue to grow that program to have an even bigger impact on our community. We are in fire alarm safety, and are out in our community a lot, and want to give back in an even bigger way.”

In the coming years, Mary sees AAA continuing to grow its fire alarm installation business and expand its market share in western Washington, which means adding additional technicians. Since she came to the company, AAA has gone from about $5 million to over $20 million in revenue, and from 30 technicians to over 60; today, the company sits at around 100 employees.

“We have no plans of slowing down growth, and we’ve been working with a strategic planning consultant to map out three- to five-year growth plans, scale with growth, and ensure our processes are set.”

The market for fire protection in Seattle and western Washington is changing; in the past, many companies were family-owned, but in the last few years, private equity firms and national companies have been buying up many of AAA’s competitors. AAA, conversely, is proud of its organic growth. “When I first started, my uncle worked here, and I remember him saying, ‘Well, when we get to 50 employees, we need to have [a] Human Resources [department],’ Mary shares. “We talked about that for a long time, and here we are now, past 100 employees. That’s something we are proud of, and we want to keep growing.”

For AAA Fire Protection, that growth reflects a legacy of integrity, family values, and a relentless focus on customer safety. As the company looks to the future, Mary Krinbring and her team remain committed to the same principles that have guided AAA for over seven decades: keeping people safe, supporting the community, and delivering dependable service that clients can trust.

The post Family Owned Fire Protection for Over 70 Years<p class="company">AAA Fire Protection</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

This spring saw some new developments for Daley’s, as the safety-focused, eco-friendly firm became a certified Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE). The company is also taking a close look at mass framing, an innovative building technique involving layered wood that could portend new opportunities.

Most of Daley’s work is done within the commercial sector, with multi-family coming in “a close second,” says President Brittni Daley-Grishaeva, whose grandfather founded the firm. Other markets include healthcare, tech, research, public works, high-rise, mid-rise, and building rehabilitation. The company primarily works in and around San Jose, Monterey, Silicon Valley, and the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition to its headquarters, Daley’s has a facility in Stockton, California that performs prefabrication work among other duties.

Daley-Grishaeva says good client rapport has been key to the company’s longevity. “I think the biggest thing with us is we really focus on our relationships with our GCs (general contractors). Most of our work is repeat business. We bend over backwards for customers. We go out of our way to make our clients’ lives easier. That’s kind of the internal motto that we use,” she says.

Daley’s is always expanding its product line and capabilities. Less than a year ago, it started a self-perform insulation and sealants department.

A family legacy
The company was founded in 1963 by Daley-Grishaeva’s grandfather, Gary Daley (who went by the name “Moe”), and his wife, Sally, who handled the bookkeeping while raising kids. The firm initially served as a drywall contractor for apartments and tract housing. In the 1970s, Daley’s started doing metal framing and began taking on commercial drywall projects. A change in leadership occurred the following decade, as Gary’s son Craig stepped up.

“My dad took over in the early 1980s from my grandpa and started transitioning the company to do more commercial work and more public works,” recalls Daley-Grishaeva.

Digitized estimating was introduced in the 1990s and the firm started doing load-bearing metal framing of single-family residences. “As the market changed over time, we started doing more and more work on the multi-family residential side. [My father] worked closely alongside his brother, my uncle, Chris Daley. He was our Vice President and headed up our multi-family residential division for many years.”

Daley-Grishaeva herself began working at the company in 2009. She is currently the majority owner, with Craig Daley serving as minority owner and semi-retired consultant.

While there are no plans to change the company’s family ownership model, Daley’s Drywall became a certified Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) earlier this year. The Women’s Business Enterprise Council – Pacific (a West Coast branch of the national WBEC) granted certification. WBE status is available to companies with majority female ownership and can open doors when bidding on certain projects.

“Since 2018, we’ve been woman owned; we figured that we might as well get credit for something we’re already doing. I don’t know if we’ve necessarily reaped the benefits yet, but we’ve been told in the bidding process that it’s a big help by our clients,” Daley-Grishaeva shares.

Walking the walk, Daley’s has partnered with local unions to hire more women for construction duties in the field. The company also supports the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), a Fort Worth, Texas organization that advocates for a greater female presence in the construction sector. Daley’s often hosts meetings for the Silicon Valley chapter where speakers are showcased and provides a space where women in the construction industry can network and mentor each other.

Proud projects
Over its decades-long history, Daley’s has taken part in countless major projects, including Ira D. Hall Square, an affordable housing community in Sunnyvale, California. This development features 176 apartment units ranging in size from studios to three-bedroom units. This was “a metal stud load-bearing project,” Daley-Grishaeva tells us. “We like metal stud load-bearing projects because they’re a little different—there’s less concrete and they’re more efficient to build.”

While Daley’s doesn’t do modular construction (in which large segments of a building are put together in a factory then shipped to a building site for assembly), prefabrication is a company specialty. Among other items, the Stockton plant prefabricates walls and soffits.

Making a positive impact
Daley-Grishaeva tells us that sustainability and safety are of primary importance at Daley’s, and the firm’s green initiatives are substantial. “We keep up on all the latest developments and LEED requirements on projects,” she says. “We recycle all of our board and our metal, and we take them to specific recycling facilities. Some of our vehicles are electric, and we have full solar here at the company’s headquarters.”

Daley’s also has a dedicated safety team that tracks potential worksite hazards and regulatory changes. Safety training begins during orientation for new hires and is an integral component of all the company’s work in the field.

These efforts have not gone unnoticed, and industry groups have recognized Daley’s safety-first focus. The company has won the Acrisure Construction Safety Excellence Award (Acrisure is a firm that offers insurance and business services for the construction sector) and safety awards from the Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry (AWCI).

Daley’s has received industry kudos for its work as well. The firm garnered the 2025 Construction Excellence Award from the Wall and Ceiling Alliance (WACA) trade group in the Green Building category. The award recognized Daley’s work on San Mateo County’s COB3 project, the first civic building in the county to feature cross-laminated timber construction. Achieving net-zero energy and LEED Platinum Certification, the project set a new benchmark for sustainable civic buildings.

Giving back to its community is also emphasized at Daley’s, and the company often supports causes in tandem with its clients and other business partners. Daley’s has participated in creek and beach cleanups, seasonal food drives, and fundraisers for local Boys and Girls Clubs and homeless shelters.

Adapting to a changing market
Navigating economic trends has been challenging as of late. “Our market right now is definitely in a bit of a lull,” notes Daley-Grishaeva. “The good news is, we see it picking up on the bidding side. We do think things will slowly turn around over the next year, but it’s just a tight market right now. There’s work, but there’s less of it.”

Once economic conditions improve, Daley’s wants to bring its personnel back to full strength. As a union shop, the firm engages with unions representing carpenters, plasterers, drywall installers, and more. All personnel are encouraged to abide by the company’s values, which include humility and a hunger to work.

In terms of promotion, Daley’s maintains a website and social media profiles, hosts lunch and learns with clients, offers seminars at industry events, and attends the annual Associated Wall and Ceiling Institute (AWCI) convention and expo. But Daley-Grishaeva tells us that the company’s best promotion comes from positive word-of-mouth and repeat customers.

As for the future of the firm, “We are exploring alternative building solutions utilizing the recent code revisions for Type IV construction with CLT floors and load-bearing metal stud walls. We’re hoping that this helps contribute to solving the current housing crisis,” says Daley-Grishaeva.

While currently a niche process, this solution is “a much more affordable, more efficient way to build housing” than traditional methods, she notes. As such, it might just spur the construction of more moderately priced houses across North America.

“Housing is a huge crisis in many areas, but especially in the Bay Area. We need to add a lot more housing in the area just to keep up with demand. We’re nowhere near close to adding enough,” she says. “The Type IV solution is very forward thinking and out of the box—a different way of building… We believe this will really take off.”

She offers an upbeat forecast for the next five years: “I think we’re on track—we just want to get out there and we want to grow. Slow and steady growth is the name of the game.” Says this third-generation president of Daley’s Drywall & Taping, “We’d like to be doing what we’re doing now but a lot more of it!”

The post Exploring New Opportunities<p class="company">Daley’s Drywall & Taping Inc.</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.

“I think the key to some of our success was not just copying what others in our market industry were doing; we wanted to do something different. It wasn’t just a cut and paste operation. We wanted our employees to be able to take ownership and pride in their projects,” says CEO Nate Heyboer.

Employees aren’t just taking ownership of their projects, either; thanks to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), the firm itself is now fully owned by its team.

DHE primarily serves the commercial, industrial, and multi-family markets, with the commercial sector bringing in the most revenue. About two-thirds of the company’s work consists of plumbing, with HVAC constituting the remainder; it also offers service for HVAC and plumbing. Its core service plumbing competencies include back-flow testing, camera inspections, high-pressure jetting, preventative maintenance, drain cleaning, grease trap maintenance, and lift station maintenance, along with 24-hour emergency drain cleaning. HVAC service work includes retrofits and energy upgrades, preventative maintenance, heating/cooling unit replacement and new installation, hydronic piping, and more. As with plumbing service, DHE is available around the clock for emergency HVAC duties.

“We do everything in-house except for controls and insulation,” says CEO and Co-founder, Nate Heyboer.

DHE was founded in 2005 by Dale, Eric, and Nate Heyboer. “Like any company starting up, you have your hurdles, you trip and fall over things. There were sleepless nights, chasing work—all the things any company starting from scratch faces. The best thing we always had were our employees. They were our asset,” recalls Nate Heyboer.

When the recession of 2008 – 2009 hit, DHE was able to “grab a lot of great talent” from the ranks of job seekers, “and a lot of that great talent is still working with us today,” he adds.

Dale Heyboer eventually sold his share of the company to another son, Josh Heyboer, and around three years ago, brothers Nate, Josh, and Eric decided to start a transition to employee ownership as a way to both thank and motivate their staff.

“When it came time to look at maybe a transition, ESOP made the most sense to us… There wasn’t anybody better to take over the reins than those standing right next to us at the time,” recalls Heyboer. About 200 people currently work for DHE; since June 1^st of this year, the company has been 100 percent employee owned.

“It’s been fun to watch it take off with the employees—they’re talking about scrap, they’re talking about efficiencies, and things like that. It’s really starting to take off and the conversations in the field have changed because of it,” notes Mike Miner, COO, of the ESOP and the ownership employee-owners are taking because of it.

Teamwork, which has been an integral part of the company’s culture since the beginning, became even more firmly entrenched once the ESOP came into effect. Cooperation, collaboration, and efficiency have helped DHE stand out over the years. “We work faster, we’re more responsive,” says Miner. “We continue to try to set the bar higher for ourselves, whether it’s in the field or in the office, and the whole team breathes that. Nate tells a great story: if you were to lean down the hallway and yell for help for anything, anybody from the accountant to the office manager, project manager, and foreman would raise their hand and volunteer to assist.”

As part of its pro-employee focus, DHE puts a huge amount of emphasis on safety. Training in HazCom (Hazard Communication—understanding chemical labels and identifying potential hazards) and Safety Data Sheets (SDS—guidelines for the safe handling of chemicals) is offered, and instruction in First Aid and CPR is also on the agenda. A safety committee scrutinizes projects to ensure dangers are minimized while the company strives to provide “the latest and greatest” in PPE, tools, and other equipment, adds Miner.

This safety focus reflects the company’s family-oriented roots, says Heyboer. “One of the things we feel liable for, is that anyone who walks through the door is going home safe. We don’t want to make those calls that someone cut their hand or had something else happen,” he says.

DHE is also a strong believer in community involvement. “We’re very philanthropic in all the communities we work in, whether it be school t-shirts for fundraising, turkey trots, you name it. It’s a long list and something we’re proud of,” says Miner.

Interestingly enough, beyond its website at dheplumbing.com, DHE doesn’t do a huge amount of promotion. “It sounds counterintuitive, but we really don’t do much advertising outside of our philanthropic and sponsorship activities; we recently sponsored a local soccer team and we got to get on their jerseys/kits, so that was fun. Our employees and our clients have created the growth, and we are so thankful for that,” says Miner.

Certainly, DHE’s work does seem to speak for itself. The company has been both a finalist and winner at the Excellence in Construction (EIC) Awards, hosted by the Associated Builder and Contractors of Western Michigan Chapter (ABC WMC). The latter website lists DHE as a past project winner for HVAC and plumbing work.

While most projects are carried out in West Michigan, DHE takes on custom aquarium and zoo assignments around the world. The company has worked at SeaWorld in San Diego, a zoo in New Jersey, and helped put together a mangrove exhibit in a Dubai palace. “We’re blessed to be providing the labor as part of our partnership on these projects,” Heyboer says. “We’re always looking for new opportunities.”

In addition to these far-flung assignments, DHE is currently working on a new soccer stadium in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, and takes on numerous school projects. “We do a lot of K-12 work for a lot of the school districts in the area. [This work] is shied away from by some other contractors due to very rigid schedules, but we’ve always found a way to meet a deadline…It would be hard to find a school district we did not help out in some way, shape, or form,” says Heyboer.

Notable projects DHE has taken on include plumbing and HVAC work at Plainwell Field House, a school sports facility featuring a basketball court, pool, and indoor track for students and the community of Plainwell, Michigan. For this project, DHE worked on six mechanical rooms and installed nearly 150,000 pounds of ductwork in the pool and gym areas along with 9,000 feet of mechanical piping.

DHE also installed over 880 fixtures at a 16-story, 202-unit apartment called 601 Bond in Grand Rapids, Michigan, while another Grand Rapids project involved the Health & Science facility at Grand Valley State University (GVSU). DHE installed nearly 200 fixtures at this 166,271-square-foot facility, working with large cast iron storm pipe and medical gas piping.

One challenge facing DHE (along with pretty much every contractor in North America) is the skilled labor shortage. Existing skilled trades workers are reaching retirement age and for many reasons, not enough young people are entering the field to take their place. To address this situation, DHE backs the West Michigan Construction Institute (WMCI), a skilled trades school based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, through fundraising and board partnerships. The firm also offers $500 scholarships for 15 high school students who want to go into a skilled trade.

“They don’t have to be working for us; they can be working for any trade. They must fill out an application, and the $500 is to help them get their first set of tools—steel-toed boots, or maybe your first set of wrenches,” says Heyboer.

Over the next five years, DHE aims to increase its market share in the industrial and commercial sectors and witness the flowering of total employee ownership. “I look forward to the day when we get to cut checks to the employees as part of our profit sharing from the ESOP side. I think that’s going to be super fun,” Miner shares.

As the company passes its 20^th anniversary, he returns again to the importance of having a devoted, hard-working staff. “Without them, our success doesn’t come,” he says. “We want to continue that. I think that’s something to pause and celebrate. We’re proud to be in the communities we’re in; we’re proud of our employees. There’s a lot to be thankful for.”

The post This Plumbing and Mechanical Contractor Makes a Big Transition<p class="company">DHE Plumbing</p> appeared first on Construction In Focus.