FirstBank’s recurring Business Banking Spotlight champions local businesses. Learn about each unique company and hear from business leaders as they discuss ways to overcome adversity and find success.

Today, we’re highlighting Arvada-based, Morrison Backflow Testing.  

Briefly describe your business. Morrison Backflow Testing tests and repairs backflow prevention assemblies. These are plumbing devices that prevent used water from getting into your drinking water. The State of Colorado requires all commercial, and most multi-family living, to have backflow protection. 

How did the business start, and how is it going today? We started our business because we thought we could provide better service than our competitors. Using that as a driving force, we’ve been able to successfully run Morrison Backflow Testing for nearly 20 years, and we believe we provide the best customer service in our industry.

What makes your business unique or sets you apart from competitors? We do what we say we are going to do, and we know our business well. When a client calls, we ensure we know all the backflow information before coming to the property. We work hard to understand the details of each water district and its regulations. By knowing this information, testing gets done in a timely and cost-efficient manner. 

What is your proudest achievement as a business owner or leader? We are most proud of the relationships we have with our clients and the water districts. Morrison Backflow Testing is highly respected within our industry as a result. 

Describe a challenge the business faced and how you overcame it. One of our biggest challenges is the influx of business during irrigation season, and getting customers scheduled during that time. To handle the challenge, we work with our clients to separate inside backflows from outside backflows, testing the inside backflows during the winter and outside backflows during the spring and summer. 

What do you think are the most important skills/considerations for running a successful business?  Listening. It’s essential to listen to not only your customers but your employees as well. As an employer, you don’t always have your finger on everything in the business, so it is important to listen to everyone.

What advice would you give aspiring entrepreneurs? Don’t quit, and always remember why you began this adventure. There will always be ups and downs. Walt Disney said, “The difference between winning and losing is, most often, not quitting.” 

Why did you choose FirstBank as your banking partner, and how has the relationship helped with your business goals? We chose FirstBank to have a local bank where people know us. They’re dedicated to helping us become more efficient and find solutions to business aspects that are not our expertise. They helped us automate our check processing system with the desktop teller*. We now process our own checks. This has given us back hours that can now be dedicated to helping our clients. 

What do you hope to see the business accomplish in the next several years? We hope to buy a building that can house both our testing company and our backflow school. 

Learn more about Morrison Backflow Testing by visiting their Facebook page.

*Subject to approval

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