Scott Montgomery founded Accurate Leak and Line with brothers Chad and Josh in 2002. The master plumbers initially focused solely on leak diagnostic services, but the company swiftly “switched gears” once Scott realized there was more opportunity in rehab and repair.

When we profiled Accurate Leak and Line in 2012, the business had expanded to three locations — Dallas, Houston and Austin, Texas — specializing in slab leak repair and epoxy lining for both drain and potable waterlines.

The company is licensed with Nu Flow Technologies, which supplies them with their epoxy barrier coating systems and products. Trenchless rehabilitation of residential and commercial lines has continued to trigger growth, as most buildings in Texas are constructed concrete slab-on-grade with many lines buried below the slab.

“A lot of times when a homeowner has a slab leak their water is shut off, so that’s a big deal,” Montgomery says. “We’ll try to get out there the next day and at least isolate that loop, so that they can still have water to the rest of their house. We’ll schedule with them a few days later to come back out and shoot the line and hook it back up.

“There’s a high profit margin on our side, and at the same time it saves the homeowner a whole lot of money compared to having to do their whole house when it isn’t necessary,” he adds.

Growing into a niche

Accurate Leak and Line still does a fair amount of traditional plumbing repairs, but Montgomery now hires contractors to do most of the excavating that’s needed. He instead has opted to build a workforce of highly trained specialists. His team of specialists can do anything from locating leaks through CCTV inspection and hydrostatic pressure testing to installing the pipe liners.

“It’s a technical process,” Montgomery says of the epoxy work. “It takes some know-how and a lot of experience to do it.”

The company has grown from 20 to 30 plumbing specialists within the last three years. Revenue has also increased, with epoxy lining still accounting for 50 to 70 percent of the jobs. Montgomery also notes a shift within the last year to more isolated repairs as opposed to complete system relining.

There is still one crew for potable lines at each of Accurate Leak and Line’s three locations, but there are now two to three drain lining crews stationed in each service area. The potable crews are also trained on the drain lining side.

Becoming increasingly specialized has been both a focus and a natural evolution for Accurate Leak and Line. Montgomery and his brothers were doing much of the hands-on work themselves at the beginning. Other employees have also been a part of the progression as they’ve transitioned into more specialized roles over the years.

While the company looks to first promote from within, finding good help in such a technical field can pose unique challenges in the hiring process. Accurate Leak and Line prefers to hire people with experience in relining “because there are few, and they are hard to come by.”

“You need to have high-tech guys to do the pipe lining,” Montgomery says. “You need good employees that are licensed, you need to pay them well, then you need to train them on the epoxy pipe lining side of it, because not everybody who comes in knows that process.”

Future expansion?

There are no immediate plans for expanding the Accurate Leak and Line footprint, but Montgomery says he’s always looking to grow the current structure, citing the company’s past success.

“There’s always a vision of continuation of that expansion,” he says. “Each territory differs a little bit; the plumbing and infrastructure is comprised of different types of piping or installation methods, so each time we move into a new territory there’s a bit of exploration that we have to do.”

Regardless of whether Accurate Leak and Line continues to grow, Montgomery believes pipe restoration will always be the company’s bread and butter, and he’s continuously on the lookout for new technology that will put the business ahead of the competition.

“It’s still very untapped,” he says of the market for potable water epoxy lining. “I don’t ever see it becoming the norm in the plumbing industry.”