The team at Jetter Depot has a singular focus: taking care of their customers.

The company prides itself on being a one-stop shop for its drain cleaning and lining customers, providing equipment from many top vendors. Jetter Depot employees follow up each sale with all the training new and veteran contractors alike need to confidently complete even their most challenging jobs. That support is invaluable when trying out new types of equipment in an industry where mistakes can be expensive.

After many years in the industry, Kim Pisaniello joined Jetter Depot in 2011. She was part of the original two-person team alongside founder Gary Allen, hired as the parts sales manager, but also helping with accounts receivable, purchasing and even shipping in order to help get the company off the ground. She now serves as inside sales manager.

Director of operations Andrew Shellack has been with Jetter Depot since 2017. He is a certified Picote trainer and handles much of the CIPP and trenchless side of the company, as well as day-to-day operations.

Matthew Miranda, in trenchless technical support, has been with the company for a shorter time, but his many years of experience in the industry have already made him a valuable resource for customers.

Today Jetter Depot has grown to 15-plus employees and serves customers nationwide. Cleaner spoke with Shellack, Miranda and Pisaniello about why customer support is so important to them, recommendations for buying new equipment, and how the industry has changed.

Cleaner: Tell us a little about the history of Jetter Depot.

Schellack: We were officially founded by Gary Allen in 2008, offering high-performance and affordable nozzles, hoses and accessories to the drain cleaning and waterjetting industry. We have really expanded and added many product lines over the years and are proud to be the exclusive North American distributor for Nuova Contec srl, a leading manufacturer of nozzles based in Italy.  

Cleaner: What differentiates your company from other retailers/distributors?

Schellack: We pride ourselves on being a one-stop shop. If we don’t have what our customers need in stock, we’re usually pretty good at sourcing it. The fact that we offer such an array of products, from new and used jetters, camera systems, locators, millers, flex-shafts, jetter repair parts, sectional and drum machines, smoke testers and CIPP lining equipment and materials, to many other product lines, makes it easier for our customers to come in or have us ship out anything they need.  

We also are huge believers in training and supporting our customers in order to help them be safe and successful in the field, and emphasize that whenever we sell a new tool or piece of equipment. Over the past few years, we have really expanded into the trenchless market, offering brush coating, spray coating, CIPP lining, and point-repair solutions, and have two certified trainers on staff. We’ve had customers come from as far away as Hawaii, California, North Dakota, Texas, Massachusetts and Puerto Rico to train with us here. 

Cleaner: You offer many different brands and types of equipment. How does your brand partners’ equipment work together to provide solutions for your customers?

Schellack: Over the years, and especially in the last decade, we have become strategic partners with some of the best companies in our industry including Nuova Contec, Picote Solutions, Jetters Northwest, RIDGID, Hannay Reels, Arthur Products, Enz USA, Poly-Flow LLC, Piranha Hose Products, Maxliner USA, Forbest USA, General Wire Spring, Hurco Technologies, APEX CIPP Solutions, Dancutter USA, IPP Solutions and many more. Most plumbers and drain cleaners like to deal with one vendor whenever possible and it’s very convenient for them. We treat our customers, many of whom we’ve known for years, as friends and family, and it’s those relationships that have really been the backbone of our business. Most of our newer customers come from referrals, which is definitely the catalyst for our growth as a company.

Cleaner: What are some recommendations for customers shopping for jetting and drain cleaning equipment?

Miranda: To me, the key to making the right recommendations for each customer is first knowing the needs of their company and the scope of their day-to-day work. So this conversation often starts with a few questions: Are they residential or commercial? What type of van are they outfitting for what type of technician? Once I know the clients’ goals and what tools they already own, we can begin making recommendations to expand their tools, equipment and, in turn, services offered by the company.

Drain technicians often start out with a couple different sizes of cable machines, cameras and locators, along with their own special gauntlet of hand and power tools. Cable machines traditionally have done the brunt of unclogging drains, and the camera is the follow-up tool that helps you diagnose the problem.

Hydro jetters are a fantastic upgrade to any drain cleaners equipment list. They often have more reach and capability than a traditional cable machine. Just as important as the jetter is fitting it with the right hose, nozzles and safety equipment. Flexshaft machines are another tool that has changed the industry in the last decade, and whichever brand you choose, these machines will surely open up more opportunities in the drain cleaner’s business. A smoke machine is another awesome tool that adds more opportunity to the contractors services and helps diagnose sewer leaks when conventional tools aren’t working well.

Accessories and safety equipment are the last part of the puzzle, and I personally find this is typically an underserved area in the drain cleaner’s tool arsenal. Proper PPE, manhole rollers, nozzle centralizers, etc., all make a significant difference in how efficiently the technician operates and keeps accidents at a minimum.

Cleaner: What after-sale services, training or other help does Jetter Depot offer its customers?

Miranda: Here at Jetter Depot, we take pride in offering the best post-sale services we possibly can. Our team cumulatively has decades of experience in this industry and we are here to first, provide you with quality tools and equipment, and second, provide top-notch technical support you can count on. We offer training for hydrojetting and sewer cameras, and factory certified training for Picote drain cleaning, coating and CIPP installations. Here you can learn all the things necessary to become a drain cleaning and lining professional, all in one place. Success for us is when a contractor wins by growing his business in an efficient, safe, purposeful way. You can also rest assured that if and when equipment and tools need service or repair, we’ve got you covered there too. We offer full service on most brands of jetters, Picote products, and other pieces of drain cleaning equipment.

Cleaner: Matthew, a customer of yours recently told us that you’re partly to thank for his success, because of the knowledge and support you’ve given his company. Why is continuing those relationships with customers so important to you?

Miranda: The simple answer is that it brings me joy seeing our clients become successful. I feel a win when they win. Closely coupled is a deep gratitude for those who made me who I am today. I draw on my experience growing up in this industry, good and bad, and I feel compelled to pass on what I’ve learned in a constructive way to benefit the industry.

The industry and job applications change over the years, another reason to bolster our customers with great service. There’s going to be that job a year from now that is out of the norm and it’s important you know that we are only a call away and can help you find the formula for success. Guys who know me know that I’m all about explaining the “why” behind what we’re doing. I’d like to empower technicians with the right knowledge so they are better equipped for hitting a home run when a curveball comes.

Cleaner: Kim, what do you enjoy most about your career in this industry that has kept you so dedicated to helping customers for over 27 years?

Pisaniello: After 27 years in the industry, I know that my niche is in sales and customer service. I was born with a natural instinct to help people and I am definitely a people person. With these two attributes and years of experience, I have developed into the salesperson I am today. I have so much knowledge to share with customers, some of whom I have known for years, and these customers will tell others to contact me. They just say, “Call Kim, she will know,” and that is the best feeling when a new customer tells you that someone has recommended them to me. 

I could not do my job so well without the support of the strong team that we have built here in the sales, purchasing, shipping and service departments. We all work together to take care of the customer on every level; I call this “360-degree customer service” from start to finish.

Cleaner: How has the high-pressure jetting nozzle technology evolved over the years and what direction do you see it going in the future? 

Pisaniello: When I first started in the industry, most nozzles that were available only had drilled orifices. There were no specialty nozzles, no tier 2 or tier 3 nozzles; there were mechanical root cutters, but no controlled rotation, spinning or chain flail style nozzles. Every year the nozzle manufacturers continue to come out with something new, something better, using flow-dynamics and steel or ceramic inserts for high performance and maximum cleaning results. Even with the increased use of the latest high-speed drain cleaning technology from Picote and other flex-shaft manufacturers, there will always be the need for nozzles to flush the material out of the line that was cleaned or descaled, so I foresee nozzles still being a major factor in the industry for years to come.

Cleaner: What’s new for Jetter Depot in the next year? What can customers expect out of Jetter Depot in the future?

Schellack: We are currently looking to purchase a larger facility where we plan on having a state-of-the-art training facility, a larger full showroom, more service bays and an even larger rental fleet of jetters, cameras and drain cleaning equipment. 

Cleaner: What do you want customers to think of when they hear the name Jetter Depot?

Pisaniello: When people think of Jetter Depot, I hope they think of great people with great customer service and support.