This year, 2023, marks 30 years since Chicago Backflow’s inception, making this a very special anniversary year! 30 years ago, backflow industry trailblazers Michael Eisenhauer and Donald Smith were committed to applying their combined plumbing and fire protection knowledge to break into a new market, backflow services. They were on a mission to provide top-tier fieldwork and customer service. CBI had its humble beginnings as a family-owned and operated business and remains that way to this day. This is something we take immense pride in, making certain we hold true to our family values, treating every customer, employee, and partner organization as an extended member of the CBI community.
As Director of Operations, Barb Jonas, mentioned in our blog post from November, it was just the three of them (Mike, Don, and Barb) starting out in 1993! Mike was CBI’s very first tester and no one knew if this company would take off in the slightest, especially being in a groundbreaking new industry. Today we stand with 25+ employees, have tested over 300,000 backflow assemblies, partner with 175 property management firms, 62 plumbing contractors, and 40 fire contractors, to test, repair, install, and maintain backflow preventers throughout the greater Chicago metropolitan area.
To put into perspective how successful we have been with the help of our incredible team of employees as well as our loyal customers, after the first 10 years, 65% of small businesses across the United States fail. CBI is still standing strong and continues to thrive as our country has seen huge changes over the last 30 years. (“The Percentage of Businesses That Fail and How to Boost Your Chances of Success”) From standing tall while facing a national recession, to a worldwide pandemic, and countless other obstacles, the Chicago Backflow legacy remains centered around backflow testing experts, real people who really know backflow. Each time you schedule a test with CBI, you can trust your inspection to be completed by a fully licensed and credentialed backflow inspector whose area of expertise is testing, certifying, and repairing backflow devices. We are the only backflow company to offer an All-Inclusive program option, giving you peace of mind that regardless of when your backflow device needs attention, we will be there ready to help you; rain, shine or snow, 24/7/365 with no hidden costs involved.
