Tag: Black Diamond Property Management

Spring is coming!

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Mariella‘s passion is flowers and her planter boxes, hanging baskets, and annual flower pots including succulents, herbs, and vegetables are the best in the Vail Valley! She grows them from seeds in her greenhouse at her farm. Many of you have seen her incredible creations over the years.

Time is of the essence because she has already started planting and will continue only through the middle of March.

As you have heard in the news more and more flower growers are going out of business or changing products to marijuana. It’s becoming harder and harder to find really good annual flowers. The demand has stayed the same or increased but the supply has diminished incredibly over the last three years. Don’t delay and order today! Email mariella@black-diamondpm.com and ask for our most recent rate sheet. She will put together a custom quote for you based upon full-sun, part-sun, part-shade, and the way the sun moves over the location of your arrangements. Remember her flowers grow from up here in the high country so they are heartier than store-bought front-range flowers! Irrigation maintenance and fertilization are separate.

Black Diamond is Expanding!

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We are excited to announce several new members that have joined our team!

Alejandra, Office Assistant: Alejandra was born and raised in Mexico City and she comes to us with a wealth of bookkeeping knowledge, office managerial skills, and great organizational talents. Alejandra has a college degree in accounting and is a senior accountant by trade. She is also bilingual in English and Spanish. Her hobbies outside of work include Pilates and yoga. She lives locally with her husband Alex who also works for Black Diamond, her son Mateo and her dog Bruno.

Alex, Field Operator: Alex has lived in Eagle County for 2 years with his wife Alejandra and his son Mateo. Alex is bilingual and has a background in bookkeeping and accounting. In his free time, Alex loves to train for triathlons which include, running, swimming, and biking. Alex is versed as a skid steer operator and is one of our commercial plow drivers on our snow services team.

Estefana, Housekeeper Extraordinaire: Estefana joins our team with 30 plus years of housekeeping experience. Estefana is married and has three sons and numerous grandchildren. One of her sons is Raul, he is a top manager in our organization. Her passion for taking care of her family and her home. This really shows in her care for our client’s homes. Estefana loves to cook, especially for her family. Sometimes the employees at Black Diamond get to enjoy her amazing cooking as well!

Gisela, Housekeeper Extraordinaire: Gisela is originally from Honduras. She is joining our housekeeping team and brings first-class experience from some of the major hotels in Vail. Gisela is also a teacher by trade and really enjoys reading and playing soccer. She is married to Javier, one of our snow services specialists, and has a beautiful son named Edric.

Paco, Field Operator: Paco joins Black Diamond as one of our field operators specializing in snow removal and summer services. He moved to Eagle County 3 years ago and lives here with his 3-year-old daughter. When Paco lived in Mexico, he was a mechanic. He is also very experienced in landscaping and enjoys working with his hands. In his free time, he enjoys playing baseball. Paco is one of the newest members of our team.

Javier, Field Operator: Javier moved to Eagle County almost a year ago with his wife Gisela and his 10-month-old son, Edric. He loves to spend time with his family and he enjoys attending church. Javier was previously working in the banking industry in Honduras but he really enjoys the diversity of his position here at Black Diamond. Javier is one of the commercial and residential plow drivers and is part of the snow service team.

Nathan, Field Operator: Nathan has lived in Eagle County for a little over a year and he moved here for the outdoors. He loves all kinds of adventures and is happiest when he is surrounded by nature. Nathan is a snow removal specialist for Black Diamond, on our commercial route. He is also a snowmobile guide in the winter and a river rafting guide in the summer. In his free time, he is very interested in playing chess. Nathan currently lives in our employee housing with another member of our team.

Troy, Field Operator: Troy has lived in Eagle County for a little less than a year and he moved here from Connecticut. He works as a snow removal specialist for Black Diamond on our commercial route. He is also a snowmobile guide in the winter and a river rafting guide in the summer. He loves the outdoors and he moved to Colorado to take advantage of the endless opportunities to enjoy them. Hiking is his favorite thing to do in his free time. Troy also enjoys one of the perks that Black Diamond offers our employees, he lives in our employee housing with another member of our team.

Irrigation Blow-Outs/Fixes

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Winterizing your irrigation system is very important to avoid cracked and broken pipes over the winter. If you have exposed pipes and are worried about the dropping temperatures covering the pipes at the location into the home can help. If your pipes and irrigation system are located indoors then there is less risk in the early season low temperatures we are experiencing. Black Diamond’s irrigation team is blowing out the sprinkler systems systematically starting from East Vail and moving West. If you have a summer services contract with us, we have you scheduled!

With the addition of Dave coming on board with his irrigation knowledge, next Spring Black Diamond will be doing monthly irrigation checks on your sprinkler systems. Roots can pinch pipes as they grow, vermin and other small mammals can cause havoc on your irrigation system as well as sediment in our water system can cause blockages or pressure changes. Delivery trucks and other vehicles can drive over sprinkler heads, children and domestic animals can kick, dig up and break irrigation parts and in general irrigation is one of the most difficult aspects of our gardening and landscaping environment. Many times we need to do exploratory digging in order to figure out what is going on before we can repair something.

Irrigation is something that many homeowners feel they understand and can manage on their own, but the reality is that there are intricacies beyond seasonal adjusts and timers. Simply running a zone to see if there is a problem is just the simplest part of “irritation” issues. Our team knows when you are allowed to water and for how long and how much based upon the flow and pressure of your system. We also have an “irrigation bible” that is electronic that has where each client’s clock is located and intricacies that are specific to your home. Let us know if you want a full irrigation audit done next Spring!

Fall Fertilizer & Fall Clean Up!

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Now is the time to properly prepare your lawn for the upcoming winter months. Using a fall fertilizer is very helpful for the health of your lawn during the dormant months ahead. It allows nutrients to penetrate the ground and feed your lawn even when it is cold and snowy. When the spring arrives, your lawn will be better prepared to thrive.

Black Diamond would be happy to fertilize your lawn, please call us for a quote. If you are a regular lawn care client with a summer services contract we applied this last week.

Winterizing Garden Beds & Fall Clean Up

Did you know that the leaves and pine cones that cover your lawn and gardens during the Fall can be detrimental to their health and well-being? Leaves and debris can suffocate your lawn and garden beds, making it difficult for nutrients and water to penetrate to the roots in the early spring. A small amount can actually benefit these areas as organic materials like leaves do carry nutrients however too much is detrimental. It is a fine balance 😊Properly removing the leaves and debris is VERY IMPORTANT to the health and success of a beautiful lawn and garden come spring. Black Diamond will have Fall Clean Up crews in your neighborhood over the next few weeks, and we would be happy to provide a quote to clean yours. Call today to schedule your clean up.

Winterizing garden beds includes cutting down perennial flowers once they expire from their summer flourish. They must be 100% dormant before cut back to ensure the nutrients stay in the root bulbs rather than reaching for the top of the plants. Different perennials need different care in cutting back and our team knows how to do this. The Colorado Master Gardener Program that Mariella went through last Spring and graduated from CSU from spent a lot of time educating on this topic as improper winterization of perennials can actually have the opposite affect and stress or kill them. In the high country there is always and certain level of mortality with any annual or perennial planting. Our High Rockies altitude, temperatures and environmental changes make it really hard on our gardens. Having a knowledgeable gardener that knows what they are doing is priceless but no one can guarantee no mortality in garden beds in the Vail Valley. Let us help you with winterizing your garden beds correctly this Fall!


There is a limited time available for this service, call today at 970.471.1831

Staffing at Black Diamond Property Management

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The labor shortage in the news has NOT affected us! We have turned the corner as of this Fall.

As many employers (including us) had turned to the youth in our valley these past summers we feel that we have done our part with training. Our youth did not have the industry knowledge, nor the work ethic that Black Diamond exudes. However, we have found our keepers and our goal is to continue with on-the-job training with our additions of Ana and Dave being their mentors next year.

Mariella, Todd, and the management team were stretched thin at times having to wear too many hats and being pulled in multiple directions between sales, communication, mentoring, training, administration, estimating, maintenance, human resources, accounting, and being in the field leading the work teams. Acknowledging this challenge we have addressed it. By investing in our infrastructure with Jobber and QuickBooks online, employee housing units increased benefits, and attracting new hires coming WITH industry experience we are poised and excited for 2022!

Black Diamond offers employee housing, Individual Health Care Reimbursement, phone stipends, retirement accounts with an employer match, competitive wages, time off benefits which include community service and paid volunteer hours, sick, vacation, personal and paid jury duty, etc., use of company vehicles and a great team environment!

We are an “Employer Of Choice” in our valley. Our employees are loyal to us and work full-time year-round.

Welcome to Ana & David!

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Welcome to our new staff members!

Black Diamond is very happy to announce two new, full-time members to our team, Ana and David.

Ana is a landscaping professional that has over 10 years of experience in the Vail Valley creating and maintaining beautiful gardens, flower beds and landscapes. She is starting with us this winter in order to learn our clients, business practices and infrastructure (like Jobber). She will be working in the office as well as out plowing with us this winter. Her expertise will enhance our team, and the depth of knowledge she will bring to Black Diamond and our staff is unmeasurable. Ana is a horticulturalist and understand design elements necessary within perennial garden beds. Ana’s positive attitude and her amazing eye for detail are the attributes that attracted us to her. These qualities are in alignment with what Black Diamond wants for all its clients. Ana has been working for us part time for 3 years and with the addition of offering employee housing this year we were able to recruit her to work with us full time. She will be taking over the landscaping division next summer from hiring, training and developing her own team, as well as purchasing equipment, small tools and helping with estimates. Ana speaks Spanish and in her new role it is important that she becomes more bilingual. She has agreed to start English For Speakers of Other Languages at CMC with the help of Black Diamonds tuition reimbursement program. Please help us welcome Ana to our team and if you see her in your neighborhood, say hello and introduce yourself.

David is an irrigation specialist that has worked in the Vail Valley for over 30 years. He will be joining us again for the upcoming winter plow season and has decided to stay with us as well come this spring. Irrigation is playfully called “irritation” by those in the field so we welcome his experience and knowledge. David has been working as a plow driver for many years and he is a pro. He has a very strong skill set to deal with even the toughest residential driveways and commercial locations. David also has expert level knowledge of most irrigation systems. His knowledge and hands on experience will be an incredible asset to Black Diamond. David will bring an additional layer of expertise to our crew, but it is his positive energy and his great attitude that we are really look forward to adding to the Black Diamond team.

Black Diamond Snow Removal to the Rescue!

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It was 3:30 am! Our crew showed up, on time, in a good mood, and worked so hard together to accomplish our snow-removing goal! It was our privilege to be allowed to drive on the pedestrian paths in Lionshead so that we could clear out some snow that had not been removed safely, or properly.

We received a frantic phone call from a prominent restaurant in the Vail Village. The roof had been shoveled and cleared from snow, but the rooftop snow removal company had buried the outdoor COVID dining space. The other snow removal company had cleared the rooftop snow but had dumped the snow on their outdoor dining area, blocking the view for inside guests, and not to mention the safety issues due to the amount of snow.

Our team at Black Diamond got in touch with the Town of Vail maintenance department and were told we could remove the snow and ice, but had to do so before pedestrian hours. In order to accomplish this we had to start at 3:30am.

Management at Black Diamond is so grateful for our truly amazing team. We wanted to hug each and every one of our staff to show our gratitude for their commitment and professionalism, but will have to wait until COVID is over, and until then, our words will have to do!

Cinder Service

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Let’s talk about something a little bit more relevant to the current season! Many people have been asking; “Why is there so much ice build-up this year?” The reason for the excess build-up of ice is due to the consistently cold temperatures. Without a warm day to melt some of the snow, we do not have an opportunity to clean up the slush that typically forms in the driveways and parking lots. Things can get very slick with these weather conditions but we have a solution! Black Diamond has a commercial cindering machine that we use for these conditions. Cinders provide additional traction on icy and slick surfaces! Cinders are volcanic rock and they are environmentally friendly. They break down over time and they do not adversely affect the landscape or property. They are much safer and healthier for the environment than snowmelt.

Yeti is a part of our Black Diamond Fleet!


Friendly Reminder if you are using snowmelt: Remember when spreading salt and snowmelt on your sidewalks and steps, be careful not to spread the product to the edge of the pavement or flagstone. Salt and snowmelt bleeds into the soil and that affects the soil in a negative way and could have an adverse effect on the health and growth of your landscaping.

Flower Time!

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Believe it or not…we are halfway through the winter snow season and it is time to start thinking about beautifying your home for the spring and summer.

Black Diamond has started seeding our custom high-country flowers that are grown in our very own greenhouse! It is time to place your orders! Time is of the essence! Please request an estimate in the next week to ensure your flowers are ready by spring. Each estimate that is approved will require a 50% deposit due at the time of order.

  • Black Diamond | Landscaping Vail Eagle
  • Black Diamond | Landscaping Vail Eagle

New Client? Great! We Love New Clients!

If you are a new client, we will pick up your planter boxes and pots to measure and check the liner health. Once the pots have been measured, your estimate will be calculated and the 50% deposit will be required.

Reminder: Black Diamond does not store pots and planter boxes of clients that we do not do custom growing for.

Contact us today for your free estimate!

Happy Spring 2020!

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Happy Spring from all of us a Black Diamond Property Management, Landscaping and Snow Removal. We are very excited for the warm weather and the early signs of Spring! We look forward to seeing everyone while we are out performing our summer services, and if you are still in need of lawn care, gardening, irrigation or any other summer services, please do not hesitate to call or email us to request a quote at mariella@black-diamondpm.com or 970-471-1831. You can also visit our website at www.black-diamondpm.com for more information.

Let Us Help!

Black Diamond is very sensitive to the current situation with Covid19, and the elevated attention to cleanliness and disinfecting to eliminate the spread of the virus. It is a matter that we are taking very seriously, and we are here to help! We are offering our housekeeping, carpet cleaning and window cleaning services for all of our clients here in the valley. If you have not visited your home since the restrictions were implemented in early March, we would be happy to send our crews over to clean before your next visit. Our cleaning crews are very conscientious and detailed, while putting your health and well-being as the priority. Gloves and masks are worn by all of our staff, and the garbage will be removed from the property as soon as the cleaning is completed. Please contact us directly to schedule any or all of your cleaning needs.

Proper Lawn Care Really Matters!

The sun is shining and the grass is growing! Spring is upon us and it is a wonderful time to assess the health and well being of your lawn and gardens. Did you know that pine cones and pine needles can be toxic to your lawn? Did you know that the leaves that have been covering your lawn all winter, can suffocate your lawn and stop any new growth? It is true! It is time to clean up your lawn and garden beds to ensure that the proper amount of sun, water and oxygen can penetrate the soil for proper growth. There is still time to get on our schedule. Call Mariella at 970-471-1831 for a quote!

Did you know that a majority of flower growers have decided to grow hemp instead? Have you noticed it is harder and harder to find annual flowers at your local nursery? Well, Black Diamond has been very aware of this change for several years, and we decided to take action. We have our own greenhouse that we are using to grow our own flowers. This new addition will allow Black Diamond to produce and provide flowers to all of our local customers. The flowers will also be accustomed to the higher altitude and they will be considered heartier and stronger because of where they are grown. This is our first season of flowers and we are really excited to see how they bloom!

If you would like some custom pots, planters, gardens or hanging pots, please call Mariella at 970-471-1831 for a quote today!

We Know People!

Black Diamond is in the business of taking care of you and your property! We have a full-time crew of handyman professionals on our team, but sometimes we need some outside assistance. We have professionals that we work with everyday to get things done. We work with some very reputable and reliable vendors throughout the valley that help us, to help you.