Construction business runs in the family

Photo courtesy of Sue Erb

Local business owner Sue Erb is well-versed in the construction and contracting industries. The work runs in her blood.

Born and raised in the Tacoma area, Erb has never once left. Her parents were also from Tacoma and her dad, Bud Diedrich, was a furnace repairman with one of the big oil companies in Tacoma and was known as the “original handyman.”

“There was always some kind of construction going on in the house and for friends and family,” Erb stated. “I didn’t realize how I was raised. I was just born and raised around everything that Dad did. I started to work for a company that did electrical, branched to plumbing, construction and HVAC, and they were contemplating going out of business and the guys would lose jobs. I agreed to take over a small, pre-existing company. Lots of staff came over (in the transition).” She affirmed that everything she grew up with transformed into what she is doing today, and that her dad would have been proud of her.

Even though the business seems to be something Erb was destined to do, she acknowledged that it was trying in the beginning. “It was tough to start. I took over in 2007 when the economy started to decrease. I was just trying my best to get through the economy and surface stronger than ever.”

Erb affirms that her business, All Services NW, stands out from the pack due to the fact that it is a “one-call-does-it-all company.” Electricians, plumbers, carpenters and more are all on staff, have long histories in their fields and are knowledgeable about how to take customers’ projects from concept to completion. They do anything from large, detailed projects to small service calls, and that is the nature of their business. “(We’re) also woman-owned, and care to the clients’ needs is the most important thing. (It’s run) under the eyes of what a woman would look at. Our goal is to have the best service out there, and most of our referrals are word of mouth,” Erb stated.

The types of projects All Services NW takes on range from household jobs to large-scale commercial efforts. Many of Erb’s customers have come to her because they were turned away by other companies for their projects either being too small or too large. “That’s when we come in. I love to go out and visit these projects no one else wants to take. We get these types of calls every day.”

Rather than naming a specific trade as her business’ specialty, Erb believes the true strength of All Services NW is its dedication to customer service, and in the ways in which it is flexible with its services in order to get the job done the right way while simultaneously helping customers save money.

While the business has all kinds of clients, the core group tends to be the local community, businesses and single women or women who have husbands who work but still need minor in-home repairs done. Retired individuals seek out her business’ services, in addition to commercial clients doing tenant improvement projects, office layout designing and general repair. Property managers and facility maintenance technicians are frequent callers as well.

The staff at All Services NW can be contacted at any hour of the day to help potential customers with their projects.

All Services NW is located at 5324 84th St. E. in Tacoma. Discounts are available on projects for military and senior citizens. For more information, call (253) 671-2160 or visit http://www.allservicesnw.com.

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