F E AT U R E
W
hilst in America we got to tour
the Diamond Vapor facility;
what we experienced was
something very unique. The
dynamic of all the employees,
around 20 of them, was that of a strong,
connected family, rather than just fellow
employees or managers. Upon asking
Keith what this was all about, his reply
was simple. He said: “A lot of us were
friends before the company, and a lot
of us are friends in recovery. We are
all equal here, there are no little people
here – we are all the same.”
As the company expanded, Sarah
and Keith started hiring more people
to grow what is now known as the
Diamond Vapor family. To do this, they
went back to their roots in recovery and
started hiring staff that some of society
had given up on. They went back and
grabbed their friends in recovery, and
newcomers that were just getting clean
and decided to give them a chance. This
wonderful formula has worked; out of the
20 employees they have, 17 of them are
in recovery.
Let’s go back and look at how the
company was started. In 2011, Keith
was starting to become heavily involved
in the vaping scene. He was toying with
the idea of mixing his own flavors rather
than buying them; they just were not up
to par with what he was looking for. He
had asked a couple of friends to get in
on this endeavour, to which both of them
declined throwing in $500 each for a 3rd
of the company. It was Keith’s motherin-law who saved the day, when she
56 VAPOUROUND MAGAZINE USA
said she would give the $1500 total and
wanted nothing back but the initial loan
repaid. Within two years, Diamond Vapor
was a multi-million dollar company.
Some things are just meant to be.
The company has grown by leaps and
bounds and continues to expand at a
rapid rate. They went from mixing in
a spare bedroom to having a 5500 sq
ft facility where they not only make
all their lines, but co-pack for other
companies as well. They have been
able to give back to society in such
ways as the liquid line “Aisle 7” which
donates part of the proceeds to a little
girl with cystic fibrosis. They have
been able to go back to shelters and
buy hundreds of plates of food for the
homeless. They have been able to
donate to less fortunate families around
the holidays. The list goes on, because
whenever they find a way to give back
to society, they jump at
the chance.
We got to sit down and ask Keith what
made him and his wife so successful.
His reply was simple. He said: “I was
always told that I would not make it in
life. Drugs had clouded my actions, and
when I got clean, I got to see things
more clearly. I was able to channel
my addiction into a positive way and
through hard work and dedication. I
was able to overcome challenges and
obstacles that were put in front of me.
This all started as a dream for me – that
dream has now become my reality. For
me, I get up early and go to sleep late.
Money doesn’t sleep and I feel neither
should I. As long as you put in the
blood, sweat and tears, you will see
the results.”
Their next project will be in England, and
they are in the process of opening up
‘The Cloud Division’ a co-packing facility
that helps American and European
companies with all their packaging and
TPD compliance guidance. They are in
the process of building their facility and
if it is like their American facility, I will be
super excited to see it. After the visit,
this company has set the bar for me in
terms of industry standards and how a
business should be run.
“In 2011, Keith was
starting to become heavily
involved in the vaping
scene. He was toying with
the idea of mixing his own
flavors rather than buying
them; they just were not
up to par with what he
was looking for.”
In closing, it was great to get to spend
the day with Keith, his wife Sarah and
their entire team. I loved the warm
welcome and Team Vapouround look
forward to catching up again with
Diamond Vapor very soon.