Jennifer Diamond is a business leader and entrepreneur from Salt Lake City, Utah, with more than three decades of experience in construction and infrastructure. She is the President and CEO of ProTech Coatings Inc. and ProTech Infrastructure, companies known for specialising in waterproofing, bridge deck repair, and highway restoration across the Western United States. Since 1993, Jennifer has led projects that keep critical roads and bridges safe, combining technical expertise with strong, forward-thinking leadership.
Her career path started with a degree in Architecture from the University of Utah in 1997. That background gave her the technical foundation to understand design while also shaping her approach to problem-solving in the field. Early exposure to athletics and endurance sports, including marathons and Ironman triathlons, taught her the value of resilience and precision. She has applied those lessons to every stage of her career, proving that discipline and grit can drive success in even the most demanding industries.
Outside of her construction work, Jennifer is also the founder of Diamond Equestrian Center, an English riding and training facility. There, her daughter, Claire Marie, trains as a nationally ranked show jumper. For Jennifer, equestrian sports mirror the same principles she values in business—focus, discipline, and excellence.
Raised in Salt Lake City in a family that valued hard work and service, Jennifer has built a legacy that spans both business and community. Her story reflects the balance of innovation, leadership, and personal commitment that defines modern entrepreneurship.
Q&A:
Q: When you think of success, how do you define it in your own life?
Success, for me, isn’t one thing—it’s balance. It’s keeping highways open and safe through my work in infrastructure, while also finding time to support my daughter in her equestrian career. It’s about leaving things stronger than I found them. That applies to a bridge deck, a business, or even a family relationship.
Q: Has your definition of success changed over time?
Definitely. When I first started ProTech Coatings back in 1993, success meant survival—winning contracts, making payroll, keeping crews safe. Over time, my focus shifted. I began to see success as building a team that could carry projects forward without me needing to be everywhere at once. Today, it’s more about legacy. Will the work we’re doing stand the test of time? Will my daughter learn resilience and leadership from watching me? Those questions shape how I define success now.
Q: What role has your education played in your career?
My architecture degree from the University of Utah gave me more than technical knowledge. It taught me to think structurally, to see the whole design before focusing on details. That mindset has helped me in construction—planning for the long term, not just immediate fixes. I still remember late nights drafting by hand and realising that every line had consequences. That discipline carried into my business life.
Q: What’s one habit you believe has been key to your success?
Reflection. At the end of every week, I write down what went right and what went wrong. I picked up the practice while training for marathons and Ironman races. Athletes review their performance constantly, and I realised business needed the same discipline. Without reflection, you just repeat mistakes. With it, you get sharper over time.
Q: Can you share an example of a failure that shaped your understanding of success?
Early in my career, I underestimated the costs on a bridge deck project. I didn’t factor in weather delays properly, and the job lost money. It was painful, but I made the team walk the site with me to talk about where we went wrong before we fixed it. I told them, “We’re going to remember this failure every time we plan a job.” That mistake shaped how I bid future projects. Now, every plan I approve includes contingencies for the unexpected. That failure taught me that success isn’t avoiding mistakes—it’s learning from them so they don’t repeat.
Q: You lead in both construction and equestrian training. How do those worlds influence your view of success?
They actually overlap a lot. In construction, success is about precision and endurance. You’re often working in tough conditions where one misstep can cost time or safety. In equestrian sports, success is also about discipline and focus. My daughter, Claire Marie, is a nationally ranked show jumper, and I see in her training the same principles I value at work: preparation, attention to detail, and calm under pressure. Watching her ride reminds me that success is never just about the outcome. It’s about how you handle the process.
Q: What advice would you give your younger self about success?
I’d tell myself to be patient. I used to think everything had to happen fast. But success takes time—projects, careers, and even people need space to grow. Sometimes stepping back is as important as pushing forward.
Q: What do you believe about success that others might disagree with?
I think success should leave a visible trail of mistakes. Too often we try to cover them up. I believe in letting people see where things went wrong, because that’s where the real lessons live. A repaired highway is stronger where it was once cracked. The same applies to people.
Q: What one piece of advice would you give others chasing success in their own fields?
Take care of your health while you chase goals. I’ve seen too many people push until they break. Success is meaningless if you don’t have the energy to enjoy it. For me, endurance sports taught me to pace myself, and that lesson is just as true in business.