Jim Harper

Jim’s journey began in the suburbs of Boston, where he worked alongside his father in the family roofing business. This early exposure to the trades sparked a lifelong passion for craftsmanship and problem-solving. He formalized his training at Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School, where he studied plumbing through a dual-track program that combined classroom instruction with on-the-job experience. After graduating in the late 1980s, Jim spent several years working in the Boston area before relocating to Colorado in 1991. He quickly immersed himself in the custom home market in Boulder and later in the Vail Valley, where he co-founded Peak One Plumbing. In 2000, Jim launched Plumbing Systems Inc., initially focused on new construction. Under his leadership, PSI grew rapidly, becoming one of the largest plumbing contractors in the rocky mountain region.

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In 2003, Jim pivoted PSI toward service work, identifying drain cleaning as a strategic growth opportunity. By 2008, PSI had invested in its first commercial jetting rig, and the drain division soon became the company’s largest and most profitable arm. Jim led PSI into trenchless rehabilitation, adopting pipe bursting, point patch repair, and eventually relining technologies. Despite early challenges with imported equipment, Jim remained committed to innovation and continuous improvement.

 

In 2019, Jim co-founded IPP – International Pipelining Products with Joerg Kruse to address a critical gap in the pipelining equipment market. Their mission: to provide contractors with smarter, more efficient tools that eliminate the need for costly reinstatement systems. IPP has since become a global leader in the introduction of Spray-In-Place Pipe (SIPP) technology to the international stage IPP Solutions is quickly becoming the industry leader for SIPP technology on the world stage, with an ever-expanding line of cutting-edge resins.