Adrian Vigil nearly lost it all before it even got started.
Ten years ago, Vigil, who now owns Top Notch Plumbing, nearly died when his car exploded the night of Valentine’s Day in 2013.
Working odd jobs as a plumber in Greeley, Vigil lived at a friend’s house at the time. He walked outside to grab something from his car around 10:30 p.m., and when he opened the door, it blew up.
“I just remember thinking, ‘What happened?’ I was laying on my back and felt the snow beneath me” Vigil said. “Then, the next memory I have was being in an ambulance.”
It turns out, an acetylene tank — a gas commonly used in plumbing to solder copper — had been leaking in his trunk. It ignited as soon as he opened the door.
Vigil lost his left eye and broke his tibia and fibula in the explosion. Along with the burns, Vigil now lives with a metal rod in his left leg.
But it could have been much worse if it weren’t for the first responders and doctors who helped him that night.
“The paramedics put me in the ambulance and drove me to the hospital,” Vigil said. “Multiple doctors tended to me, working on all parts of my body. The folks that night that cared for me saved my life.”
He was then put into a medically induced coma and flown on a Flight for Life helicopter to Denver, where he spent more than a month recovering.
Despite the explosion and hardships he went through as a result of it, Vigil credits that incident for getting him to where he is today.
Vigil started Top Notch Plumbing in 2016 as the company’s only employee. Since then, Top Notch Plumbing has expanded to 20 employees — and has been voted the best plumbing company in Greeley the past four years in the Tribune’s yearly “Best of Greeley” contest.
“Honestly, if (the explosion) didn’t happen, I don’t know where I’d be,” Vigil said. “A lot has changed since that night. A lot has changed.”
How it started
Vigil was born in California, but he’s spent most of his life in Greeley after moving to northern Colorado when he was young. He struggled with addiction, mainly alcoholism, when he was younger. He was labeled a “problem child” and stopped going to school when he was 13 years old.
“At that point, you get exposed to the other kids that are struggling,” Vigil said. “And different walks of life I’d never been exposed to.”
He earned his high school equivalency at 16 and spent the next few years without much direction — in and out of jail and a handful of treatment programs.
He started plumbing, though not exactly by his choice, with his uncle in his early 20s.
“I remember my grandpa basically dragging me by my ear to my Uncle Joe’s house and telling him to put me to work,” Vigil said. “And my uncle did. I think I was 24 years old and had no plumbing experience.”
He started making payments on a $2,000 truck to that same uncle, and he was off. But it wasn’t until a little later that he found meaning in what he was doing.
He was put in contact with a single mother in Greeley whose water heater wasn’t working. She had tried other plumbers but wasn’t able to afford them. Vigil took the job and fixed her water heater.
“The response I got from this gal after being able to get her hot water back on was so rewarding,” Vigil said. “I remember driving home that evening just feeling so elated. It’s carried me through to today.”
After that, Vigil worked for different plumbing companies in northern Colorado but always knew he wanted to work for himself.
“I was never comfortable with their ethics, goals, attitudes,” Vigil said. “There are plumbers out there that won’t return your call. They don’t meet their appointments. They aren’t taking it serious.”
Where they’re at now
Top Notch Plumbing has come a long way since its inception in 2016. As its only employee early on, Vigil was still struggling with alcoholism. It wasn’t until 2018 that the company took off.
“As soon as I sobered up, man, everything just grew,” Vigil said. “It’s amazing what happens.”
Since that point, Vigil — and his team — have grown Top Notch Plumbing into one of the top plumbing companies in Greeley. And now that he has the opportunity, Vigil wants to give back to the people he credits with saving his life over 10 years ago.
“I never knew to what extent this business would be,” Vigil said. “But I always told myself that when given the opportunity, I was going to give back.”
Top Notch Plumbing offers 10% discounts to all first responders and health care providers. Employees have also attended Weld Project Connect for the past four years, and Vigil is looking to expand what they do moving forward.
Vigil said they are looking into more fundraisers and volunteer opportunities, and he is excited to explore the possibilities.
“I’m appreciative of someone that has made a career out of helping others,” Vigil said. “They invest their training to everything, everyone, regardless of your status. If you’re rich, poor — whatever. They’re going to save your life.”
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https://www.greeleytribune.com/2023/11/21/adrian-vigil-top-notch-plumbing-looks-to-give-back-after-a-long-road-here/
