Please contact us with any questions: 801-857-0925 | sales@katcofire.com
OUR FOUNDER
Michael Ricks started working in the fire protection business in 1985. After completing his education at Brigham Young University, he became the first employee of a small fire sprinkler contractor located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Along with the two owners, Mike did everything necessary to get the job done, learning every aspect of the business very quickly. He was able to gain experience in fabrication and installation as well as design. Before long he was working as a foreman during the day and designing in the evenings. Although he was good at the fieldwork, he enjoyed the design and engineering aspects much more and this is where he excelled. He took a home study course in hydraulic analysis and studied the NFPA standards as well as the Uniform Building and Fire Codes.
In 1989 Mike moved to Southern California to take a job as an estimator and project manager with a Los Angeles area firm and started doing freelance design in the evenings and on weekends. In 1991 he obtained his California fire protection contracting license and Katco Fire Protection was born. In seven years Katco completed over 600 projects valued at over $25 million. During this time Mike did most of the design work himself, establishing a good working rapport with most of the AHJ's in the Southern California area.
Understanding the importance of keeping up with developing technologies, Katco was one of the first firms in the Southern California area to do all its designs using AutoCAD and has been using HydroCAD (the overlay program for designing fire sprinkler systems) since it was first introduced. Starting in 1998, Mike began to change the focus of his business from installation to strictly design and consulting. By the end of the year Katco Fire Protection became Katco Fire Sprinkler Design.
In late 2003, Katco moved its office from Southern California to Salem, Utah. Despite the move, Mike continued to do a great deal of work in California, travelling there often, maintaining his contacts and establishing new business. Katco Fire Sprinkler Design continued doing design work until 2015 when Mike took a position designing for one of his southern California clients. After a year of doing design for their Los Angeles office, he took on the challenge of opening a branch for them in Utah.
In 2023 Mike returned to design, starting Katco Fire. Mike's commitment to excellence and desire to be the very best at what he does has established a reputation among his clients and peers as a very capable and knowledgeable fire sprinkler professional. He also has gained experience in risk analysis, high piled storage permits and passive fire protection systems and methods. He brings this all to the table with him when you use Katco Fire for your design and consulting needs.
