Johnny Diaz began his career as a teenager in high school, where he learned the basics of the plumbing business while working at ABC Services.  Johnny worked his way up from pushing a broom in the ABC shop to working in the field learning how to do video inspection on sewer lines.

Johnny started Hooks and Probes in 1993 while working at ABC Services.  He saw a need for the specialized tools used in the plumbing industry and began to construct his own tools, manufacturing his signature Non-Conductive Pipe Probe, and Heavy Duty (manhole) hooks. 

With his knowledge of underground video inspection, Johnny began working with Teichert and Sons Construction, a major Sacramento construction company. While at Teichert, he developed their underground video inspection division with outfitting of their underground video inspection and hydro-cleaning trucks. Johnny spent 10 years at Teichert furthering his knowledge of the underground world before he moved on to Elk Grove Water District (EGWD).

Johnny transitioned to EGWD where he earned his certifications as a Water Treatment Operator (T2) and Distribution Operator (D3).  He spent many hours in the EGWD shop manufacturing tools for the job sites, customizing trucks for the field work and thinking about focusing more time and attention on Hooks and Probes.

After 10 years with EGWD, Johnny retired and jumped into Hooks and Probes with both feet.  Since then, he has added many specialized tools to his standard tool line and completed several custom metal fabrication projects.  Given simple drawings and measurement specifications, Johnny can custom fabricate a wide variety of tools and many other items to meet his customers’ needs.

Often helping Johnny in his shop are his two sons, Alex and Gabriel Diaz.  Alex is a talented welder who runs his own car restoration business, Ironcrafts Fabrication. Gabriel helps, as needed, when he is not busy working and attending college.

All three of the Diaz men share a love of the classic cars and are members of the Thunderbolts, Capital Auto Club, where Johnny is a 30-year member and currently serving as the 2021 Club President.

In the background and working hard on the Customer Service end is Camille.  She has been with the company for almost 20 years and is often the first contact with customers to facilitate smooth transition from order placement to purchase order delivery. She runs a tight ship and will always go the extra mile for the customers to ensure their customers have what they need on their job sites.

Hooks and Probes mission is to serve your underground needs with quality tools at affordable prices.  We strive to provide outstanding customer service with short lead times on orders and customization of tools at low-to-no additional cost.  We have quick turnaround times on orders to get tools in the hand of the end users to keep work on the job sites moving forward.

At Hooks and Probes, we feel no job is too big or too small for our focused attention.  We appreciate our loyal customers that have been with us along our almost 30-year journey and the new customers that we have yet to meet.