2009 Economic Engines

Revenue in 2008 $1,247,646,000  Founded 1984  City Provo  Employees 8,525 worldwide, 1,200 in Provo  Industry Direct Sales  Web site www.nuskinenterprises.com  Founder Blake Roney, 50

The Company A direct sales company that sells skin and beauty products.

The Success With more than $1 billion in sales, 8,000-plus employees, a presence in 48 markets worldwide, and an inherent focus on bettering humanity, Nu Skin has become a landmark company in the valley. 

The Advice “Accomplish something meaningful. Don’t just join the business world to earn your fame and fortune — do something that’s going to have a positive, lasting impact on the lives of others. That’s how you’ll grow and find fulfillment in the process.”

The Splurge “The initiation of the Nu Skin Force for Good Foundation and the funds we donate to operate it. We believe in helping other people, which is why we have donated more than $17 million so far to projects we feel strongly about. I guess you could call this a splurge, but whatever it is, it’s well worth it.”

The Milestone Moment “What most sticks out for me was the arrival of our first shipment. This was a big step for us.”

Revenue in 2008 $957,000,000  Founded 1983  City Provo (Corporate Headquarters are now in Waltham, Mass.)  Employees 4,000 worldwide  Industry Technology  Web site www.novell.com  Founder Ray Noorda

The Company A provider of infrastructure software for the Open Enterprise.

The Success With more than 100 offices around the world, 50 patents and 4,000 employees, this technology giant is a software pioneer that put Provo on the map. 

The Splurge “Splurging is not the thing to do,” says Kent Erickson, vice president of general manager workspace solutions. “You may spend to reward employees, but that’s not splurging — that’s recognition. And it will drive performance.”

The Advice “Always keep your financial house in order, and pay attention to cost structure,” Erickson says. “Your profit will fuel your growth.”

Revenue in 2008 $589,161,391  Founded 1926  City Orem  Employees 2,500 at peak season  Industry Construction  Web site www.clydeinc.com  President Wilford W. Clyde, 56 

The Company A construction company with five subsidiaries: Geneva Rock, Sunroc Corporation, W.W. Clyde and Co., Gorge Rock and Beehive Insurance. 

The Success With building blocks of hard work, integrity and conservative values, this family-owned business has risen to be one of Utah Valley’s top employers and an instrumental force in our economy. 

The Advice “Develop a solid business plan. If you can figure out how to be successful under the most conservative projections, you will surely be successful if you beat your projections. Don’t grow faster than available working capital and qualified employees needed to succeed. Be aggressive; look for new products; work harder than you have ever worked.”

The Splurge “Our new 38,000-square-foot corporate headquarters in 2007.”

The Milestone Moment “Combining all Clyde family-owned companies into one parent company, Clyde Companies, Inc. in 1997.”

Revenue in 2008 $296,000,000  Founded 1996  City Orem  Employees 1,189  

Industry Technology  Web site www.omniture.com  Founder Josh James, 35

The Company A provider of online optimization software. 

The Success An undeniable market leader, Omniture has soared to success with high-profile clients (Target, NBC and Wal-Mart, to name a few) and unbelievable growth — especially when you consider its larger-than-life revenues. 

Revenue in 2008 $250,654,871  Founded 1964  City Spanish Fork  Employees 700  Industry Craft Web site www.provocraft.com 

Founder Robert Emmett Workman, 53

The Company A consumer electronics manufacturer in the creative marketplace.

The Success With a willingness to re-invent its product lines and make significant leaps in technology, Provo Craft has developed 6,000 proprietary products, did $250 million in sales in 2008 alone and created a personal electronic cutting system — the Cricut — that now boasts about 1 million users.

The Advice “Build a solid operational base — you must have internal disciplines.” 

The Splurge “New warehouse and distribution center.”

The Milestone Moment “Defining ourselves as a company that helps others to create. It opened up our ability to move into other products and markets.”

Revenue in 2008 $180,332,722  Founded 1999  City Provo/Orem  Employees 320  Industry Retail  Web site www.brentbrownauto.com  

Founder Brent L. Brown, 50

The Company An automotive company consisting of four franchises (Toyota, Chevrolet, Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge, Ford). 

The Success Brent Brown has consistently “bent over backwards” for his employees and customers. He even has his cell phone and home phone number on his business cards — giving clients unparalleled access to the owner.

The Advice “Don’t get ahead of yourself. Growing without enough capital or trained personnel will kill a company quickly.”

The Splurge “Taking our employees on nice trips all over the world.”

The Milestone Moment “When we were able to raise more than $100,000 for childhood education. All of these funds were donated to the Provo School District Foundation to help support their after-school programs.”

Revenue in 2008 $50,089,640  Founded 1967 (2005 in Utah Valley)  City Lindon  Employees 22  Industry Construction  Web site www.big-d.com  Vice President Greg Fix, 35

The Company A construction management and design-build services company. 

The Success With more than 680 employees in 11 states, Big-D Construction has been building its success since 1967. And when the Lindon office opened in 2005, the continued values of hard work and integrity hit it big with Utah County. 

The Advice “Slow and steady wins the race, and stay focused — growth is good, but let it be controlled growth.”

The Splurge “Our basketball court on the north side of the Lindon Office.”

The Milestone Moment “For the Lindon group — establishing a focus in Utah County in 2004 and eventually building our branch office here in 2005.”

Revenue in 2008 $35,482,121  Founded 2001  City American Fork  Employees 200  Industry Home Improvement  Web site www.bestvinyl.com  Founders Vance Barrett, 32; Scott Petersen, 50

The Company A fabricator and installer of vinyl fence, decks, pergolas and gazebos. 

The Success With a strong management team, high-quality employees and capital to fuel the growth, Best Vinyl now has five office locations in the U.S. and is the largest company of its kind in the country.  

The Advice “Make sure you are well capitalized. Pay attention to the details, and develop robust processes and systems.”

The Splurge “We splurge on good people, sales and marketing, and treating people well.”

The Milestone Moment “When we exceeded $10 million in sales. We achieved a level of profitability, self sufficiency and dominance in the marketplace that said we had arrived.”

Revenue in 2008 $34,827,435  Founded 1974  City Lindon  Employees 95  Industry Construction  Web site www.maglebycompanies.com  Founder Paul Magleby, 59

The Company A high-end custom home construction company. 

The Success Thanks to an emphasis on the golden rule (“Why everyone doesn’t follow it is beyond me”) and expert craftsmanship (Paul won National Custom Home Builder of the Year in 2006), Magleby Companies has risen to the top of its class. 

The Advice “The key to growth for a new or old company is to take care of your customers. You can’t neglect their needs and expectations and expect to grow — that’s the dead nail for any company.”

The Splurge “Building our new office facility. It’s the biggest thing we’ve taken on, and it took a lot of designing and planning to make it function for us as a group.”

The Milestone Moment “I don’t know that there’s any one defining moment. It’s a journey, not an event.”

Revenue in 2008 $23,630,849  Founded 2001  City Provo  Employees 80  Industry Consulting/Training  Web site www.vitalsmarts.com  Founders Joseph Grenny, 48; Al Switzler, 59; Ron McMillan, 56; Kerry Patterson, 62; Mike Carter, 49

The Company A corporate training and organizational performance company. 

The Success In an era where “good advice” is needed more than ever, businesses across the country are turning to corporate training companies — especially ones like VitalSmarts, which has three New York Times bestsellers, award-winning training products and experience with more than 300 of the Fortune 500.

The Advice “Don’t compromise the quality of your products and services to get more customers. Delivering a small amount of quality products and services will be more profitable than delivering a large amount of low-quality products.”

The Splurge “We don’t splurge very often, but we could do with a less expensive building and lower quality furnishings.” 

The Milestone Moment “When all three of our books — ‘Crucial Conversations,’ ‘Crucial Confrontations,’ and ‘Influencer’ — became New York Times bestsellers. Our reach increased as we received increasing publicity for our company, books and training products.”

Revenue in 2008 $13,118,000  Founded 2001  City Orem  Employees 138  Industry Technology  Web site www.attask.com  

Founder Scott Johnson, 39

The Company A provider of on-demand project and portfolio management software.

The Success A relevant and in-demand product has led to four office locations worldwide and more than 1,600 customers including Apple, Samsung, Toyota, Chevron and Procter & Gamble. 

The Advice “Growing an organization is what entrepreneurialism is all about. If you aren’t looking to grow your organization, you should sell out and go work for someone else.”

The Splurge “Everyone in our organization is very conscious of staying within budget. However, one time we purchased 224 whiteboard clips when we only needed 80.” 

The Milestone Moment “2008 was a breakout year for AtTask. With locations in the U.S., the U.K., China and Japan, we’ve seen industry-leading organizations from all over the world choose AtTask. Having complete strangers halfway around the world talking about AtTask in normal conversation was a real ‘milestone moment’ for me.”

Revenue in 2008 $9,558,992  Founded 2001 City Provo  Employees 8  Industry Construction  

Web site www.silvercreekllc.com 

Founder Geoffrey Granum, 38

The Company A high-end custom home construction company that builds homes throughout Utah, California, Arizona and Hawaii. 

The Success Despite a less-than-ideal housing market, Silver Creek has been built to last with innovative design, valued employees and responsible growth practices.

The Splurge “We tend not to splurge on a lot. We’re happy to splurge in rewarding people for their efforts, but we definitely like to have a tight reign on expenses. It’s important to be responsible with where the money is going.”

The Advice “Look at what other companies in your industry are doing well. Analyze why they are succeeding and attempt to personalize their practices by doing the same things better and more efficiently. Set yourself apart, and make your company unique.”

The Milestone Moment “The day we hit break-even!”

Revenue in 2008 $9,400,000  Founded 2001  City Pleasant Grove  Employees 45 (200-plus temporary employees during Halloween season)  Industry Retail  Web site www.costumecraze.com  Founder Kate Maloney, 27

The Company An online costume retailer. 

The Success In a highly competitive industry, the Inc. 500 alum has catapulted to the top with new product implementation (it typically adds at least 1,000 costumes each year) as well as a business-changing investment in technology. 

The Splurge “Our 3,000-square-foot play area with two ping-pong tables, a pool table, a foosball table, putt-putt, two big screen TVs (complete with Wii and Xbox game consoles), and, of course, comfy couches and chairs when you just want to relax or even catch a few ZZZs. We are happy to provide such a fun place for our employees to unwind each day. It was money well spent.”

The Advice “Find the appropriate balance. Not growing fast enough can kill you, but so can growing too fast.”

The Milestone Moment “Moving into a ‘real’ warehouse (i.e., moving out of our house!), making our first million and receiving our first national recognition (Inc. 500).”

Revenue in 2008 $9,377,000  Founded 2001 City Provo  Employees 60  Industry Business Management Software  Web site www.digitalgateway.com  Founder Jim Phillips, 60

The Company A provider of business management software for imaging and business equipment dealers. 

The Success Heralded as one of the top providers of business management software, it has risen with well-managed growth and more than 1,000 dealers using its software.

The Splurge “Our in-office workout facility called ‘The Cougar Room,’ a designated Zen room for employees to relax and eliminate stress in order to gain greater focus. Also, our annual company party for employees all over the country to come together and enjoy an evening with co-workers and family members. We lead our industry because we know how to have serious fun while executing at a world class level.”  

The Advice “‘It’s not what you know but what you do with what you know.’ Performance is key to your thoughts and ideas. You may have the best ideas in the industry, but until you do something about it, nothing will ever happen.”

The Milestone Moment “Every day is a milestone moment. In the early days, calling us the underdog would be an understatement. We were ignored, we were disrespected, but that fueled our commitment to fight for what was best for our dealers. And almost 15 years later, that philosophy has allowed us to become the dominate dealer management software in the market.”

Revenue in 2008 $9,354,036  Founded 2000  City Orem  Employees 220  Industry Technology  Web site www.securitymetrics.com 

Founder Brad Caldwell

The Company An educator and tester of merchant businesses to ensure they are keeping credit card data secure.

The Success With 5.4 million merchants in the U.S. and the payment brands requiring merchants to be educated and tested in data security, SecurityMetrics has capitalized on a growing, prosperous market. 

The Advice “Hire great people and have fun while you are working hard.”

The Milestone Moment “When we passed 100,000 enrolled customers.”