1. NU SKIN
2012 Revenue $2,170,000,000 Founded 1984 City Provo Employees 1,300 Industry Personal care/dietary supplements Website www.nuskin.com President of Nu Skin Americas Region Scott Schwerdt, 55
The Company A direct sales company that distributes more than 200 anti-aging products in the personal care and nutritional supplements categories.
The Success With unparalleled revenues, a nearly 30-year history of standout leadership, and an integral emphasis on being a “force for good,” Nu Skin has become an economic powerhouse of Utah Valley.
Best Moment Ever “The day Nu Skin exceeded $2 billion in revenue.”
Favorite Memory “I went to my first company Christmas party and couldn’t believe the generosity of the founders of Nu Skin. They have always been incredibly generous for all of the employees.”
Employees in Three Words “The perfect partners.”
The Advice “Live and function within your means. Make the necessary sacrifices.”
Biggest Splurge “Our new Innovation Center. It will have a huge, positive impact on our company.”
Where To Save “If you operate within your means and value your employees, you win.”
High Revenues Equal “Higher expectations.”
2. VIVINT
2012 Revenue $397,200,000 Founded 1998 City Provo Employees 2,750 (5,000 during peak season) Industry Home automation/security services Website www.vivint.com Founder Todd Pedersen, 44
The Company A provider of home technology services.
The Success Home automation has found the partner of a lifetime in Vivint, thanks to its first-rate technology, impressive management and stalwart sales force working for more than 700,000 customers. Oh, and did we mention Vivint was acquired by Blackstone in 2012 for $2 billion? So there’s that.
Best Moment Ever “Blackstone sale.”
Hardest Moment Ever “Getting funding.”
Favorite First-Year Memory “Long meetings.”
Employees in Three Words “Charitable. Hard-workers. Innovative.”
The Advice “Stay efficient and realize you may need to make sacrifices.”
Biggest Splurge “Buying a plane.”
Where To Save “Turnover.”
High Revenues Equal “Profit.”
In 2016 “We’ll be a Fortune 500 company.”
To Your Startup Self “Go for it.”
3. NATURE’S SUNSHINE
2012 Revenue $367,500,000 Founded 1972 City Lehi Employees 1,029 Industry Health/herbal supplements Website www.naturessunshine.com CEO Gregory L. Probert
The Company A direct sales company that manufactures and markets tablets and encapsulated herbal products, high-quality natural vitamins, food supplements, skin care and other complementary products.
The Success With more than 600,000 distributors dotting 30 countries, Nature’s Sunshine has been a healthy contribution to the world and our local economy.
4. EMPLOYER SOLUTIONS GROUP
2012 Revenue $247,404,980 Founded 1997 City Provo Employees 58 (17,854 employees represented) Industry Professional Employer Organization Website www.esghr.com
Executives Steve Pierson, 55; Daryl Sisk, 44
The Company ESG provides payroll, benefits, workers comp, risk management, human resources consulting, and all of the related administrative services to small- and medium-sized companies. By outsourcing HR functions to ESG, companies gain an entire team of highly experienced and specialized professionals at a fraction of the investment required to have this expertise on staff.
The Success Power to the people! Not only is ESG in the people business (a market every company in the world needs, mind you), it has focused on celebrating its own employees.
Best Moment Ever “ESG likes giving back to the community and strongly promotes employees to do the same — from blood drives and quilt projects, to fundraising for the American Cancer Society and sponsoring families for Thanksgiving and Christmas.”
Hardest Moment Ever “Anytime I have to let go of an employee, that’s the hardest moment.”
Favorite First-Year Memory “Space was limited. I remember sharing a 6-foot table in a common area with employees. It was right by the janitor’s closet.”
Employees in Three Words “Dedicated. Loyal. Fun.”
The Advice “Don’t let fear dictate your decisions.”
Biggest Splurge “Annual summer and Christmas parties for the employees and their families.”
Where To Save “Smart use of technology.”
High Revenues Equal “Higher growth and increased accountability if managed correctly.”
In 2016 “We’ll continue to be the premier PEO in the Intermountain West.”
To Your Startup Self “Take more risks.”
5. 2GIG TECHNOLOGIES
2012 Revenue $124,333,507 Founded 2007 City Lehi Employees 65 Industry Security and automation Website www.2gig.com
Founder Todd Santiago, 41
The Company A developer of security and automation systems for residential and small businesses.
The Success With an exploding industry and a perpetual push for innovation, 2GIG — BusinessQ’s No. 1 Fastest-Growing Company last year — has achieved out-of-this-world growth with remarkable revenues. And in February 2013, Nortek purchased 2GIG for an impressive $135 million.
Best Moment Ever “Being in our factory in China and watching our first units roll off the production line. Exhilarating!”
Hardest Moment Ever “We were sued by our largest competitor over alleged patent infringement. It is now behind us, but it was a trying time that required (wasted) an inordinate amount of time and resources.”
Employees in Three Words “Dedicated. Loyal. Passionate.”
The Advice “Know your customers’ business and industry as well or better than they do.”
Biggest Splurge “Flying out the California office to Utah for the company Christmas party. Definitely worth it.”
Where To Save “We spend very little on advertising and PR. When your product is really good, word of mouth and viral marketing is more effective than any amount of marketing spend.”
High Revenues Equal “Great products.”
In 2016 “Our goal is to become the default home control system for millions of homes throughout the world. We will be expanding into international markets and will be in multiple countries within three years.”
To Your Startup Self “Hire ahead of the curve. Proactive is better than reactive.”
6. ZIJA INTERNATIONAL
2012 Revenue $110,702,251 Founded 2006 City Lehi Employees 168 Industry Health and wellness Website www.drinklifein.com Founder Ken Brailsford CEO Rod Larsen, 48
The Company A provider of natural, earth-friendly products using the “miracle tree” Moringa oleifera.
The Success Popular products, a history of integrity and a passionate sales force — Zija is a natural.
Best Moment Ever “April 2013 was our best month ever, and our ‘best month ever’ seems to be happening more and more frequently.”
Hardest Moment Ever “Corporate relocation, team building, field leadership development, and everything else that happens in business is challenging. The secret is accepting realities and making the correct decisions to step it up to the next rung in each facet.”
Favorite First-Year Memory “That’s easy. Our first event in Salt Lake City in November 2006. We had 200 people in attendance and we were full of destiny and possibilities.”
Employees in Three Words “Focused. Passionate. World-class.”
The Advice “Have the guts to pound your weaknesses out and continually evolve for the better. Use your assets wisely and frugally.”
Biggest Splurge “We invest millions of dollars per year traveling the world with our independent distributors. We get to share the best moments with them.”
Where To Save “Qualifications of team members should always be more important than headcount, because efficiencies and success can only be achieved with quality employees.”
High Revenues Equal “Wider options.”
In 2016 “Knowing the key developments that are coming, there is no reason we cannot reach $300-$500 million annualized sales levels.”
To Your Startup Self “Enjoy the ride. Success is not a destination. It’s more like a series of destinations, punctuated by detours and shortcuts.”
7. BIG-D CONSTRUCTION LINDON
2012 Revenue $94,060,918 Founded 2005 City Lindon Employees 24 Industry Construction Website www.big-d.com Vice President Gifford Briggs, 39
The Company A construction management and design-build services company.
The Success Built with determination, willpower and integrity, Big-D has become an undeniable force in Utah Valley’s commercial construction market with projects ranging from under $1 million to more than $100 million.
Best Moment Ever “The year 2012 represented the largest volume of work ever completed by the Big-D Lindon office since opening in 2005.”
Hardest Moment Ever “The recession. It was long and difficult to navigate, but we made it.”
Employees in Three Words “Professional. Intelligent. Efficient.”
The Advice “Surround yourself with people smarter than yourself. Never forget steady wins the race.”
Biggest Splurge “The basketball court behind our office building. I wish I used it more.”
Where To Save “Money should be saved in running the operation as efficiently as possible. This is a culture and takes effort to implement effectively within an organization.”
High Revenues Equal “High Taxes!”
In 2016 “Our mission statement is to become the most sought-after construction company in the business.”
To Your Startup Self “Don’t sweat the small stuff. Embrace the challenges and the personal growth that comes with it.”
8. EDGE HOMES
2012 Revenue $68,969,818 Founded 2008 City Orem Employees 36 Industry Residential construction Website www.edgehomes.com Founders Gordon Jones, 42; Steve Maddox, 45; Joel Harris, 42
The Company A residential construction company.
The Success Housed with integrity and quality craftsmanship, Edge Homes has mastered the rocky market by leveraging strategic partnerships and innovative building solutions.
Best Moment Ever “Moving into the new corporate facility in Orem.”
Hardest Moment Ever “Navigating the downturn in the market.”
Employees in Three Words “Passionate. Innovative. Committed.”
The Advice “Define growth as a management group and let that be the emphasis of all communication. Don’t focus on the result but the path that gets you there.”
Biggest Splurge “Company trips.”
Where To Save “Items that are of no value to the customer.”
High Revenues Equal “A dynamic workplace.”
In 2016 “We’ll be lending money to Vivint.”
9. BUYPD
2012 Revenue $50,074,749 Founded 2010 City American Fork Employees 76 Industry Real estate Website www.buypd.com
Founder Blair Poelman, 34
The Company A buyer and seller of real estate-related products throughout the country.
The Success With stellar sales strategies, more than a thousand clients worldwide and a track record of buying a house per day in 2012, it’s hard not to get sold on this startup company with un-startup-like revenues.
Best Moment Ever “When I realized the business really worked — our customers wanted what we had for sale.”
Employees in Three Words “Successful. Creative. Motivated.”
The Advice “Make a plan. Stick to it.”
Biggest Splurge “We don’t have a lot of frills, probably the weekly Jimmy Johns lunch orders.”
Where To Save “People. As companies become more successful they generally get fat with employee counts and wages. We would rather pay our existing people more money for working smarter than add staff with double the expense just to lighten the load.”
High Revenues Equal “Lots of zeros. Revenues are great, but if you aren’t offering something of real value to your clients, the revenues will ultimately go away and you’ll be left with zeros.”
10. BANK OF AMERICAN FORK
2012 Revenue $49,891,000 Founded 1913 City American Fork Employees 309 Industry Banking/finance Website www.bankaf.com CEO Richard Beard, 60
The Company A community bank with 13 full-service branches.
The Success World-class services with small town charm have led Bank of American Fork to a 100-year history that’s on the money.
Best Moment Ever “Seeing our people succeed in personal and corporate growth.”
Hardest Moment Ever “The Great Recession and the fear of Utahns for their financing well-being.”
Employees in Three Words “Ethical. Smart.
Friendly.”
The Advice “Establish the values that will drive your business and align your everyday activities to those guiding principles.”
Biggest Splurge “Video-conferencing.”
Where To Save “Needless outside consulting.”
High Revenues Equal “Ethically produced financial services that are needed and wanted by customers.”
In 2016 “We’ll be serving the financial needs of Utahns in growing numbers.”
The Top Revenue list is selected from a group of applicants and ranked based on 2012 gross revenue. Companies must be headquartered in Utah Valley to qualify. If corporate headquarters are outside of the county, only the sales of its Utah Valley location(s) are eligible. The 2012 gross revenue figures have been verified by BusinessQ. We disclaim any responsibility for companies that did not apply.