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This is Chris Redgrave for Zions Bank Speaking on Business.
What started 100 years ago today as a small family-owned company now has 150 employees doing up to $13 million a year in the tile and stone business. Caffall Tile provides some of the most prestigious tile projects in Utah. One of the first projects that gave this company recognition was the tile work for the Deseret Gym and pool in 1965.
By 1981, the company had four tile setters and a truck. At that time, current company president David Elder's grandmother was the bookkeeper. As David was going through some files before his grandmother retired, he found a stack of uncashed checks with her name on them. When David asked her about the checks, she said, "We were trying to get the business going and the company needed money, so I didn't cash my checks."
She was concerned about the employees, and that attitude continues today. The company sees the value of having some employees on board for 30 years. This thriving business at 3650 S. 300 West where they've been since 1978 has a solid reputation with the top construction companies in Utah . . . and for good reason.
Caffall Tile did the exterior stone cladding on the Draper and Oquirrh Mountain temples and work on some of our newest and most stunning hotels, like the Montage in Deer Valley and the St. Regis Hotel in Park City.
As we discover more multi-generational businesses in Utah, it's always interesting to find how the business passed on from one generation to the next. In discussing this with David, he said he never felt entitled and always had a respect for what the three generations of family owners before him had done. Family-owned businesses like Caffall Tile are important in leading out in the economy since they're responsible for 60 percent of the nation's employment and 78 percent of new jobs created.
David started working at Caffall Tile at age 15 and now 40 years later has a deep appreciation for his 100-year-old family business.
For Zions Bank, I'm Chris Redgrave, speaking on business.
Caffall Tile 3650 S. 300 West Salt Lake City, UT 84115 801-268-3525 www.caffalltile.com
