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This is Fred Ball for Zions Bank, speaking on business.
I recently visited one of the most interesting and successful businesses in this great state.
Jay Smart sold specialty building products, including window systems and folding partitions. He knew there would be a demand for a revolutionary door designed with folding partitions and offering superior acoustical performance, effortless operation, resistance to damage and abuse and simple installation and maintenance.
Jay designed a lightweight door with a high sound rating and more roller assemblies. The modular door allowed for simple installation and repair, and satisfied the needs of architects and developers. Jay had developed the first trouble-free folding partition.
A business associate called the new door, "truly wonderful," thus the name of the company, Won-Door Corporation. And while most people in the area have not heard of the company, I assure you that architects, building managers, developers, contractors, and business leaders all over the world know of this great Utah company and its products.
Ron Smart, the son of Jay and Ruth, and president of Won-Door since 1979, told me his Dad wanted to make his product not only attractive and acoustically rated, but also fireproof. Jay focused intensely on engineering a sliding fire door assembly.
Some of you have seen these products without recognizing them — the doors separate chapels from cultural halls in LDS ward buildings and stake centers. "That was our starting point, and we are proud of that association," Ron says. "However, in the last 20 years our fire door business is what principally drives our operation."
Schools, office buildings, hospitals, casinos, airports, hotels, museums, sports complexes, nursing homes, malls and many other facilities across the country and around the world also use Won-Door products as sound barriers, as an unobtrusive way of dividing space, as a means of satisfying building code requirements or for security.
Tomorrow I will tell you more about his fascinating company and its amazing products.
For Zions Bank, I'm Fred Ball. I'm speaking on business.
