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This is Fred Ball for Zions Bank, speaking on business.
Imagine yourself faced with the task of having to run your father’s business after he suddenly passes away. Not an easy job. But back in 1981, Deanna Binggeli had no choice. Her father Joe died at age 45 from a heart attack related to a blood clot after being kicked by a horse. At just 24 years old, Deanna suddenly found herself in charge of Binggeli Rock Products.
For the Binggeli family, the Heber Valley company had been their only source of income. They needed some way to support themselves, and concrete and gravel was the business they knew. Deanna herself had worked for the company since she was in high school. So, she teamed with her 20-year-old brother Layne, and the two took over.
For years, Binggeli Rock Products has successfully served the community’s needs. Joe Binggeli started the company after working in construction, since the age of 15. He began by building gravel roads for the lumber industry and later expanded into excavation and construction.
In 1961, Joe bought a gravel pit from Wasatch County and it became the permanent site for a crushing plant he had purchased earlier. He also bought adjacent land from a local rancher and ran the business until his death in 1981. It was then that Deanna and Layne took over. Six years later in 1987, they added a concrete plant. Timing couldn’t have been better. The plant came on line just as the Jordanelle dam and road were being constructed. Following that, the building boom of the ‘90s hit Heber Valley, and business for Binggeli Rock Products soared.
The company now has 14 concrete trucks and a fleet of gravel hauling rigs. It has supplied aggregates for Jordanelle Dam, the new Highway 40 and the new road in Provo Canyon. Also, Wasatch County has just granted Binggeli Rock approval for a new asphalt plant, which is currently under construction.
After Layne sold his share of the business, Deanna took over all operations and now serves as president and CEO. And thanks to her courage and skill, Binggeli Rock Products successfully lives on despite her father’s death.
For Zions Bank, I’m Fred Ball. I’m speaking on business.
