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This is Fred Ball for Zions Bank, speaking on business.
After more than 25 years of making cabinets, Quality Craft Woodworks of Mona, Utah, has become renowned in the West for its quality work. But it’s a reputation that hasn’t come easily.
Brothers Darrell and Marv Allred and their brother-in-law Tom Bronson started the company in 1976. They struggled through the high interest rates and economic difficulties of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s and managed to build a modest company with a few part-time employees and a small shop. They built their shop on the family farm near Santaquin with their own labor and no debt. The company specialized in “high end” cabinets and quality workmanship but struggled to get a very large foot-hold in the highly competitive cabinet industry. Still, they had a modest income and a high respect among their clientele.
But in 1986, just as the building industry began to rebound from a decade of turmoil, disaster struck. An electrical short in a paint booth fan ignited fumes and sawdust. The fire raced through the uninsured shop, completely destroying all but the foundation and almost claiming the lives of several employees. No one was seriously hurt, but a decade of their best efforts lay in ashes and the only things salvageable were a table saw and a small stack of oak plywood.
Things didn’t look good for Quality Craft Woodworks. But the owners didn’t give up. They pushed the ashes out of the concrete foundation, set up the table saw and committed themselves to produce the jobs already contracted. They worked under open skies for four months and built a new building around themselves in the evenings and on Saturdays with help from friends, clients and suppliers.
With a new mission statement, “the very best product for the very best price,” the company soon found an untapped market of customers demanding quality without the high, custom prices. In 1999, they expanded this philosophy into the Laser Engraving industry under the name of “Quality Laser Craft” and began producing beautifully engraved cabinets and wood products for the gift and presentation industry. These quality products are now available in the finest shops throughout Utah and in many adjoining states as well as on the Internet.
For Zions Bank, I’m Fred Ball. I’m speaking on business.
