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This is Fred Ball for Zions Bank, speaking on business.
Did you know that Lehi is home to a world-renowned woodworking company? Well, if you know Jon Fondell and his team at Fondell Woodwork, then you can understand why the companyÕs quality work has attracted clients from around the globe.
In fact, Jon recently told me that the company has done work for clients in Australia, France, Japan, Russia and Guam. At home, clients include big-name companies like Disney, Barnes & Noble and the Marriott Corporation. And of course, Fondell's work can be seen here in Utah. Local clients include the Huntsman Cancer Research Center, the WomenÕs Center at St. Mark's Hospital and the Grand America Hotel.
Much of the business, Jon says, has come by word of mouth, which reflects the companyÕs quality work and attention to detail.
Jon discovered his talent for woodworking while recovering from an accident. He was 21 years old and had been working on a power plant in Colorado. While scaling a wall, he fell 30 feet on to a slab of concrete. By luck, he survived, and the fall led him to rethink his career choice. Soon Jon was working in cabinetry and was encouraged to attend a technical college. After graduating, Jon went to work for a commercial woodworking company in Salt Lake. But after awhile, he decided to venture off on his own, and in 1984, he started Fondell Woodwork Inc. It wasn't an easy move. For the first five years, Jon often worked 16 hours a day, six days a week. He persisted, though, and soon the company was on its way.
Today, Fondell Woodwork operates out of a building in Lehi that covers 40,000 square feet. With more than 45 employees, the company works on several jobs at any one time, some of them costing as much as $1 million. They are things such as custom furniture, decorative woodwork and display cases, and they are made of all types of wood. But each job gets the same amount of attention and quality, which explains why Fondell Woodwork is a company recommended around the world.
For Zions Bank, I'm Fred Ball. I'm speaking on business.
