Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
This is Fred Ball for Zions Bank, speaking on business.
Standard Plumbing Supply in Sandy celebrates 50 years this month. Yes, it was back in 1952 that Dale Reese, a man with a mind for retailing, organized an innovative concept in the wholesale plumbing business and went on to start a company that now serves six western states.
Dale was born in 1924 in Bensen Ward, a little town outside of Logan. He graduated from Utah State University and furthered his education at Butler University in Indiana. Dale went on to receive the nation's most prestigious degree in merchandising from the New York University School of Retailing and worked for MacyÕs and Gimbel's in New York. After a while, though, he tired of the pace and returned to Logan, giving up his career in big-city retailing.
But Dale's experience and education weren't a waste. He went to work in Logan for a heating and plumbing contractor and there discovered that he could supply plumbers with materials. Soon after, Standard Plumbing Supply opened on Wall Avenue in Ogden. Later, he found the need to supply plastic pipe and began manufacturing it under the name of Standard Plastics.
Over the years, Dale's companies have done well. In 1992, Dale retired and sold his companies to his sons Dennis, David and Richard. Dennis and David took over the manufacturing and Richard, Standard Plumbing Supply. Richard has continued growth of Standard Plumbing Supply with over 40 branches in six states. He has continued with the "open store" concept of wholesaling, along with state-of-the-art computers and software. Bar code scanners make for accurate billing. Invoices are priced and can be faxed to the customers immediately upon sale.
Last year, Standard Plumbing Supply purchased nearly eight acres of property--four buildings with more than 90,000 square feet to house corporate offices; a 45,000-square-foot store in Sandy featuring the largest plumbing fixture showroom in the Intermountain area; a heating and cooling store; a hydronics store; and a distribution center to supply all 40 branches.
For Zions Bank, I'm Fred Ball. I'm speaking on business
