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This is Fred Ball for Zions Bank, speaking on business.
A word of advice to my listeners: be careful who, and what, you fall in love with. It could have some serious consequences for your posterity! Consider the roots of one of the largest construction companies in Utah: Staker and Parson Companies.
In 1927, a 15-year-old boy boarded a train and left town for the summer to help his father build roads. His name? Jack B. Parson. Jack loved the work. In time, there wasn't a single piece of equipment or machinery that he couldn't operate.
Twenty-five years later, that summer job turned out to be the inspiration for Jack's own business, Jack B. Parson Companies. For the more than 50 years since then, the company has built its business to be the preferred source of quality rock products, ready mix concrete, asphalt, paving and construction services. This business that began with one location in Smithfield, Utah, has grown to include more than 30 locations in four states, and employs more than 2,000 people.
In 2001 the business merged with Staker Paving and Construction, another well-known company in Utah. Like the Parson Companies, Staker comes from humble beginnings. Family members Stuart, Val and Gordon created the business from the ground up in 1969. Currently the Staker plant on Beck Street in North Salt Lake is one of the nation's top-producing asphalt plants, producing in excess of one million tons annually.
I've been told that third generation family members continue to hold key positions in the new organization, Staker and Parson Companies. As the name suggests, it's a federation made up of more than one company, namely Western Rock Product, Jack B Parson Companies, the Idaho Sand & Gravel Company and the Idaho Concrete Company. Recent projects include providing concrete for the new Salt Lake City Library, the South Weber Drive Interchange, the Gateway Mall, and the George S Eccles Legacy Bridge.
For Zions Bank, I'm Fred Ball. I'm speaking on business.
