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Show v V it " . " y t J i V s 1 .. - ; I "1 COUNCILMAN III ACTION Bountiful City Councilman Bob Linnell keeps his suitcase suit-case packed and airline tickets handy for business trip as member of the Executive Board of Allied Van Lines. Bob says he handles business matters and city council problems in much the same way. By GARY R. BLODGETT BOUNTIFUL Councilman Council-man Robert Linnell finds a lot of similarity between managing manag-ing a large moving and storage company and acting on important impor-tant issues that come before the Bountiful City Council. "I SEE a similarity more each week," said Bob from his North Salt Lake office last week. "Problems in Bountiful are much the same as nationwide nation-wide problems in Allied Van Lines. And believe it or not. I find myself attempting to solve these problems in much the same manner." Bob then cited experiences on Allied Van Lines board of directors of which he now serves as secretary and previously pre-viously was a board member. "PEOPLE EAST of the Mississippi Mis-sissippi think their problems are more urgent and earth shattering shat-tering than those on the West Coast," said Bob. "And in Bountiful, the feelings of the public are much the same as they associate where they live as being east or west of Orchard Drive. "And the problems sometimes some-times are as different for residents resi-dents of Bountiful as they are for nationwide business firms. Need for services are different in sectors of Bountiful just like services vary for customers of various parts of the country. "BOUNTIFUL'S problems, although on a much smaller scale, are different for residents resi-dents of different areas of the city and we must address ourselves to these problems as they pertain to these people," he said. Bob also associated Bountiful Bounti-ful problems with those of a large firm in that many of the problems are perceptional, rather than real. "NOW THAT'S not to say that Bountiful's doesn't have some very real problems, because be-cause it does, but sometimes it takes separating the perceptual percep-tual (emotional) from the real before actually getting to the root of the problem," he said. Bob has been faced with "problems" for several years as president of Baileys Moving and Storage, an affiliate of Allied Van Lines, the largest moving company in the world. HE PRESENTLY has 83 employees, em-ployees, about one-half the total number of Bountiful City employees. Bob has also shared in problems prob-lems of others as a former bishop for three years of the Bountiful 46th Ward, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and as a former member mem-ber of the Bountiful East Stake High Council for eight years. DURING HIS three-year stint as bishop, Bob saw his congregation grow so rapidly that the ward where he was serving as bishop was divided three times into the 48th, 49th and 51st Wards. With his position on the executive ex-ecutive board of Allied' Van Lines, Bob always has a suitcase suit-case packed literally, and has advance airline tickets sitting sit-ting on his office desk. WHEN interviewed for this story, Bob had just returned from ten days in the East. He leaned back in his chair and grinned as he noted that he's home now until August 7 before be-fore leaving again for Chicago. "I'm on the road at least 8-' 8-' 10 days every month," he said. "It's a very demanding job, but I love it." ASKED HOW many air mile he chalks up each year, Bob thought seriously and replied, "I really don't know. I've never nev-er taken the time to figure it out, but it's a lot." And above his desk is a plaque pla-que that reminds him that it really is a lot of miles because has membership in United Air Lines "Executive Air Travel Club" which means he has at least 100,000 miles covering some 15 cities served by UAL. AND THAT'S only one airline. air-line. "I fly regular with several airlines so I guess the total would be a lot more than that," he said casually. Bob got his start with Allied while pursuing his postgraduate post-graduate studies at BYU in 1961. He accepted an accounting account-ing position with the firm and four years later (1965) he was promoted to general manager in the firm. THEN IN 1970 Mr. Bailey -(of Bailey's Moving and Storage) Stor-age) decided to retire and Bob had and opportunity to buy the business located at 640 North Main, North Salt Lake. So he identified himself with three key people Keith Toone, vice president of marketing; mar-keting; Dennis Slater, vice president of operations; and Earl Scott, vice president of finance and the four became partners. "THE KEY to success is to surround yourself w ith good, capable people," Bob emphasized. empha-sized. "That's what we have tried to do in all aspects of our business." He said the firm has enjoyed a good growth and for the first six months of 1980 gross sales are up 52 percent over the same period a year ago. DESPITE THE deep recession, reces-sion, Bob is optimistic about the future and the hauling industry. in-dustry. "I disagree with people w ho say that the moving industry is fading," he said. "There will always be people moving, corporations cor-porations transfcring people and new business frontiers opening. And the only way people are going to be able to move their household goods door to door is by van. As I sec-it, sec-it, there will always be a need for our services." |