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Show PAGES SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25. BUSINESS EDITOR Grace Leong I 344-29- 1 0 gleongeheraldextra.com Eric SMALL BUSINESS 2005 Gertler Protect Your Privacy market has its ups and downs Roller-coast- er Springville steel fabricator diversifies from theme park rides to energy, mining Until the amusement ride industry gets back on track, a small Springville specialty steel fabricator is seeking a smoother ride in more promising growth markets including energy, mining and construction. Founded by Ray and Valora Cran-dalIntermountain Lift Inc.. whose work spans the Stratosphere's Big Shot ride in Las Vegas and New Orleans's World's Fair to furnace repairs at the former Geneva Steel plant, is now looking to diversify from amusement rides. That industry now accounts for 75 percent of its business, down from 99 percent a few years ago. ride That's because the business has seen more troughs than peaks in recent years due in part to the decline in tourism after Sept. 11, and then dramatic increases in steel and a triple gas prices over the past year whammy for both amusement ride parks and manufacturers, Crandall M jfik Grace Leong ENDING UNWANTED A PHONE CALLS l, Jive alone ,u!y: If . when I pick up the cull. I am ? c t said. "We're now under an aggressive marketing plan to locate other types of work to improve our marketability," he said. "We're exploring steel fabrication work in the mining industry, high-enmanufacturing construction, steel facade roof work in areas like the airport and government buildings, and general fabrication of steel components for windmills. We're a little concerned about fitting into a new niche because we're a specialty shop. But to survive, we have to diversify." Crandall also plans to hand over management of the company to his two sons, Bret, its vice president and general manager, and Kurt, its vice president of production, in two to three years. He will then take over as chairman of the board. Intermountain Lift began in 1969 as a parts repair company for local resorts such as Sundance and the now defunct Bridal Veil Falls tramway, and then ventured into rebuilding and installation projects for local ski lifts. The company later diversified to heavy repairs for Geneva Steel's blast furnaces and railroad cars until the former steel plant closed in the mid-'80That's when Intermountain Lift became involved with Arrow Dynamics, a Clearfield-base- d design company that went bankrupt in 2002 and was later acquired by Logan-baseS&S Power, which is known for its pneumatically powered rides. "Our relationship with Arrow Dynamics began 20 years ago when they needed support equipment for a large Ferris wheel at the World's Fair in New Orleans. Our experience at that time was in specialty steel fabrication. But after that contract, we began exclusively making steel tracks and other support structures for Arrow Dynamics's amusement rides until 1990," Crandall said. Today, the j f MARIO d s. roller-coast- d roller-coast- RUIZDaily Herald Intermountain Lift in Springville fabricates steel for amusement park rides and other commercial, transportation or industrial projects. "We're exploring steel fabrication work in the mining industry, high-en- d manufacturing construction, steel facade roof work ... and general fabrication of steel components for windmills" Ray Crandall founder, Intermountain Lift Inc. company's clients include S&S Power, Premier Rides Inc. of Millersville, Md. and Chance Rides Inc. of Wichita, Kan. "The Stratosphere's Big Shot tower structure was the first of hundreds of such rides we helped build for S&S. We also helped build a looping coaster ride at Circus Circus casino and Buffalo Bill's resort's Desperado ride on at the Southern NevadaCalifornia state line," Crandall said. While most of Intermountain Lift's projects are in the United States, its roller-coasttracks are also found on thrill rides in Japan, Russia, Mexico, Canada, Spain, Germany, England and the Netherlands. But growing competition from European theme park ride manufacturers and slower demand from U.S. amusement parks, especially in the aftermath of have taken a toll on the company's business. "European ride suppliers like & Mabillard of Switzerland are creating competition for U.S. manufacturers. Suspended coasters and spinning coasters, like the one at Lagoon Amusement Park near Salt Lake, are some of, the new rides coming out of Europe," Crandall said. The 2001 terrorist attacks also resulted in abrupt cancellations of several of the company's roller-coastprojects then on the drawing board. "That hit us hard because we'd just spent our first SBA loan expanding our fabrication and blast shop," he said. The company had used a $500,000 U.S. Small Business Administration loan funded by Central bank in Springville for its expansion. It also received an additional $900,000 SBA loan in 2002 to expand its pipe bending shop and add new equipment. Just as the amusement ride industry began to recover in 2003, it was hit by significant increases in steel prices, which affected the company's ability to maintain its competitive edge, Crandall said. "And although the spike-u- p in gas prices didn't affect us directly, it did affect visitation to the amusement parks, which in turn, caused orders for amusement rides to slow." Roller coasters typically sell for around $2 million to as high as $25 million or more. The company also faces challenges finding qualified steel fitters and weld Bol-lig- ers, Crandall said. "More people are moving to white collar jobs or high-tecindustries. It's harder to find workers here who have a background in steel fabrication or welding to do such work. Right now, we're hiring workers who have worked at other steel fabrication plants or who have moved to Utah from other states." h Intermountain Lift Inc I Founded: April 1969 I Owners: Ray and Valora Crandall, and sons, Bret and Kurt Crandall Industry: Custom steel and alloy metal fabrication for amusement rides, steel composite structures and undercarriages for transit vehicle manufacturers, commercial and industrial steel fabrication I Location: Corporate headquarters and 70,000-squarfoot plant at 1990 S. State St. e -- in Springville. I Work Force: 35 workers I Web site: www.intermountainlift.com A word to the wise is sufficient The moral of the story is that you are supposed to learn a lesson. It has always been my goal in this weekly column not just to give business and life advice, but also to make it easy to remember and put into practice. That's why I end every column with "Mackay's Moral," which readers frequently tell me is the best part. Here are some of my favorites from the last three years. I Without the right sales skills, something terrible happens ... nothing. I They used to say what you see is what you get. In truth, what you think is what you get. I If you reach for the stars, at least you'll get off the ground I If you think education is expensive, try ignorance. I Often the smartest thing you can do in a negotiation is keep your mouth shut. I Going the extra yard always leads to crossing the goal line. I If you don't look ahead, you'll always be behind. I The best job is one you'd do even if you didn't need the ' Wzzr if Harvey Mackay Positive Struggles money. The "Breakfast of Champions" is not cereal, it's competition. I Failure is not falling down, but staying down. I A salesperson tells, a good salesperson explains and a great salesperson demonstrates. I There are really no mistakes in life there are only lessons. They can't hire you if they don't know who you are. I Dig your welis before you're thirsty, and build your bridges before you're left high and dry. con- cerned that an may be trying to scare me. What can roller-coast- f and 1 have been receiving a number of phone I calls where there is silence I Competition is a lot like cod liver oiL First it makes you sick. Then it makes you better. You won't stumble if you put your best foot forward. I Effort is what makes the impossible possible, the possible likely and the likely definite. I There are two kinds of people in the world: those who come into a room and say, "Here I am!" And those who come in and say, "Ah, there you are!" One thing you can give and still keep is your word. I The bigger the wheel you are, the more traction you can and give. get I Finding good players is easy. Getting them to play as a team is another story. I For those with vision, the high road affords more than just better views. I You must have a sense of what your time is worth for others to value it. Even if you're not interviewing for a sales job, your interview must be a great sales job. I A student of life always does the homework. I There's no traffic jam on the extra mile. I Information does not become power until it is used. I The will to succeed is preceded by the will to prepare. I Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it. I Great entrepreneurs know the score: never means do it alone. I If you can't win, make the person ahead of you break the record. I What sets you apart is what gets you ahead. I If you want your words to work for you, work for your words. I There are lots of ways to be a failure, but never taking a chance is the most success- ful I It's not about what you can do; it's about what you will do. I Enforce the Golden Rule or your business will be tar- You'll never make a killing at the table if you don't even insist on a seat. I When you volunteer, you always earn back more than you pay in. I Plenty of people are willto beat you; don't beat yourself. I Every accomplishment begins with the decision to try. I If you can't please everyone, please someone. I A foot in the door is worth two on the desk. Cream doesn't rise to the top it works its way up. You aren't finished when you are defeated; you are finished when you quit. I If I had to name the single characteristic shared by all the truly successful people I've met over a lifetime, I'd say it is the ability to create and nurture a network of contacts. Mackay's Moral: Ambrose Bierce defines aphorisms as "predigested wisdom." Bon appetit. ing Harvey Mackay is author of the New York Times best seller 'Pushing the Envelope" (Ballantine Books). He can be reached through his Web site: www. mackay.com; or Mackay Envelope Corp., 2100 Elm St., Minneapolis, MN 55414. Copyright 2005, United Feature Syndicate Inc. I do to determine if he is calling me? L.S., Milwaukee, Wis. Receiving unwanted phone calls can be terribly invasive and, at times, horrifying. If you think your boyfriend is harassing you, you may want to consider legal or other judicial remedies beyond the scope of this column. In many states, harassing phone calls may violate the law. However, there are steps that you can take to reduce or prevent unwanted calls, or determine is inwhether your deed calling you. Or, you may simply want to provide the police with as detailed information as possible. First, make sure to record the dates and times of any unwanted phone calls you receive. Also contact your local phone company to get assistance for determining the origin of the unwanted phone calls. For example, the phone company may initiate a call "trap" or "trace" to determine the origin of the harassing call. These devices are similar but the "trap" may require you to log when the unwanted calls occur. In either case, however, any information collected is typically turned over to the police. If you do not want to rely on the phone company to protect your privacy, consider these tips to reduce or prevent unwanted phone calls: Manage your phone number. Consider changing or unlisting your phone number. I Avoid answering. Those initiating unwanted phone calls are often seeking attentioa Don't engage the caller in conversatioa Consider letting all incoming calls go to your message machine. I Protect your information. Never disclose personal information to someone you do not know. Instruct your children and other family members to do the same. Similarly, avoid placing your surname or telephone number in'the message of your answering machine or ' service. I Use caller ID. This is a device that will indicate to you the name and number of the person calling you before you pick up the phone. Be on the alert for unknown phone calls, as harassers may tend to use private phone numbers. I Reject unknown callers. Even if you use a caller ID device, you may still receive calls of an unknown or anonymous origin. Through the phone company, you can order a service that prevents anyone with unlisted or anonymous numbers from actually reaching you. Instead, such callers will be required to dial a certain code (typically "star" 82) before they call you that forces that person's number to appear on your caller ID. (Of course, harassers can still call from pay phones.) Call return tracking. You can use a service called call return (dial "star" 69) and your phone will automatically call back the number of the last person who called, even if you are unable to answer the phone. Check with your phone company for instructions on how to retrieve the number of the last call you received without actually dialing it. List Enroll on the I List by calling or going to www.donot-calLgo- v to prevent telemarketers from calling you. An inordinate number of hang-up- s may be the result of telemarketers using predictive dialing technology that enables them to dial thousands of numbers in rapid fire, and connect you to a five sales representative only after you answer the phone. I Zap telemarketers. Several electronic devices, such as the TeleZap-pero- r CallMe Not, limit unwanted phone calls by hanging up on such phone calls or triggering your phone number to appear to be disconnected to such marketers. |