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Show Ahlander's running a business century-ol- d By TRAVIS JACOBSEN Daily Herald Business Editor In a society of high-tec- h highnetworks and ways, fiberoptic Internet communication pathways, where is there room for the generatiofamily-owne- d ns-old, business? The partial answer to such a question lies in the hearts of Michael and Steve Ahlander. president and vice president of Ahlander Wholesale business located at Co., a century-ol- d 490 S. University Ave.. Provo. They are the inheritors of a company that has sur-- v ived the goods and bads of business. This wholesale distributing company claims the honor as one of the oldest companies in Provo. And next to the Berg Mortuary, city records do not list another business with an earlier inception date. Michael and Steve smile as they talk about their and all the other family members who have contributed to the family business since its beginnings in 1894. It was their Anders Frederick Ahlander, who began making buggies in 1894 out of a different shop location in south Prov o. At that time Utah was not yet a state, and mass produced automobiles were only a dream to some future inventor. Anders' business prospered as the years rolled by. Yet knowing that he could not shoulder alone the load of leading a successful business, he apprenticed his son Joseph Walter Ahlander to carry on the Ahlander tradition. The pattern continued as father trained son to the family trade. The established work' ethic seemed hereditary as Joseph's son. Joseph Frederick Ahlander, found himself working in the shop and eventually becoming owner after retirement set in for Joseph Walter. It was at that time that the family started somewhat of a traditional training process for the owner. Although the training was not a requirement for owning the family business, it conveyed a sense of loyalty and respect for the past and a determined drive to succeed in the future. It was in those days that the next ow ner started on the low rung of the ladder by sweeping the company tloors. filling orders and dusting the company's furniture. "That's where it all began." states Michael Ahlander, 44. eldest son of Joseph Frederick Ahlander. "Wc were trained just as our father was trained, and just as his father trained him." "It's not that those tasks were a requirement for owning the business, but in order to gain a respect for the trade and the legacy which built such a company, each son needed to understand the workings of the business sweeping and dusting seemed the appropriate initiatory tasks." stated Michael. As the years turned into decades. er r, Photo courtesy ol Ahlander family The Ahlander family business began in 1894 when Anders Frederick Ahlander began making buggies. At the business "needed to evolve in order to survive." states Steve Ahlander. 35. The buggy, which gave way to the automobile, could no longer be built on a competitive level. But Ahlanders was one step ahead of technology. With the increase of local trapping and hunl-inthe little family business developed what would seem to be the first camping trailer. It was fully equipped w ith a wash basin, deep freeze storage unit, cast iron stove, table for four, storage space under the camper, and a comfortable double bed. The camper, named "Home On The Range." sold for a reasonable $455 and could be all one needed ordered by phone to do was dial 00. The camper was the perfect innovation for the Utah County outdoors-man- , and every unit built was sold. Only until recently did the Ahlander family recover an original "Sheep Camp." as thev had come to be called. In the height of its building davs. AManders was responsible for making Provo's first ambulance, fire engine and school bus. Although the company has shitted the focus from building to its current emphasis in wholesale distributing. Ahlanders maintains the working values which have helped the company survive for so long. Ahlanders was originally called Ahlander Manufacturing Co. It then changed its name to Ahlanders '(See WAGONS. Pane 90 that time, dream. mass-produce- d automobiles was only a mass-produc- L&rc footeresft-t-f rtTi t Columbian Roses Spring Vases & Baskets Balloons Planters Hanging Baskets t 225-451- 0 AH 1 occasions or just for "SOMEONE SPECIAL" PLANTED EARTH 440 S. State St., Orem Let us serve you. 89 |