Johni Cerny started the genealogical research company Lineages in 1983. Bankers wouldn't give her a loan, so she invested $1,000 of her own money and began growing her firm, a little at a time.
Last year Lineages had more than $1 million in sales and employed 22. Her firm offers research services for anyone from the corporate executive who doesn't have time to climb his own family tree to the hobbyist who wants some expert advice.Like Lineages, Utah's unusual concentration of genealogy and family history-related businesses is experiencing extraordinary growth. The expansion is fueled by the interest of baby boomers, who want to connect with their past.
"I believe there is sort of an internal clock that is ticking with people. . . . Individuals reach a point in life when family history and a sense of continuity seems to strike them," Cerny said.
Genealogy has become one of America's most popular hobbies. More than four in 10 adults - 113 million - are a least somewhat interested in genealogy. Enthusiasm for genealogy is strongest among adults ages 35 to 44, according to a 1995 poll conducted by Maritz Marketing Research American for American Demographics Magazine.
The interest in genealogy naturally means people start looking toward Utah for help. Recently, interest was sparked by the PBS program, "Ancestors," produced by KBYU-TV in Provo. The program's popular World Wide Web site features Utah-based corporate sponsors.
In addition, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Family History Library is the largest repository of its kind in the world, and its services are widely revered among genealogists.
The church maintains the large collection of genealogical data to assist members in providing proxy baptisms and other ordinances for deceased ancestors in the church's temples.
Typically, the bread and butter of the Utah genealogy business has been painstakingly researched by genealogists at the Salt Lake library. However, home-grown genealogical research firms are being augmented by companies that provide a variety of services.
Many target both professional and amateur genealogists, who are generally computer-savvy, with technology-enhanced information.
There are no fewer than four national genealogical magazines published in the state. Other firms have branched into book and materials retailing, software, CD-ROMs and Web-related services.
One of the largest genealogy-related firms is Bountiful-based AGLL, which claims to be America's largest provider of genealogy products and services and employs 65.
One of the oldest family history-related firms is Everton's in Logan. The business has published the granddaddy of genealogy magazines, Genealogical Helper, since 1947.
An unexpected sector of Utah's economy, tourism, also gets modest benefits from family history tourists, who come here from as far away as Europe for extended stays to research their roots. The LDS Family History Library is consistently among the top tourist stops in the state.
"Salt Lake City is the mecca of genealogy. There are unarguably more records here than any other place in the world," said Dan Taggart, publisher of Ancestry Publishing and co-founder of Infobases Inc.
Taggart's firm publishes a genealogy magazine and computer genealogy journal. In a current promotion, it gives away free CD-ROMs with locked data bases. Subscribers can buy access to only the data bases they want to use on the disk. Taggart sees the future in finding ways to market genealogical services in Europe and Asia.
Some of Utah's genealogy-service firms, like Ancestry, have been courted by larger publishing and multimedia concerns.
Ancestry was purchased and merged into the Western Publishing Co., whose CEO is Geneva Steel owner Joe Cannon. Western Publishing now includes magazine publishing and software developer Infobases.
Using expertise provided from the merger, Ancestry has developed what it boasts is the largest Web site, including searchable data bases on early American immigration, Social Security Death Index, geographic references and searches of genealogy-related e-mail addresses.
As genealogy takes on more of a corporate feel here, some independent researchers have joined larger firms.
Richard W. Price & Associates is an example of a firm that employs several researchers and maintains a network of agents throughout the world.
On a recent day, Richard Price researched the Arend family line at the LDS Family History Library for a client in Phoenix. The client had responded to Price's listing in the Phoenix yellow pages.
After a few minutes of scanning books located on the library's electronic catalog, Price was able to find his client's ancestor and make some connections to previously unknown progenitors.
Price, who takes periodic research trips to Europe, said he never believed he could have a job that is so fun.
Interestingly, while the LDS Family History Library is the reason most of the businesses are located here, many of the clients are out-of-state non-Mormons. For example, Lineages, owned by Cerny, who isn't LDS, intentionally targeted the non-LDS market.
"LDS people don't seem to be any more interested (in genealogy) than people in the mass market," said Taggart, noting his firm targets genealogy products to the LDS market.
Nedra Florence, vice president of the Universal Genealogy Center, said much of her firm's work is for LDS members. A lot of the work done by the 45-employee firm is for LDS converts, whose families haven't already sought out their ancestors.
"We've had a huge increase in work," she said. ********
Utah roots businesses
AGLL Bountiful (http://www.agll.com)
Ancestry Salt Lake City (http://www.ancestry.com)
Everton's Logan (http://www.everton.com) Lineages Salt Lake City (http://www.lineagesnet.com)