Although he runs the second-largest homebuilding firm in Utah, runs a tight schedule and lives by the philosophy "I'd rather make a fast nickel than a slow dime," Rick Salisbury still finds time to walk through every house that Salisbury Homes constructs.
Salisbury's penchant for quality drives him to be on construction sites 10-12 hours a day, six days a week, checking, guiding, working to ensure that the homes are built on time, are built well and still can be purchased by a prospective homeowner for a low cost.
Salisbury Homes has a goal of 50 homes sales per month for the year 2000. Last year, the firm built 504 houses.
A true entrepreneur, Salisbury has begun four construction-related companies that now employ a total of 22 people: an excavation firm, a waste removal company, a real estate company and a home-cleaning outfit.
After a series of odd jobs following high school, Rick Salisbury joined the Masons Union and completed its four-year course in just three years. He then began his own masonry company and in six years managed to expand the firm until it was the largest masonry contractor in the state. However, much of the work was out of state, and Salisbury decided the travel took him away from his family too much.
He sold that business and as a favor to his aunt, built a house for her. That led to the start of Salisbury Homes in 1989. Using his own house and a truck for collateral, he got a $75,000 loan from First Security Bank and bought 10 lots in Spanish Fork.
Despite the sluggish real estate market, his gamble paid off and the firm took hold.
Today, Salisbury Homes primarily constructs starter homes in Utah and Wasatch counties. They range from 800-square-foot ramblers to 3,000-square-foot two-story houses with price ranges from $89,900 to $159,900.
After one year with the firm, Salisbury employees can buy a home at cost, which usually saves them between $10,000 to $15,000. Rick Salisbury also has paid for employees to attend drug rehabilitation programs and even paid $20,000 in medical expenses for another employee.