Harold R. Wing went from insurance agent to manufacturer on the strength of one idea.
Wing was a top-performing manager of a Beneficial Life insurance office in West Germany when he met a German man who had invented a telescoping step/extension ladder.
Fired with the potential of the idea, Wing obtained North American marketing and manufacturing rights and founded Wing Enterprises Inc. In his first year, he single-handedly sold more than $500,000 in ladders imported from Germany.
But net profits were small; it was the 1970s, and the dollar was worth little against the German mark. Wing decided he had to start making the ladders domestically, so he rented an old grocery store and converted it into his first factory. He taught himself to weld and to run the necessary equipment and began making the ladders himself.
Wing's willingness to do whatever he had to do to make his company work brought in enough business that he soon could hire some help. Now, Wing Enterprises employs more than 100 people at its Springville manufacturing facility. The company has branched from its cornerstone Little Giant articulating ladders to step ladders, planks, work platforms and other equipment.
Wing still is unafraid to invest in products in which he believes. An avid sportsman, he noticed while snowmobiling that it is difficult to walk out through deep snow when snowmobiles break down or crash. That led him to develop Powderwings, "compactible" snowshoes that fit into a fanny pack. Wing Enterprises also has added a patented, locally designed line of trailer hitches.
Wing also recently founded West Wing Contractors, a construction company specializing in entry-level and mid-range homes.