Marc Bingham found success in phone-book publishing by carving a market niche where others couldn't see one — publishing phone books in competition with phone companies, and doing it outside big cities.
Bingham, now founder and chief executive officer of Orem-based Blue Diamond Capital, published his first phone directory in 1971 in Carbon County. He was a young government employee who saw an opportunity to publish a complete directory with lower rates than those charged by the phone company.
The strategy worked that first year, and in subsequent yeas Bingham's strategy flourished as he brought an intimate, small-town ethic of fairness and a good deal to each new directory he published. Eventually, Bingham's company, Phone Directories Co., published directories in more than 200 locations, flourishing in such previously untapped markets as Jackson Hole, Wyo., and several Canadian provinces.
Bingham credits the Jaycees organization and its ethics with forming his business philosophy, with the goal of being balanced financially, mentally, physically, socially and spiritually.
Service to one's community is also a Jaycee goal, and in keeping with that goal, Bingham in 2007 sold Phone Directories and invested much of his profit from the sale in Blue Diamond, which has helped start a variety of businesses, from retail and hospitality to land development and aviation, in four states.
Bingham also has made significant donations to Utah's public universities for diverse projects like an Entrepreneurship and Energy Research Center, a botanical garden museum and a new track.