Longtime valley resident helped start businesses that spurred growth

By Diana Taylor

January 26, 2005 | Jon White remembers Cache Valley before McDonald's came to town.

"When I was growing up we always wanted to go to Salt lake to go to McDonald's," said White, 56.

White grew up in River Heights, where he can remember when everything on the eastern foothills was fields and sage brush. Now where White and his brother long ago picked beans and pulled weeds, White's son Jeremy lives in a new housing development.

Not only has White seen the growth in the valley he has also participated in it, as he was a part of the start of many businesses.

White attended Utah State on a wrestling scholarship for a year before he served a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Florida. White said that the time he spent in Florida as an assistant to his mission president for six months taught him more about business then almost anything in his life. His mission president was part of the family that started the Norbest Turkey business in Utah.

White also believes that he drew a lot of his knowledge from the time he spent in the National Guard. White joined the National Guard shortly after he arrived home from his mission. He was one of the older boys in his company that consisted of half Reserve and half Army.

"Me, a catholic kid from Pennsylvania, and a Jewish guy from New York were all training officers and lived together," said White. "Our lieutenant was our same age, and we had a lot of fun with him along with a lot of work."

White learned discipline as well as work ethic from his time in the National Guard.

White went on to work with many up and coming businesses in the valley. He worked for the Wurlitzer piano company which at the time had a manufacturing facility, where Bridgerland Applied Technology College stands today.

"The vice president there really took me under his wing and gave me many great opportunities," said White.

He worked at Wurlitzer for eight years and when he left he was the plant manager.

White also worked for Weather Shield and started with them because they were looking for people with manufacturing experience. Because of problems with the plant manager and fire that occurred, White was soon made the plant manager and put the pieces back together in the burned down facility.

"It was another start from scratch manufacturing opportunity," said White. "It was a neat opportunity for me and it was fun too."

While White was working for Weather Shield he first came in contact with Scott Waterson the former CEO of Icon Health and Fitness which at the time was Weslow. At the time Waterson was building his house.

"If you know Scott you know the only place he would buy windows from for his home was from the plant manager at a window manufacturing plant," said White.

Waterson and White hit it off right away and often spoke of him coming to work at Weslow. White would ask for an offer and Waterson would joke that he couldn't afford him.

After six and half years working at Weather Shield White left to become partner with a friend in a hardware and woodworking equipment supply company in Salt Lake City. Soon after White began working with him the reality set in that he would soon need to move to Salt Lake City. While contemplating this change Waterson made him an offer at Weslow he and his partner in Salt Lake decided it would be best for him to dissolve their partnership.

When he began working for Weslow they were making jogging trampolines and importing treadmills from China that often required a lot of reworking after arriving in the states. White soon decided they should begin manufacturing the treadmills stateside and from then on the company just kept growing.

"Everything we did we grew out of," said White. "At the time fitness was considered a fad. Vendors were unsure of the business, but we believe that fitness is a lifestyle change and that people are going to continue doing it."

The goal was to make treadmills at a price point so that the average person could afford them. At the time the average cost of a treadmill was between $2,000 and $5,000. Today their treadmills are sold starting at $100.

"When I was growing up you would go out and haul hay so you wouldn't come in and want to lift weights," said White. "Now we spend time pressing buttons on a machine and need to work out."

White learned that you never know what a really good idea is and when it will really make it big.

"You may not turn into the flower you thought you were," said White.

White and his wife, Darlene, have five children and 10 grandchildren, and you rarely find White with out a grandchild in tow.

White has also started another generation that will bring more business and change to Cache Valley. His son Jeremy has followed in his fathers footsteps and has helped head up the company JJ Cole.

The company is based in Logan and it designs and manufacture convenient and fashionable products for children including the popular Buddle me which a product designed to keep children warm in car seats and strollers.

"Uncle Jon was always one to hop on the four-wheeler or snowmobile and go for a ride with the family," said Henry Taylor, 23, who is one of White's nephews.

Taylor recalled the last time he was with White. His grandkids kept coming into the room and climbing on his lap to tell him a story or ask him a question and at one point White was carrying three kids on his back around the living room.

"Grandpa is fun, he helps me jump rope when he comes over," said Hannah White, 7.

White lives with his wife just north of Richmond. He remembers thrity years ago when there were 15 dairy farms there with 50-100 cows each. Now there is one dairy farm left.

"In wishing we had all the things that Salt Lake City had we got them along with air pollution and traffic as bad as Salt Lake," said White.

When he was in high school he could buy gas for 20 cents a gallon.

"We could put five gallons in for $1 and have a great night with that," said White. "Now you can't stop the pump fast enough to pay under a dollar. In 50 years this much had happened imagine what it will be like in another 50 years?"

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