| Tony Basso addresses the economic summit in the local business session. |
Mad Man Basso Auto Sales
Jo Sansevero introduced the local businesses presenting at the Castle Valley Economic Summit. She said a few businesses that have been successful in taking the entrepreneurial spirit and making it work were asked to share some of their secrets and time with summit goers.
Tony Basso from Mad Man Basso auto sales spoke. He said they began their business on April 1, 1989 with two cars in front of a building owned by his aunt which contained her beauty shop. With the support of the community the business has continued to grow. Basso said they couldn’t have succeeded without their mentors behind them. Karl Kraync helped show him the car business. Delynn Fielding also helped. The Bassos started with a dream and just saw where it would take them. “Without these individuals helping, it would have gone nowhere. Basso now has 11 businesses nine of which are in Carbon and Emery counties. He thinks sometimes too much emphasis is put on trying to bring businesses in and not enough on cultivating the businesses we have from the center out. “We need to cultivate young entrepreneurs. We are all in this together. I have always stressed the three Ps, which are you must have a passion about what you are doing. You must be passionate to be successful. You need a positive mental attitude. Business isn’t simply about the customers. Business is demanding, it’s instrumental to work in a positive manner. Say please and thank you. Say we appreciate your business. With the internet you can just send off a nasty email to complain. We have to look our customers in the eye and say, I’m sorry. Smile it confuses people.
“We are all in this together. Our two communities are united as one. If we unite as one and work together we can all be successful. It is a team effort,” said Basso.
| Local dentist Mark Olson talks to the economic summit goers about the advances in dentistry and the business aspects of being a dentist. |
Mark Olson Dentist
Mark Olson is a local dentist who addressed the summit. He has been practicing in Price for 13 years. He graduated from Craig University in Omaha in 1987. He along with his wife Brandy moved back to the Price area because they have family here. His practice began in 1994 and has grown to 7,000 patients. “We have seven fulltime employees and we see 30 patients a day, ages from 6 months to 100 years. We work with patients four days each week and on Fridays. I do the paperwork. Sometimes I think dentists are overlooked as being businessmen and women. But, I operate a multi-million dollar business. My lowest paid employee makes $12 an hour and our highest paid makes $34 per hour. We offer health insurance and profit sharing. We are a big support to the community with higher paying jobs. Dentistry has an awesome future. The improvements in dental materials is amazing. There has been a great reduction in the number of teeth that need to be taken out.
“I have seen huge changes in the last 13 years. No silver fillings are used anymore,” said Olson.
Olson does bridge work, implants, fixed crowns, dentures, whitening and many other services. X-rays are now done digitally. “It’s hard to keep up with all the changes,” said Olson, “but they work hard to keep up with all the new technology. “There is a lot of business involved in operating a dental office. There are quality employers in Carbon and Emery counties. Seventy percent of the patients we see have one or more dental insurances. We have great employers and quality employees. Dentistry is a great profession. We have had great support and try to put money back into our communities,” said Olson.
| Toni Hatt tells about the pheasant farm and hatchery.e |
Hatt’s Pheasant Ranch Toni Hatt
Toni Hatt from Hatt’s Ranch and Hatchery presented the story of their business. Since 1934, the Hatts have operated a cow/calf operation on their ranch. The ranch is located west of Green River on the road to Hanksville. The San Rafael river runs through the property. In 1976 the family decided to turn the land into a hunting preserve where hunters could come in and shoot pheasants. “The preserve went well and just got bigger, we couldn’t find a supplier for the pheasants so in 1984 the hatchery side of the business began. We started with two incubators which hatched 3,100 eggs,” said Hatt.
The hatches were successful, a smaller bird worked better, because the hunters thought they were getting a wild bird which flew really well. The Hatt family worked hard on quality control. The business grew from a shed to a 30×90 feet building. The Hatt children as well as their friends all became part of the business. They have a fun time together as they gather eggs in May and June. Sometimes as many as 7,000 eggs per day. These eggs are brought to the hatchery and placed in the incubators. Per week there are 45,000 chicks which hatch. The business employs 14 people some full and some part-time. The chicks are well feathered and flighty.
The Hatts sell their chicks to other hunting clubs. “It is a great industry and my husband Royd always says, ‘The business is still growing if we can keep up with it,’ said Toni.