Cache Valley Electric
Logan, Utah
Founded 1915
In 1914, H.F. Laub and his crew from Chicago built transmission lines through the Intermountain West. A year later, after wrapping up part of the work in Cache Valley, Utah, he decided to stay and begin a new business called Cache Valley Electric.
“Whether he fell in love with the mountains of Utah or fell in love with the local girl (my grandmother) — nobody knows for sure — but he decided to plant his roots in Logan, Utah,” says Jim Laub, grandson of the company’s founder and current president and CEO. “Soon after founding Cache Valley Electric in 1915, he moved his family from Gilman, Ill., to join him in this new business.”
Laub named his business “Cache Valley” in reference to the valley where the company’s headquarters is located.
“This name was given to the valley in the 1800s when the numerous fur trappers in the area would store their furs along the river banks,” Laub says. “They referred to these as their ‘cache.’”
When the business first began, Cache Valley Electric (CVE) offered three services to its customer base: electrical contracting, appliances, and automotive service, such as tires. As the business evolved, the company dropped the appliances and automotive services to focus on electrical construction. Over time, the complexity and technology aspects of projects have increased dramatically, Laub says.
“The electrical industry that CVE is part of today would be unrecognizable from that which my grandfather saw,” Laub says. “In fact, the industry today would not be recognizable to my father who retired in 1982.”
While Laub wasn’t around for the beginning and early growth years of CVE, he has seen his family-owned company grow considerably. Case in point: When he began work in 1974 after graduating from Utah State University, the company had one office and averaged about 20 employees. Today, it has six offices nationwide and employs more than 1,500. To prepare for the next century, CVE is focusing on its core — its employees.
“We don’t view employees as simply a means to an end,” says Nate Wickizer, COO. “We’re a family-owned company, and our employees belong to the CVE family.”
Over the last century, CVE has not only kept its employees at the forefront, but it has also focused on technology as part of its business plan. It invests heavily in cutting-edge tools, equipment, and facilities to help its employees. Finally, CVE is trying to become more accessible to customers through diversification. The company is creating a one-stop shop for its clients so it can meet all their needs, from working underground to providing services in the cloud.
“Our geographical reach has extended with new offices, ensuring that clients all over the country have access to CVE’s personal touch,” Wickizer says.
