An Interview With Hal Wing of Wing Enterprises - 

Little Giant Ladders

In March of this year I called Hal Wing and asked if I could meet with him. He agreed and we set up the appointment. My goal in talking with him was to gather information about his success in life. Hal Wing was a self made man that worked hard for what he achieved but he was quick to point out that it was God that made him successful. I wanted other people to hear his story so that they too could believe that it was possible to rise above your circumstances and succeed in life in many ways.

When I explained to Hal what I wanted. He quickly responded that he was nothing special. That he just worked hard and had a lot of blessings. I told him that I would love to have a biography of him. He told me that several people had approached him about a biography but he didn’t feel that his life was special enough for a biography. I enjoyed a wonderful time with Hal as he talked to me about his philosophy on life and share with me a couple of poems that he wrote himself. I wish that I had been able to glean more information from that impressive man. The following is what I put together after meeting with him. I have also included the two poems that he gave me to post.

Hal Wing - A Giant of A Man

This man has gone from a poor young missionary to the Ladder Giant of the United States, pun intended. He has shown others what “The American Dream” is all about. A good idea, hard work, and resource utilization have made him, and many of the people that have worked with him, very successful.

He decided to sell ladders after returning from a mission to Germany. He had seen a style of folding ladders that he thought would work well in the United States. After some challenges he set up his own manufacturing facility in Springville, Utah. I love the story he told me of the county fair.

At a county fair he stood in his booth watching people walk by. Discouragement began to settle in and threatened to bury him under self doubt. What could he do? He reached into his past and pulled out a pair of lederhosen. The next day dressed like a German peasant he climbed up on the top on his extended ladder and began to yodel. It didn’t take long before he had a crowd watching him. Then the magic began. Any of you who have seen him at work with one of the ladders will agree that what he does with a ladder is pure magic. He can push, pull, flip and flop the ladder into a myriad of positions while explaining how you can use each one.

He goes at life with the enthusiasm and excitement that is second to none. His 30 ambulance rides attest to his desire to push the limits. He is proud of the fact that no one could out race him.

As if running a multimillion dollar company was not enough, he was elected the mayor of Springville and was liked by the citizen for his leadership.

BYU Marriott School of Business wrote a case study using Hal’s business. It can be found at http://marriottschool.byu.edu/cet/resources/cases/WingEnterprises.pdf

I hope that one day we will see a biography of Hal Wing that can be used to inspire many who follow. I include Hal’s story in Endowed Prosperity because he is a great example of the concept. Hal Wing not only is very successful himself but he helped many others along the way. He pushes his employees to great achievements then rewards them nicely for what they do. The world needs more people like Hal Wing especially in developing economies where business leadership is so desperately needed.