In 1908, Thomas Wheelwright and his brother Solomon built a sawmill in Ogden, Utah to serve their community. More than a century later, that mission continues to endure. What began as a small family operation has grown into one of the top single-store lumber yards in the United States. The real measure of success, though, is in the five generations who have carried this legacy forward.
After more than 100 years in central Ogden, Wheelwright Lumber moved to a new facility in west Ogden, expanding its ability to serve customers across Salt Lake City and surrounding communities. The expanded store—with its retail floor of power tools, hardware, fasteners, and building supplies—represents more than growth. It reflects a family’s commitment to evolving while honoring what made the business into what it is today.
Paul Wheelwright, the fourth-generation owner and CEO, inherited a business shaped by intention. His great-grandfather, Thomas, passed the business down through the family, each generation adding their own mark while honoring the foundation that came before. Paul acquired the business in the mid-1990s. Now, as the fifth generation comes of age, Paul is preparing for the next transition and continuing a pattern that has defined Wheelwright Lumber for over a century.
The Wheelwright Way
The Wheelwright story is one of deliberate evolution, shaped by each generation’s commitment to honoring their past while imagining what comes next. Paul’s father taught him from the ground up, a pattern every Wheelwright before him also followed. When Paul took ownership, he brought that same commitment to growth. He invested strategically, including a pivotal property expansion in the early 2000s that gave the company room to thrive.
Now Paul’s son Trevor carries the tradition forward. With more than 13 years in the business, Trevor learned the same way, by doing the work. He currently runs accounting, but Paul coaches him on skills that matter most: managing people, reading the business and understanding the relationships that hold everything together.
“Wheelwrights don’t ever seem to retire, so I’d like to always be involved. All the generations before did that and that’s the way it’s been. My dad used to say, ‘I’m so glad I didn’t retire. I enjoy the business, the interaction with customers, employees, vendors.’ He said if he’d walked away, he wouldn’t have known what to do. So I plan to always be involved, but I’ve been coaching [Trevor] on the things I do, what I think is important to monitor and watch, and how to manage people.”
The Wheelwrights haven’t relied on a formal succession plan to get here. Instead, they’ve built a culture of deliberate mentorship. Each generation has had space to grow into leadership while the one before remained present and guiding. That continuity—combined with clear expectations—has been the foundation of the business’s stability for over 100 years.
Teaching the Next Generation
Even as businesses like Wheelwright have sustained continuity over generations, many owners across Salt Lake City are approaching a pivotal transition. According to recent Chase research, 58% of small business owners in Salt Lake City expect to retire within the next decade, yet only 42% have begun thinking about identifying a successor. In a region where one in seven businesses has been operating for 20 years or more, proactive succession planning will play a defining role in what endures.
Chase has been part of Wheelwright Lumber’s journey for decades. The partnership began when Paul was building the business he’d inherited and continues to evolve. Chase helped finance the property expansion in the early 2000s that gave the company the space it needed to grow.
“Wheelwright Lumber has grown by doing what enduring family businesses do best: handing down responsibility gradually, staying close to customers, and investing for the long term. We’ve been proud to support Paul and the team—especially through key moments like their early-2000s expansion—and to remain a partner as they plan for what’s next across generations,” said Andrea Niederhauser, Senior Business Relationship Manager, Chase Business Banking.
A Legacy Built to Last
For Thomas and Solomon, Wheelwright Lumber was built to serve their community. For Paul, it’s about honoring that purpose while ensuring the business can thrive in a changing world. For Trevor, it represents the same blend of obligation and opportunity preserving five generations of work, and the freedom to shape what comes next.
That’s the real succession story. It’s not a sudden transfer of power. It’s what Paul learned from his father, and what he’s teaching Trevor every day. It’s the knowledge built over 116 years—from the original sawmill in Ogden to the expanded operation on the west side today. It’s the understanding that succession happens through mentorship, through space to grow into responsibility, and through a culture that values both what came before and what comes next. Creating that culture—and sustaining it across generations—requires more than good intentions.
Chase for Business can help guide that work. Visit chase.com/NationalTreasures or speak with a Chase Business advisor to learn more about succession planning resources and how to build the clarity a business needs to thrive across generations.
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