The Old Way of Doing Business

Locations in Boise, Idaho Falls, Salt Lake City, Ogden, and Layton

by Ryan Spelts

Its the old way of doing business! Friend to friend, neighbor to neighbor, you work hard and deal honestly with your clients. It is still a great way to work together. My grandfather was an old horse trader, and that is how he did business. It is still the way that Sonny Thompson does business. His day-to-day job is working as a salesman for Valley Glass. His night job is maintaining his and his wife Cheryl’s cattle ranch and farming over 100 acres around North Ogden and Pleasant View to keep his cattle fed. If you have met Sonny, you know his persona matches up to his name. You also know that he loves the ranching lifestyle and loves teaching youngsters that lifestyle and encouraging it.

Sonny takes pride in working for Valley Glass. The owners, the Naylors, have always matched Sonny’s values and even backed them with financial resources. Sonny has also had a long relationship with with Jeff Hales of John Hansen Real Estate and H & H Ranch. When they were younger, Sonny told Jeff of a windmill that could be connected to a pump to automatically retrieve water from the earth and deliver it to a trough for the animals to drink, all through the natural power of wind. Jeff loved the idea and eventually put one at his ranch; he recently helped Sonny get one of his own. Jeff jokingly called it the Make-a-Wish foundation. You can see the new windmill as you drive down Shorty’s Lane (Named after Sonny’s Dad). It is a fascinating design that pulls water from the earth and such a great tool for a busy part time rancher. Sonny also got wind of a project that Jeff wanted to take on. His grandsons (pictured) wanted to learn about raising livestock. They decided to build a chicken coop and raise chickens. With grandpa’s help, they transformed an old shed into a beautiful raised coop, with donated windows from Valley Glass. When Mark Naylor, CEO of Valley Glass, heard that some young men wanted to learn rancher’s skills, he wanted to help out. As usual, Sonny is right in the middle of it., making sure everyone gets connected with who they need to know to meet their goals. Valley Glass has long been a supporter of youth trying to learn the western lifestyle. They sponsor the county fair and often support youth who are making efforts to learn to care for animals. They have been great supporters of many projects and have helped many local kids. They believe in the old way of doing things, and for that matter, so do we!

SPECIALIZING IN ALL OF YOUR GLASS NEEDS FOR OVER 65 YEARS!

VALLEY GLASS 801-399-5691 WWW.VALLEYGLASS.COM AUTO GLASS • DECORATIVE GLASS • MIRRORS • PICTURE

GLASS • SCREENS • SKYLIGHTS • SHOWER DOORS •

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September 2020 | CONNECTIONPUBLISHING 19