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Cache Valley Electric working
on new, larger headquarters
By Trenton Walker
December 11, 2007 | Cache Valley Electric's corporate
office is at 919 North 1000 West, and just south is
the location for its new office building. Construction
has begun on the 13,000-square-foot, one-story building
that will be finished in June 2008. The building will
be about 40 percent larger than the current office.
Jaydee Barr Construction of Logan is the contractor.
Jim Laub, the president and chief executive officer
of CVE, chose JDB Construction because of the relationship
built between them when JDB Construction built Laub's
home in Logan.
Laub said, "He is a pleasure to work with, is
careful with what he does and has great quality and
pride in the work he does."
Laub started working for CVE full time after he graduated
from USU in 1974. He has been the president and CEO
since 1997, although when first asked how long he has
been president he said, "two minutes" and
"titles aren't a big thing around here."
The architect is Robert G. McArthur of RGM Design
in Bountiful. Laub said the reasons he chose McArthur
for this project are he is easy to work with, responsive
and gives a personal touch. McArthur was also the architect
for Laub's home.
The new office building will house some unique decorations,
according to Laub. In the main lobby will be a 1930
antique REO Speed-Wagon that was used by CVE in its
early days. It has a special wooden platform that raises
14 feet in the air, which allowed workers to safely
work on power lines. It was one of the original "boom
trucks" for electrical workers, said Laub. There
is also room in the back of the office for another antique
vehicle, but there hasn't been a decision on whether
the vehicle will be installed.
Another feature about the new office that has the
employees excited is windows. Laub's secretary, Sue
Labrum, said, "I can't wait to have a window."
Also, Jim's son Mark Laub said, "I am stoked for
the car wash that will be in the back so I can wash
my truck anytime."
The current office building was built in 1980 and
housed five employees. Over the years it has been added
on to accommodate the now 17 employees, but according
to Laub it "is not a very functional office because
it wasn't designed to handle the kind of load we put
on it." Also, he said because of all the additions
made to the building, "the hallways are kind of
like a maze for a rat to travel."
Henry F. Laub, the grandfather of Jim Laub, founded
CVE in 1915. He started out by selling and fixing electrical
appliances for businesses and homes. Also, he did some
auto parts and tire work as well.
CVE is now one of the largest electrical contractors
in the West. It has handled projects as far away as
Thailand, Trinidad and Puerto Rico. In addition to the
corporate office in Logan, CVE now has offices in Salt
Lake and Portland, Ore. Its long client list consists
of national powerhouses including Nucor Steel, Nike,
Marriott, AT&T, American Express, Utah State University,
Verizon . . . and the list goes on.
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