Doug was born in Schwaigern, Germany but was raised in Utah to a close-knit family. His father was working in insurance when he learned of a new opportunity. This opportunity was the little giant ladder and he took its design and idea to build a successful business. 

Selling these ladders during a tanking economy in the 1970’s was not an easy task. That didn’t matter to Hal, he had an incredible amount of drive and dedication to make sales. Hal never gave up, even when people questioned his path and laughed at him he kept the faith and believed that he would become successful. Doug’s dad spent 300 days a year on the road and that dedication is what helped him succeed. Doug saw first hand the drive it took for his dad to build a strong company. 

Doug learned a ton about the best ways to make sales. The two most important things Hal used to emphasis to his salespeople including Doug was:

• You can tell the customer anything you want as long as it’s the truth. Hal believed making sales always needed to be done ethically and honestly. Hal valued relationships and building relationships is based on trust so it was important for each salesperson to be honest and upfront with their customer even when other competitors aren’t.
• In meetings with distributors or vendors Hal would say if it’s not a good deal for everyone at the table it’s not a good deal. Hal believed it was important for everyone involved in the deal to get their fair share. 

Doug’s dad wasn’t afraid to take financial risks, the company put their product on an Infomercial even when it was extremely pricey to do so. The risk paid off; the infomercial was an overnight success and the money that Hal had on the line was made and then some. 

Doug was able to take everything he learned from his father and implement it into his position at the company. He saw first hand the ways his father developed strong relationships with customers and business associates.