Michael Farr: bringing innovation to family tradition.

• Author: Haraldsen, Tom
• Position: Spotlight

Like any young boy, Michael Farr wanted to be a lot like his father--following in his footsteps, emulating his job. But unlike many of his childhood friends, Farr's aspirations were coupled with a passion for something almost everyone loves--ice cream.

He and his younger brothers, Darin and Nathan, grew up as part of the Farr's Ice Cream family, a business that recently celebrated its 90th anniversary as a manufacturer of the frozen treat. And like his family before him, Michael Farr has never been content to rest on the company's laurels. "We're constantly adjusting," he says.

His great-grandfather Asael Farr began harvesting ice during the winters at the turn of the century (about 1895). As summers arrived, blocks of ice were sold from horse-drawn wagons on the streets of Ogden. In 1920, the Farr family constructed the first commercial ice plant in a five state area, and introduced "Farr Better Ice." Seven years later, when GE introduced the world's first refrigerator, the market for ice began to dwindle, and the Farr family converted their ice plants into ice cream plants.

"I started working at the plant when I was 12," Farr recalls. "That summer, my dad offered me a chance to do some yard work. So I cut the lawn, weeded the flowers and hosed down the parking lot. I'd go to work with him every day from 8 a.m. to noon, and my 'pay' was usually an ice cream cone of my choice, plus $1.15 an hour!"

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

As the business grew, Farr also grew more involved. "It was not a given that I'd stay working in the business," he says, but after finishing a college degree and serving a two-year LDS mission, Farr found himself returning to the factory.

"The assumption was that I'd come home and go into law," he says. "By the time I came home, I decided I wanted to stay in the...