Stephen Schubach.

• Author: Christopher, Elisha
• Position: People - President and CEO of Standard Optical - Brief Article - Interview

Visionary endeavors

What do Harry Truman, Cardinal spellman, Esther Williams, Matt Damon, Carmen Electra and Eddie Van Halen have in common? The answer isn't some warped riddle. These people, along with thousands of others across Utah and the United States, can see well and look great thanks to Henry Schubach, his son Richard Schubach, and his grandson Stephen Schubach, current president and CEO of Standard Optical. Stephen owes a lot to his father, who took over the business after World War II. But he also credits his grandfather, who came from St. Louis in he early 1900s with his brother and opened Schubach Jewelry. The business was a success, but Grandpa Schubach wanted something more. "He went into the optical business in 1911," says Stephen, "figuring that jewelry was a usury item that people didn't need if things got tough, but they would always need eyeglasses." Now in its 91st year, Standard Optical has 16 locations from Logan to St. George as well as two specialty sunglass stores, and two more stores set to open this year in Murray and Tooele.

Stephen Schubach, 53, became president and CEO of Standard Optical in 1985 and has been with the company for almost 28 years. "As I was growing up. I always worked here in the summers and when I came back from college," he recounts. Schubach grew up in Salt Lake and went to Judge Memorial High School. He earned his bachelor's degree in economics from the University of San Francisco in 1971 and then returned to Judge Memorial High School as a teacher after a year of graduate school at the University of Utah. He taught only a year before deciding to return to Standard Optical. "I don't know if I ever thought about (Standard Optical) as a lifelong career, but I think deep down I probably had an inkling that it was my call," he says. And why stop with the third generation? Schubach's two sons, Aaron and Nick, as well as his stepson, Ed Allen, all work for the company. His wife, Theresa, is also an employee. Family businesses can...