CDL Training Success Story

CDL Training Inc.
Jose Bentura
1555 Technology Way, Orem, UT 84097
801-987-2222
info@mycdltraining.com

Jose Bentura is not new to the business world. He has owned a variety of businesses since he was 18. His previous business ventures included huge overhead costs, such as used car dealerships, where he was generating up to $10 million in sales a year, operating costs were close to $9.9 million. Jose came to Utah with his family from the east coast. After losing $400,000 in a business deal, with nothing but the shirt on his back and the will to work hard to build a successful business.
Jose started his company, CDL Training, in Orem in March 2009. He came to the Orem SBDC in January 2009, for guidance in setting aggressive goals to run his company. The ocean of knowledge at the Orem SBDC was priceless. Jose was looking for structure and organization – the SBDC helped him attain that for his company. Jose considers that to be a foundation of his business, “Because if you don’t know where you are going, how do you know when you get there?” He says that “the monthly meetings are helpful to keep him on track”. Just eight months into the life of CDL Training, Bentura is 100% debt free, a first in his many business ventures. Ironically, in the worst economy, he is doing better than ever before.
Bentura recognizes that the bumps in the road from his previous businesses has been good experience, and he has learned from his mistakes. His keys to success are low maintenance, low overhead, and low expenses. He delegates well and is able to employ 2 to 4 employees while training anywhere from 5 to 50 students to certify for their CDL. His niche is the Hispanic market. While other companies turn these folks away, Bentura’s staff is bilingual and able to train them. His first priority is to give and create opportunities for his students. He not only helps them in a one-on-one program to get CDL certified, going at the individual’s pace; but after certification he assists his students with job placement. The program is 3 to 4 weeks long, and after that, his students can often triple their prior annual salary as truck drivers. Also, Bentura is now assisting his students in starting their own trucking businesses. He helps them find semi trucks for their own company and sends them to the SBDC for further business help.
Bentura advertises through Spanish radio, TV, print, word of mouth, and ads on his vehicles. He has found the internet marketing and SEO classes offered by the Orem SBDC center to be tremendously helpful in getting him more business. He runs his business out of the UVU incubators so his students have a store front to pick up applications, a space for a receptionist that is always available, and a place to study if needed. He started his business with one truck and a rented trailer, and has since grown to 3 trucks and a bus in the 8 short months since he opened. He has already graduated 110 students from his program; and has recently expanded to a location in West Valley City and hopes to soon open 5 more locations in Seattle, Wyoming, Denver, Idaho and Las Vegas. With his success spreading like wildfire what Jose really needs to concentrate on now is taking a few days off.

How to Survive the Recession Storm

Recession survival 101: Hotel owners get firsthand lesson
October 7th, 2009 @ 2:17pm
By Becky Bruce
LAYTON -- Hotel owners and managers in Utah are learning how to survive the recession. It's a big topic of discussion at the Utah Hotel and Lodging Association Convention in Layton this week.
Managing Director of the Utah Valley University Small Business Development Center Ken Fakler told people at the conference they didn't have to lose money.
He said, "It's up to the management people, it's up to the owners, whether they're going to survive this or whether the ship's going to sink."
Fakler said a lot of expenses were negotiable, even if they didn't seem like they should be. The reason? Your business insurance company or landlord would much rather get a lower rate from you than no rate at all.
"Every expense item on the income statement is negotiable," Fakler said.

Marynika Miche, a counselor at the Small Business Development Center, agreed. She also added that you have to scrutinize every expense to make sure employees aren't taking advantage of you in the recession. In particular, she cautioned about abuse of company gas cards.
"It's petty theft," Miche said. "They don't consider it stealing. But with fuel prices going up, it's been significant for the employees and the employers."
Fakler warned about employees misrepresenting workers' compensation claims, either because they can't afford health insurance or their co-pays. He suggested businesses make sure every claim their insurance company handles really results from an injury on the job to avoid facing higher rates.
Fakler said regardless of which cost-saving measures a hotel or other business took, the important thing was not to wait.
"You've got to make really tough decisions right now, immediately," he stressed. "You've got to cut your expenses, yet you've still got to give superior, magnificent customer service."
You can learn more about UVU's program for small businesses here, and the Utah Hotel and Lodging Association here.

Bee Safe Systems

Bee Safe Systems, LLP
Bonnie and Terri Snow
795 W Center Street #2
Provo, Utah 84601

In 2002, during a family graduation party, seven-year-old Virginia Graeme Baker was out swimming in the families private pool and hot tub. Her sister ran to get her mom because something was very wrong. Nancy Baker jumped into the hot tub trying to pull her daughter free of the drain, but she was no match for the suction force of the drain. Two men took over and broke the drain in order to release Virginia’s body. The child was rushed to the hospital but was dead on arrival. Nancy Baker, in the midst of her grieving, consulted her father-in-law, James Baker III, White House Chief of Staff for President’s Reagan and Bush, to pass a law about anti-entrapment drain covers. The Virginia Graeme Pool and Spa Safety Act was passed in 2007, requiring all public pools to have proper anti-entrapment drain covers in place by December 2008. Many public pools across the country have closed for the summer of 2009 because they did not have the means and funding to put in place an approved anti-entrapment drain cover. Other pools that have been caught without proper security have received a $5000 a day fine until the facility is fixed or closed.
In 2005, Bonnie Snow and her daughter Teri read about the accident and thought this would be a possible invention to tackle. They spent many afternoons discussing possible solutions to such a problem. In 2006, Bonnie was doing an inspection for Utah County and fell into an insecure sewer drainage that collapsed. Breaking her back and destroying her knees. She was on bed rest for months. One day, Teri told her to start researching their idea more. Together, they thought of a contraption that would save lives. Thinking of a design like a bee-hive, with strong tubular joints, they started inventing a device.
In October 2007, Bonnie and Teri started coming in to see Ken Fakler. Ken pointed them towards many helpful resources such as Internet Marketing and QuickBooks classes, assistance with taxes, and people they would be able to make contacts with for developing their product. Of all the sources that Bonnie and Teri tapped into, Ken never steered them wrong. Ken also believed in them and never let them give up. After months of testing that failed on their product and wanting to stop, Ken kept pushing them forward. After two times of failed testing through the ISOD machine that checked plastic standing against UV Rays, Ken pushed them forward and explained that the testing might be faulty. Bonnie and Teri went back to find out that even ISOD created plastic could not withstand the testing. With this new knowledge, ISOD readjusted their scale and temperatures and Bee Safe Systems passed. The specialized plastics had to pass food grade plastics tests, strength tests, stretch tests, and many others. Bonnie found a company called Georgia Gulf to make the plastic. This company was so excited by Bonnie’s product, that they even helped fund the testing.
In March 2009 the product finally passed all the testing. By April 2009 the Snow’s made their first massive sale of $100,000. Sales continued strong throughout May, June and July. They just received another major order in Logan under Utah Plastics for August. Just recently, they received a letter from the Director of Health in Tennessee saying that he was so excited about their product that he has mailed their brochure to all public pools in Tennessee along with their yearly license safety renewals. Canada has just passed a similar law and they are planning to advertise their next.

Sole Envy

Sole Envy
Laura Felt
1200 Town Centre Blvd #1142
Provo, UT 84601

Laura started out working in Claire’s Boutique as a retail manager. She enjoyed her position, but wanted to go to law school. Once she stopped working retail she realized how much she missed it. She knew what she really wanted was her own retail store. Laura had married into an entrepreneurial family and she and her husband dreamed about opening their own retail place. One day, while driving around, they decided that it was time to stop talking about their dream and start living it. They started researching the Provo Towne Centre to see what was missing from the mall. They decided that there really was not enough reasonably priced shoe stores. The only competition around was Famous Footwear.
Laura dove into research and decided she wanted to stay within a moderate price of $17-$24 per shoe pair. She looked into chic companies such as SODA, Cupid and Wild Diva. Laura scoped out the competition, camping out in front of other small retailers, finding out just what were the desirable and less desirable traits of each place. She decided she wanted to own a place that was shopper friendly with great customer service. She wanted to have well trained and helpful employees but also make it easy for customers to help themselves.
It wasn’t always easy for Laura to be successful. She came to Ken Fakler needing help to get a business loan. With the way the economy was heading, no bank was willing to finance a 22-year-old wanting to open a shoe store. Ken pointed Laura in the direction of Zion’s Bank as well as private investors and he helped her get a business plan together that won over both bank and investors.
Laura’s next hurdle was the Mall lease. The bank and mall could not come to an agreement about a lease plan. The Mall’s rules were that they can kick out anyone the first 90 days if you do not meet your goals. Once an agreement was finally reached and the Mall saw what a success Laura’s store was, she received invitations to franchise and spread throughout the Ggp (a mall organization that is in charge of 669 malls nationwide).
Before Laura opened her store she hired a designer to help with the store layout. She decided to keep everything at eye level, with deep enough shelves that all the sizes were available on the floor. She went with long mirrors on the walls that made the space look bigger. Laura chose furniture from IKEA, so that it looked modern and yet very inviting. She also spent hours making her window displays unique and eye catching. The result was the Sole Envy of the mall.
Even with the current economic downturn, Laura’s store has been recession proof. Within her first four months of business she was able to reach 62% above her projected sales. The sales were thousands of dollars above her projected monthly goals. Part of what makes Sole Envy such a success is that people always need shoes, and this is a lower priced, yet chic option. Another success maker for Laura is that she puts her employees first. She makes sure that her employees are very well trained and customer oriented. In return for their excellent service she is willing to help them out with their college education. Laura has been able to accomplish all of this at the young age of 22 and as a new mom, thanks to her dedication, the strong support of her family and the SBDC.