STARTS WITH BETTER WINDOWS
Infinity Windows by Marvin are designed for Utah’s climate-built to last and made for comfort.
8x stronger than vinyl
85% less expansion and contraction than vinyl
Acrylic color finish is 3x thicker than competitors
Strong frame = less frame
Less frame = more glass (better views)
In the world of home services, the garage door is often an afterthought—until it stops working. But for A+ Garage Doors, the humble garage door has become the centerpiece of a revolution in customer service, technical excellence, and community impact. It is this commitment to redefining an industry that has rightfully earned A+ Garage Doors the prestigious 2026 Utah Best of State award in the “Doors” category.
A Foundation Built on Vision
Founded in 2005 by CEO Carrie Kelsch, A+ Garage Doors began as a modest operation run out of a home garage in Herriman. Over the past two decades, Kelsch has steered the company from a single-truck business into a statewide name, now employing 152 Utahns and operating a fleet of over 80 service trucks.
What sets A+ apart isn’t just their impressive scale, but their perspective. As one of the few prominent, woman-led companies in a male-dominated trade, A+ has brought a fresh approach to the industry—one defined by empathy, transparency, and a relentless focus on the customer experience.
Innovation Through Transparency
The garage door industry has historically been plagued by “break-fix” mentalities, opaque pricing, and high-pressure sales tactics. A+ Garage Doors dismantled this model by introducing their proprietary “No Surprises” Guarantee.
When a technician arrives, they don’t
just start working. They perform a 25-point safety inspection and sit down with the homeowner to explain exactly what is necessary versus what is recommended. By empowering customers with knowledge, they have turned a stressful, unexpected expense into an educational and transparent experience. This method has garnered the company an astonishing 30,000 verified five-star reviews—a testament to the trust they have earned across the Wasatch Front and beyond.
Technological Excellence
Operating across 40 strategic locations, A+ utilizes cutting-edge, enterprise-grade technology to ensure efficiency. Their “Decentralized Hub Model” uses advanced dispatching software to route the nearest, most qualified technician to a customer’s door. This ensures that whether a client is in St. George or Logan, they receive prompt, same-day service with the exact parts required for the job, minimizing downtime and reducing the fleet’s environmental footprint.
Furthermore, they have professionalized the trade itself. Their internal training academy, which emphasizes academic rigor and safety certifications, ensures their technicians are not just mechanics, but highly trained safety inspectors.
Heart of the Community
A+ Garage Doors understands that a business’s success is measured by its contribution to the community it serves. This June and July, A+ is donating $100 per garage door sold (up to 200 doors) to MakeA-Wish Utah. Together with local partners, they are helping to grant life-changing wishes to children facing very difficult health challenges.
In addition to this campaign with MakeA-Wish Utah, A+ Garage Doors is partnering with other trade organizations in Utah, and will be coming together for a Day-ofthe-Trades event later this year, to magnify their impact in the community.
Looking Ahead
Winning the Best of State award is a significant milestone, but for A+ Garage Doors, it is simply another step in their mission to provide superior service and craftsmanship to every Utah home. By combining high-cycle components—like oil-tempered springs that last five times longer than standard alternatives—with a dedication to bespoke design, they continue to set the bar for quality in the Beehive State.
Whether you are looking to enhance your home’s curb appeal with a custom garage door or need urgent, reliable repairs, A+ Garage Doors is ready to serve you with the integrity and excellence that has made them Utah’s undisputed leader.
Ready to experience the A+ difference? Discover why thousands of your neighbors trust A+ Garage Doors with their homes. Visit APlusDoor.com today to learn more about their services or to book your next garage door installation or repair.
WESTERN TIMBER FRAME OFFERS CUSTOMERS CUSTOMIZED OUTDOOR SPACES
Western Timber Frame is known for custom outdoor structures, fit to the space and lifestyle of their clients. (Photos courtesy of Western Timber Frame)
In 2009, when J. Hyrum Thompson first co-founded Western Timber Frame, what’s become known as Utah’s premier heavy timber manufacturer, he saw himself as a builder of beautiful wood structures.
At first, that seemed like enough. Thompson had spent years studying woodwork, drawn to the way a well-designed beam or joint could quietly elevate a space.
“I always thought people see beautiful woodwork—that’s what they want,” he said.
But as the company grew, the conversations
By Rebecca Olds |rebecca.o@thecityjournals.com
with customers shifted. They weren’t just talking about how the pergolas and pavilions looked. They were talking about how they lived differently because of them.
Thompson now describes Western Timber Frame as a company that “sells family experiences and time together outside,” with the structure as the frame around that time. The timber is the visible product, but the real outcome is what people do under it.
But as projects went up, the feedback the company got from customers wasn’t just about the
quality but about how their lives changed.
“We had one lady come in and tell us how her husband spent more time in the backyard, outside, in the last year than he did in the last 10 years,” Thompson said. “He got off his blood pressure medicines and lost 20 pounds.”
He told another story where the outside structure they built for a family became a gathering place to grieve and later heal when they lost their daughter.
Those stories aren’t one-offs. Thompson talks about his own grandkids as proof of concept. “When my grandkids and the kids come over, we sit in the backyard,” he said. “We used to run out of shade and people would leave earlier. Now they all say, ‘Let’s go to grandpa’s house,’ because it’s a good place to hang out.”
In another project, a townhouse owner worried a pergola would make her already-dim home darker. Instead, covering her windows with shade allowed her to keep the blinds open. “Afterwards she called me,” Thompson said. “She got a lot more light than she did before — and the house even saved on utility bills because it cooled it off that much more.”
“Our bigger game is to make heavy timber the first choice for builders, developers and homeowners who want to build something that lasts — not just a structure, but a legacy.”
That shift in identity landed against a sobering backdrop of how little time people spend outdoors.
“I think it’s 92 or 93% of the time people spend in an indoor environment,” said Laurence Bunker, Western Timber Frame’s president and chief marketing officer, citing numbers often attributed to the National Human Activity Pattern Survey.
That’s what drove Western Timber Frame’s leaders to talk more about creating
J. Hyrum Thompson, Western Timber Frame cofounder, and Laurence Bunker, president, at the site of a custom backyard haven in Sandy, UT, completed by Western Timber Frame.
(Rebecca Olds, Salt Lake Business Journal)
places to help families and guests use their outdoor spaces.
“We realized how much the difference it makes in people’s lives that are getting outside and changing them,” said Bunker. “We’re not just trying to build a nice structure; we’re trying to figure out how to make it function for you, and how it’ll make your life different.”
Thompson compares it to learning an instrument.
“It’s like playing a musical instrument. If you’ve got to dig it out of a closet, you’re gonna have a hard time actually learning how to play,” said Thompson. “That’s where we try to integrate it seamlessly into their lifestyle, so that indoor living and outdoor living can be combined.”
As that realization became a big part of the company, it also started moving more into commercial structures.
The National Restaurant Association, Bunker said, found that eating establishments get a “huge boost” of about 27% in business when adding outdoor seating options.
Western Timber Frame still roots its identity in heavy timber and craft. Their
“kit” model is about control and consistency, not commoditization.
“We try to do as much as possible, so there’s very little cutting [on-site]; it’s stained and finished before we go out there,” said Thompson. “That’s why we call them a kit, because it’s premade.
“But you see, it’s not a kit in the traditional sense. It’s not going to come in a bunch of cardboard boxes.”
Thompson contrasts their work with what customers might find at warehouse stores: “You’re better off having a Costco kit than nothing at all. I’m not trying to criticize it, but our stain weighs more than their whole kit does.”
Delivering on their experience-first promise also depends on operations. Project managers like David Jessop work to anticipate problems before a crew ever shows up.
“Once they do renderings, it falls onto my table, and I come out to make sure that the project gets executed correctly,” said Jessop. “I come out to try and anticipate anything that might be in the way.”
Bunker calls Jessop’s role “really integral.”
The company has completed more than 7,000 projects across the country, most customized and unique to the lifestyle of the customer.
“This isn’t construction — this is legacy. Our work shows up in the most meaningful moments of people’s lives,” said Bunker. “You can drive past one of our buildings years later and say — we built that. It’ll be there long after we’re gone.”
