BY ANN PARK

Crittenden Glass was created by Charles (Critt) Crittenden in 1958.

Critt worked for the Fuller Paint Company, and they approached him about purchasing their Ogden location. He was scared and nervous about starting his own business, but he borrowed $5000 from the bank and never looked back.

A few years later, there was a big windstorm in Ogden that broke a lot of windows. Critt and his friends started fixing windows on the weekend, and Crittenden Glass grew from that to what it is now. Lee took over in the 1970’s and ran the business until Tyler joined him as a partner in 2017. Tyler has worked there with his Dad for 23 years, and he’s looking forward to working with his son someday.

Tyler Crittenden loved working with his grandpa. “I learned a lot about treating everyone with kindness and respect. He loved people and associating with them.” Grandpa Critt retired two or three times but kept coming back to work until a few months before he passed away in 2013 at the age of 93.

From his dad, Lee Crittenden, Tyler learned the value of hard work and persistence. Lee says, “I’ve learned that nothing comes easy in a small family business, and you learn to work very hard and not count the hours.”

Tyler says that the best things about working with your family are having a trusted partner to share challenges with and someone that understands who you are and what you are dealing with in your life. “You can always count on family and trust them in all situations.” Not every family business works for more than one generation. The Crittenden family has worked together with love and respect and has focused on helping each generation succeed, even through hard times. “You can get through hard times by staying focused and doing what you’re good at.”

Charles Crittenden began this business on a foundation of friendliness, honesty, respect, and treating people the way he would want to be treated. His legacy has continued to this day. Tyler said, “My dad is one of the most genuinely nice people you’ll ever find. We want to make sure everyone we come in contact with is treated the way we want to be treated. We’ve built our business by providing modern products with old-fashioned service.”

In the business of windows and doors, each customer’s project is different. It’s vital to take the time to assess each one’s situation to determine how best to fill their needs. “It’s very important to us to take care of each customer’s needs individually. We want to make sure we are recommending products that will be the best fit for them.”

Crittenden Glass has been a pillar of our community for three generations. They run their business by this philosophy: “People will forget what they bought, how much they paid, and probably your name, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”