Salt Lake City already had several AlphaGraphics operations, he said, so in 1995 he and his family reluctantly left to open a new franchise in the untested market of Minneapolis.

"We hired a great group of people . . . and we won a lot of business," Cushing said. "Three years later, we opened another location in suburban Minneapolis."

He still owns those two stores with a partner. But in 2004, his career and life took another turn.

AlphaGraphics needed a new CEO, and Cushing was asked to fill the post. He took the reins of the company on June 8, 2004, and moved back to Salt Lake City, which had become the new home for the company's headquarters in 2001.

The move was a difficult one again, this time because Cushing's two oldest sons were staying behind in Minnesota to go to school.

"Most of the time, the kids leave the nest," Cushing said. "This time, the nest left the kids."

As he dealt with the transition of moving to the corporate office, he said, he discovered that his experience as an AlphaGraphics franchise owner was beneficial.

"It helps in terms of credibility with (other AlphaGraphics) owners," he said. "They know I have walked in the same shoes they wear to work every day."

The 65 to 70 members of the headquarters staff, housed in the historic Brooks Arcade Building at 268 S. State, know they can use Cushing as a filter for new ideas, he said. And he remembers that, when you run a small business, how you serve clients determines whether you can support your family.

"What I probably get the biggest kick about in this role . . . is that we come to work every day with the sole purpose of helping people succeed in their business," he said.

"I have the opportunity right now basically to lead 280 of my good friends. I'm driven by the mission of making AlphaGraphics a good part of their lives."

While his sphere of influence was smaller at his own AlphaGraphics stores, Cushing said, he did enjoy feeling like he was in the "miracles business." He misses the satisfaction of seeing the relief on a client's face as he tells her that a seemingly impossible job will be done on time.

But the CEO position has satisfactions of its own, and among them is helping the company grow. For example, Cushing said AlphaGraphics' Utah operations had a "very healthy" 14.95 percent increase in business in 2004 over 2003.

For AlphaGraphics as a whole, Cushing said he would like to see the addition of 30 or 40 locations every year. It may take a couple of years to ramp up to that level, he said, but new initiatives and technology should make it possible, even in the company's extremely competitive business sector.

His determination to drive AlphaGraphics' growth rests on the foundation built by mentors like Taylor and Peters, as well as his parents, Cushing said — and he hopes to pass those lessons on to his family.

"Any reflective business person will sometimes catch themselves going to extra lengths for the business that they don't take for their family or themselves," he said. "The business problems are rarely fatal or can't wait. . . .

"I would hope that my kids (now aged 13-21) will look back on their time growing up and remember that they came from a loving household . . . and that they had a fun time growing up."

And, chances are, they'll always remember to have a few rocks handy.

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E-mail: gkratz@desnews.com