Harold R. Wing found more than his wife, Brigitte, in Germany — he also found his life's work.

Wing, founder, chief executive officer and chairman of the board of Springville-based Wing Enterprises, was a young U.S. serviceman in Germany when he met his wife, with whom he had seven children.

Later, he met a German inventor and saw the man's telescoping step/extension ladder. Excited about the product, Wing obtained the North American marketing and manufacturing rights and, in his first year in business, sold more than half a million dollars' worth of the ladders.

Since then, Wing has applied his own creative energies to refining and improving his product line. He has made seven improvements on the original ladder and has introduced three special-purpose ladders, a scaffold system and several ladder accessories.

In addition, Wing has developed and brought to market PowderWings, compactible aluminum snowshoes that fit into a fanny pack. The product is designed for outdoor sports enthusiasts, like snowmobilers.

Wing also is developing additional aluminum snowshoe designs, a snowmobile and a patented line of trailer hitches, Quick Draw Hitching Systems. In 1999, Wing also founded West Wing Contractors, a construction company that builds entry-level and mid-range homes.

From a small family company housed in Wing's garage, Wing Enterprises has become a major employer in Utah County, with about 800 workers making what has become one of the most popular ladders in the nation.