And though he'd dropped out of college earlier, business and finance weren't a new scene for him. He'd been fascinated by both since he was a boy. He'd started a business of his own in high school and had been investing money for his family and friends as a hobby for years.

By the time Bird appeared on the scene, Levitt's father began encouraging him to make finance, his profession.

"Here was this guy who was in Alta physically, but he was so focused on other passions," Bird said. "He definitely had a presence in the community, but Toby wasn't skiing. You could tell that he was thinking about things all the time. To me that was compelling."

When they formed Albion in 1982, the financial industry consisted mostly of brokers selling stocks and "advisers" pitching products like life insurance, Leavitt said.

"Although there was lip service to the idea of putting the customer first, at the end of the day, advisers got paid for selling a product," Bird said. "We just thought that really didn't make sense."

So, the partners helped pioneer the "Fee-Only" concept, meaning that clients paid their advisers directly for their services and that financial advisers didn't receive commission for pushing a product. The principle minimized conflict of interest and focused on achieving the client's goals, he said.

And though it took time to earn clients' trust, the word-of-mouth business grew as they referred their friends, Levitt said.

"There is a common perception that if you want expertise you have to go to either of the coasts," he said. "But Albion is as good as any company out there. It has been able to do a better job because it's not in the rat race."

Part of that success has come by remembering the client is the boss, Bird said.

Both he and Levitt said they felt a responsibility to their clients to be aware of issues in the world and in their clients' lives that could affect their finances. It can be stressful to care for someone's entire nest egg, Levitt said, but, his eyes lit up as he explained his fascination with his work and how it allows him to help people.

It's serendipitous how two guys from the East Coast crossed paths in Alta and ended up starting Albion Financial, Bird said.

"I will take the canyons of the Wasatch Front over the canyons of Wall Street any day," he said.

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E-mail: sbills@desnews.com