Salt Lake City: Livability in the 21st Century

addition in 2009, rigid box production was moved
there. In 2013 the office and printing plant has
been built and connected to the existing buildings,
putting all production and offices in one location.
“UPB’s new headquarters and printing operation
demonstrates our company’s commitment to Salt Lake City’s
future and to UPB’s customers,” Keyser says. “By committing
to LEED certification and obtaining LEED Gold, UPB has
invested in the community’s quality of life and the value of
our products.”
UPB reinvests seventy percent of its profits and spends
thirty percent on profit sharing. Since 2006, over $25 million
in the company’s future has been invested through machinery,
buildings and people. Strong partnerships with customers
and equally strong partnerships with equipment and board
suppliers are maintained. Overcrowding at the downtown
central location in 2009 brought expansion of buildings on
the west side of Salt Lake City.
In 2009, UPB committed to a thirty-three percent reduction
in its carbon footprint by 2017. Solar energy production,
minimized truck routes, specialty lighting, low energy heating
and air conditioning systems reduced the UPB footprint
by thirty percent as of August 2013. Utilizing low and high
air compressor systems, as well as large storage tanks, and
employing new state-of-the-art variable speed compressors,
has reduced UPB’s energy consumption for compressed air by
sixty percent. UPB also committed to LEED guidelines in the
new office and print building. LEED emphasizes sustainable
sites to reduce energy consumption and emissions from commuting
while promoting connections with the community.
This process identifies opportunities to build an efficient
facility, utilizing items such as a white roof, recycled steel
building frame, insulated wall panels, low flow plumbing,
evaporative cooling in manufacturing, and an upgraded
HVAC system for the offices. The goal was for a basic building
design that would be efficient for the next century.
In an effort to reduce automotive pollution, UPB has
installed bicycle racks and five electric vehicle (EV) charging
stations for employees. Building the new headquarters
displaced a tire recycler, required brownfield redevelopment,
and helped convert an abandoned rail spur to a
bike and pedestrian trail. UPB’s roof is reinforced
for initial and future solar panel installations.
UPB’s growth continues. In 1965 the company
produced mainly rigid boxes, had thirty employees
and sales of $443,000. In fiscal 2013, it had
230 employees, sales of about $33 million, producing
rigid, folding, litho lam, and plastic boxes.
Today, the Keyser family and employees participate
in a host of charitable and community causes
and organizations, and share their commitment
to continued growth within Salt Lake City in
UPB’s second century of operation.
❖
Above: Utah Paper Box employees.
Left: Some of the current customer boxes we make: Uinta Brewery (SLC),
Smith Optics, Sweet Candy Company (SLC), Rocky Mountain Chocolate
Factory, Scott and Fran’s Chocolate.
Below: The newly constructed printing plant, 2013.
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