Paul Casper Merrill, CEO and president of Casper’s Ice Cream Inc. of Richmond, has been named by the Small Business Administration as its 2018 Small Business Person of the Year for Utah. Merrill is the grandson of the company’s founder, Casper Merrill. He has been invited to attend ceremonies in Washington, D.C., in April where the SBA’s National Small Business Person of the Year will be named.
Casper’s has been in business since July 4, 1925. Today, it sells its ice cream treats in all 50 states and the company estimates that more than 53 million of the company’s signature product, the FatBoy ice cream sandwich, are consumed each year.
Paul Merrill is the third generation of the family running Casper’s and recently presided over the opening of the company’s new 75,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Richmond, a Cache County community of about 2,600. At the grand opening, he told the Logan Daily Herald that ice cream is still the family’s favorite treat. “It’s got that dairy value to it,” he said. “And then, you know, ice cream has just always been an enjoyable treat, a comfort food.”
The new plant quadrupled the company’s capacity to produce products, including the signature FatBoy. Before the new facility opened, 300,000 products were produced per day, according to company officials. But now, 1 million products per day are being be churned out.
SBA Administrator Linda McMahon announced the Small Business Person of the Year winners for each of the 50 states last week. “It is my honor and distinct pleasure to announce the 52 winners from across the U.S. and Puerto Rico,” she said. “These small-business owners define entrepreneurial spirit and best represent the 30 million small businesses that are the backbone and economic engine of our economy. I look forward to welcoming the winners to Washington next month when they are officially honored for their achievements.”