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Operator

Some of Tucson's biggest employers started as tiny, mom-and-pop-style ventures, sometimes with only a mom or a pop at the helm.

Descendants of these companies' founders frequently speak of growing up in the family business and always knowing what they would do as adults.

They also speak of what they see as a great responsibility toward the community.

Here are six snapshots of Star 200 employers that began as family concerns.

Founded by: Husband and wife Matt and Kim Clifton.

Year began: 2001.

Number of employees then: Three, including them.

Number of employees now: About 900, including agents.

The lowdown: "We created a company that is more about the agent and the clients' needs as opposed to more of a corporate mentality," said Matt Clifton.

Agents are trained not to live in fear of not meeting a quota, and they and their staff are extremely dedicated, he said. And the company doesn't maintain a list of top agents, either.

Founded by: Father and son Dudley Clements and William M. Clements.

Year began: 1974.

Number of employees then: 20.

Number of employees now: About 250.

The lowdown: "Tucson is a family-business community," said Chris Clements, William's son, who now runs the business along with sister Kimberley and mom Ginny.

The company puts a large focus on employees, who in turn work hard for the company, he said. Golden Eagle pays 100 percent of health insurance premiums for its employees and their families, he said. "We're a pretty fun place to work. Selling our products is a fun enterprise," Clements said.

Founded by: Harold Ashton.

Year began: 1946.

Number of employees then: Just him.

Number of employees now: About 275, but it's had up to 400.

The lowdown: "He literally moved the car out of the shade structure by our house and moved in some two-by-fours and started the company," Hal Ashton said of his father, Harold, who began the family business more than 60 years ago. "He just had a natural knack for building things. He always enjoyed building things."

During World War II, the elder Ashton worked for contractor John Joynt building facilities for the war effort, and when the war ended it seemed like a good time to strike out on his own, so he did.

He still went to the office until 2003, the same year he died.

When that happened, there wasn't much question for Hal and his sister, Cindy, over whether to keep the company going, Hal said.

"At a time like that when you have 350 people on payroll and a million dollars worth of work to do, you lay the groundwork for the future as best you can," he said.

Founded by: Father and son Frank Kalil and Fred Kalil.

Year began: 1948.

Number of employees then: 12.

Number of employees now: 830 scattered through five states.

The lowdown: "We've always been open to taking on new brands, and over the years we've expanded from Tucson to Phoenix," said George Kalil, son of Fred Kalil. About 35 years ago it put in a bottling and canning line that took the company from a sleepy, 40-hour-week concern to a 24-hour, seven-day factory, Kalil said. "Over the years we've probably purchased either plants as they closed or plants that were for sale or plants that were not going to make it," he said. "Every time we did, we closed them and moved the business to Tucson."

Founded by: Monica Flin.

Year began: 1922.

Number of employees then: Herself.

Number of employees now: During high season, it's almost 400.

The lowdown: "She was Tucson's original one-woman operation," said Ray Flores Jr. of his mother's great-great-aunt, Monica Flin.

When Flin's health began to decline in the early 1970s, she turned the restaurant over to her family members. "My parents took something that shouldn't have lasted, and they made it last," Flores said. He and his brother and sister all work for the company now. They all work for various community organizations and donate a lot of time and money, he said. "Even though it can be a bit of an Achilles' heel, I think it's what's kept us around for so long," he said.

Founded by: Holmes Tuttle.

Year began: 1964, as Pueblo Ford. Click took over in 1971 and put his name on it.

Number of employees then: 50-60.

Number of employees now: 1,014 in Tucson.

The lowdown: "We didn't know anybody when we came here (in 1971). Not one person. Not one," Click said. He began working with newspaper ad man George Duncan, who mentioned that all the other big dealerships in town were putting the owners' names up on the signs. "When you're 27 years old it's kind of nice seeing your name up on the side of the building," he said. He went on to flood the market advertising his name and cars for the next few months, he said. "I'm sure we drove people crazy." That led to company growth, as did his belief that he was selling a great product.