Aside from being president and CEO, he also serves as chairman of the Davis Economic Advisory Council (DEAC) and has been selected as chair of the Davis Chamber of Commerce.
But aside from all that, he’s a simple family man as well.
And he won’t take all the credit, not for any of it.
“The main thing people miss out on when they succeed is the people around them that are involved,” he said. “It’s difficult to even think of myself as successful given the tough times we’re in right now.”
Wilson didn’t even start his career in the home building business. When he attended Weber State University on a scholarship, he was a part of the school senate and attended the business college there.
After running for student body president and losing, he began looking for other avenues to discover a few more talents.
“I went to the radio station,” said Wilson. “They asked me to be a station manager, even though I wasn’t getting into the communications program.”
He was also involved, he said, in many other student body programs which helped him mold as a person in developing those new experiences.
“It’s good to do a lot of things when you’re in that environment,” he said. “You just have to jump in sometimes and doors will open up for you.
“It’s amazing what you can learn when you take even a remote interest in something and then follow up on it.”
After graduating from Weber State, he began his career as a financial adviser for American Express, with sustained success. However, after moving up several positions, he decided that eventually, it wasn’t a career that he wanted for himself.
“The money was good,” he said. “But the hours and the time I spent away from my family took a toll on me.
“I really thought for awhile that this was something that I wanted to do and it ended up not working out for me after awhile.”
In 2001, he was approached by an old friend named Dave Bailey, who asked him to be a consultant for a business he wanted to start up. Dave, along with his brother Kevin, and Wilson ended up starting Destination Homes in 2001, with Wilson serving as president and CEO.
But it wasn’t as easy as American Express.
“It’s tough to get into a market you don’t know much about,” said Wilson. “But I was drawn to the (housing) industry because it’s an exciting business and I was working with best friends.
“It was really a ‘leap of faith’ move. I jumped into the business and it started working out almost from the beginning.”
Since starting the business eight years ago, the company has grown into several parts of many counties in Utah, including Davis. Wilson, a resident of Davis County his entire life (along with three other generations before him), said part of his own success first came with his parents and grandfather.
“They are very supportive, which helps,” he said. “But they also showed an excellent work ethic through their entire lives.
“My grandfather was an entrepreneur in his own right,” said Wilson. “He was a humble man who worked long hours every day.
“Helping people out was his main focus, and that became very influential to me growing up.”
His grandfather’s humility has also rubbed off on him, as he took very little credit for being where he is today.
“You have to have the right people around you in order to really be successful,” he said. “In this business, having the right people who know what their job is on a daily basis really keeps the focus on the company rather than an individual.
“Without these people, this company and myself would not be considered successful.”
Wilson said it also helps to love what you do, no matter what it is.
“If you don’t like what you’re doing, you’re probably in the wrong career,” he said. “I like creating and building things. Other people may like teaching others and so on.
“If you love what you do, better opportunities will come to you.”
sgillet@davisclipper.com
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