Ken Heaton was working for the Kennecott Copper mine, but looking for better work, when a neighbor asked him to help with a roofing project. He did such a good job that his neighbor recommended him for the same kind of job to someone else. Word got out, and he found that roofing was a great business to be in. Within a couple of years, he was able to get licensed in the state of Utah. In 1958 he started his own business in Salt Lake City. He then got his three boys involved, and they grew up on the roof, each brother handling different aspects of the company. Dennis, the middle son, eventually got his own sons to join the business and bought out the other two brothers. Today Heaton Bros Roofing is the top SLC roofer. "Word of mouth remains our best business generator, as well as our competitive prices and our repeat customers— we’ve done roofs for some structures multiple times over the last half-century."