He revolutionized jerky production in America, later founded Melaleuca and many other businesses

Roger Ball is described by one of his longtime employees as a person who is more responsible for the great economic conditions in eastern Idaho than anyone else.

Ball has been the face of many business ventures throughout his life. At age 85, he says he’s proud of his professional accomplishments.

The Idaho Falls entrepreneur founded Melaleuca in the 1980s and hired Frank Vandersloot to manage it. Today, it’s one of the area’s largest employers.

For decades, he was the face behind King B Jerky on Pancheri and Yellowstone in Idaho Falls. The company was sold in the early 2000s and changed its name to Golden Valley Natural. Hero Snacks, as it’s known today, operates out of a 200,000-square-foot building at 815 E. 1400 North in Shelley.

RELATED | How a local company became one of the leading meat snack producers in the nation

Ball also owns Intermountain Bison Ranches and is one of the top five private owners of bison in North America. He helped finance Intermountain Packing off Iona Road, a bison and cattle meat-packing plant that harvests up to 500 head a day.

This week on “It’s Worth Mentioning,” Rett Nelson sits down with Ball to talk about his life and career. We discuss his upbringing on a farm in Menan, and Ball shares where his interest in animal science and business came from. He spoke of his dad, Harold, who worked on many local agricultural endeavors in the 1950s under U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ezra Taft Benson.

Before operating King B Jerky, Ball owned a meat plant called Taylor Meats. He ran it for a time before it was destroyed in a fire. He shares his memories of what happened.

He also recalls how a trip to Australia became the catalyst for the formation of Melaleuca and how he met Vandersloot.

If you’re a business buff and at all familiar with the Ball family, this is an episode you don’t want to miss!

Previous episodes are available in the audio player below. Watch previous episodes here.

If you have a topic or guest idea for an upcoming episode, email rett@eastidahonews.com.

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