“Beaver to Bigtime – The Mark J Yardley Story” is the journey of a country boy who overcame the odds inherent in a small town to build an empire that continues to grow today. As a precocious kid, he knew that his place in the world would only be as good as the ideas that came out of the mind. With guts and perseverance, Mark hurdled the limitations of his rural Beaver, Utah surroundings which often kept a person bound to a predetermined existence. Ideas are what this man is about. Through these pages, we see possibilities, both good and bad, bringing him through hardships that would stop most people dead in their tracks. There is nothing easy about building a fortune. It's even harder to keep it going. With the grit ingrained in his LDS heritage, Mark pushed through many personal struggles including raising children from three failed marriages, people out to get him, and alcoholism. This book is about triumph after tragedy; good ideas after the lessons of bad ones; and wisdom on how to move onward. Today, his company of multiple trucking stops, restaurants and convenience stores is worth tens of millions of dollars. Possessing great foresight and an instinct to act, he expands a business that continues to reach across the country. With great precision, he cuts a swath into the industry, and is destined to move his company past the billion-dollar mark. With a Foreword by Jimmy Haslam, owner and CEO of both Pilot Flying J and the Cleveland Browns, this book is a must read for anyone wanting to harness their own entrepreneurial spirit so as to realize the ideas that stem from it.
The Mark J Yardley Story
Beaver To Bigtime
“Working hard has always been something I watched my dad and brothers do. I give them all the credit though at the same time, there were things I saw that probably could have been done more effectively and easily. That’s what made me recognize that a person has got to work smart as well. All too often, I’ve heard it said to work smarter, not harder. But the thing is, if a person works hard and smart… well they’ve got an even sharper edge.”
“Only God knows how I wasn’t trampled or run over by the bulldozer into the snow that day. Everyone panicked as they searched for me. Robert was pissed at Alan and Julius for not watching me, but they were doing what they came out to do just like Robert. I couldn’t hear them yelling for me through the wind and storm.”
“I got out of my truck, walked behind to his car, reached in through the window, pulled the guy through it, then proceeded to beat the crap out of him. My blood was boiling at this joker who was smashing up my truck and trying to get us arrested. I knocked the stupid look on his face clear across the street. He tried to get his balance back, but I wasn’t giving him a chance.”
“The saloon was filled with a crowd ready to let off some steam from school and ranching. Two guys were at a boiling point, probably over a girl. They began to fight. At first it was a fair exchange between the two. Then one of them pulled a knife out to stab the other guy.”
“Those cops might have been behind us, but the ones ahead were waiting in St. George and that was not fun at all. We ran over the strips and nearly crashed. Because I was the one driving, they pulled me out of the car and kicked my ass. I really got roughed up. They handcuffed me and dragged me down the street.”
“She cussed me out like a sailor and that was the last time I gave her any shit about it. Mom wasn’t somebody you talked back to. But there were times I did and would get both cussed out and smacked upside the head.”
“It certainly didn’t help that I had to deal with a lot of ignorance from my closest friends and family regarding the disorder. I was still quite young, this was my first child, and I was vulnerable to the influences of these people. Most of them meant well, but their belief system of why and how I became a father to a child with Down’s Syndrome was pretty awful. It made me believe for a long time that I did something wrong and was being punished through my child.”
“One time I was asked to answer a teacher’s question and didn’t even hear him. He asked again and I still was not listening. So, he came over and smacked me hard upside my head. My ears were ringing loudly after that. A teacher could not do that shit nowadays and get away with it.”
“Dad taught me to throw punches and put my hips into them without telegraphing that they were coming. There were times I’d be pissed and got into fights with other kids. What Dad taught served me well because I’d stand my ground and win in an altercation”
Book Quotes
“They said to Mark, ‘Hey, here are these two stations. We’ll help you achieve financing. We know it's a ten million dollar ask, so we’ll fund the three million if you can come up with seven.’”
“I got into the weed business after seeing the benefits my son Brandt was getting from his prescriptions.”
“.... the math for Mark’s investment on the Page Plaza was around five million from him purchasing it for one and a half million to us funding the rebuild and paying off the original owner.”
Book Release Info
Available on Audible
Available on Amazon Digital and Hard copy
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