One parent used it to commemorate the memory of her child — a victim of drunken driving. Another used it to document her experience surviving breast cancer, while one local soldier used it to chronicle his wartime experience in Iraq.

It’s even been used by a die-hard romantic for a marriage proposal.

All of them inscribed their personal and family histories, experiences and memories in a storybook with digital writing and online photography software created by Springville-based Heritage Makers LLC.

“Unlike genealogy, which identifies names in a family tree, we want to go one step further — identify family heroes and capture that in print. Focusing on the power of a story — to make family names mean something — helps families find connection through their heritage, values and relationships,” said Doug Cloward, a co-owner of Heritage Makers.

And unlike scrapbooking, which captures life histories through images and creative art, online storybooking captures the significance and meaning of events and photos, and can be replicated in multiple copies on demand, he said.

“Through our technology, family members can have multiple copies of stories about someone’s birth, wedding, romance and life story. It’s about getting connected to one’s roots. Photographs can fade and memories too, but through the storybook, we capture elements like the who, what, where, when and why of a person’s life,” Cloward said.

The idea for Heritage Makers began in a storybooking kit created in 2002 by Sharon Murdoch, a former English professor at Brigham Young University.

The kit, consisting of a blank storybook, some scrapbooking tools and a writing guide, was inspired by Murdoch’s daughter, Candy May, who decided to capture her father’s life history for her children by writing about him.

Murdoch knew she struck gold when the book, which also included illustrations created by May’s local artist friend, became a bedtime must-read for her grandchildren.

Armed with a storybook kit for babies and lots of persistence, Murdoch took her idea to Saks Fifth Avenue in New York, and with a stroke of luck, scored an immediate interview and later a contract with a buyer for Saks’ baby department. And that’s how her first company, My Family Tales, was born, Cloward said.

But Murdoch soon found a problem.

“Many people weren’t able to finish the book because they didn’t get the hand-holding they needed to get started or follow through,” Cloward said. “That’s when the concept of direct-selling came about. A consultant would have vested interest in coaching customers on how to create those books.”

Heritage Makers was the result of a merger in January 2004 between Murdoch’s My Family Tales and Cloward’s company, Heritage Home Studios, which creates DVDs of photographs and videos.

With help from a few tech-savvy BYU students and funding from Randall Harward, founder of neighboring Harward Irrigation Systems, a sprinkler and irrigation systems supplier in Springville, Heritage created Heritage Publisher, software that allows customers to scan, load, crop and size photos and create text for a 28-page storybook.

Cloward said it took between $3 million and $5 million to establish his direct-selling company, a portion of which was financed by Harward.

“We expect to be profitable in a few months. The biggest costs are startup costs, setting up the company’s infrastructure, and investment in software development,” he said.

The latest Heritage software upgrade, to be launched May 7, will allow customers to select the background, color and motifs for their pages, and will allow them to create an unlimited number of pages.

Printing and hardbinding costs average $49 for each handmade book, which can be delivered to the customer in two weeks.

“That’s not expensive, especially since it could cost up to a few hundred dollars to get a customized book done through a copy center or printing house,” Cloward said.

Heritage has about 100 consultants marketing its storybooking software, mostly through presentations to customers at home and at assisted living centers.

Up to 90 percent of the company’s business is secured through at-home presentations, where consultants would invite their family and friends for a video clip presentation about the company, provide sample copies of storybooks and information about the storybooking process, Cloward said.

“Those who want to make the books can buy book credits, and then a follow-up workshop is held, where the consultant would offer help with scanning pictures and writing stories,” he said.

Heritage Makers LLC

Owners: Doug Cloward, Sharon Murdoch, Randall Harward

Founded in September 2004

Industry: Direct seller of software for personal storybook making

Location: 938 S. 2000 West in Springville

Work Force: 15 workers

Web site: www.heritagemakers.com

Contact: 794-0678

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page E1.

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