Craig was born in August 1953 in Brigham City. At age 2, he moved to southern Utah County, where he grew up in Genola. His father, two uncles and grandfather owned farms there and summered their cattle in the Strawberry Valley.

The highlight of the year was the fall roundup and the four-day cattle drive from Strawberry south up over Sheep Creek and down Spanish Fork Canyon. “We thought we were real cowboys,” he said. That shaped his love of the horses he rode, the cattle they worked, the range they ran on and the farms they worked.

Craig got his first horse on Christmas Day at about age 7 and has been riding ever since. He has participated in rodeo events riding barebacks and roping calves. Later, when his boys got old enough, they focused on team roping.

Craig graduated from Payson High School and attended Utah State University. He married Diane Christensen of Ephraim in September 1973 and in 1976 moved to Ephraim. That has been home ever since. He said, “I came to Sanpete when it wasn’t popular and I’m glad I did. Sanpete County has been full of opportunities for us and is a terrific place to raise a family.” They have five children and 19 grandchildren.

Craig said he has had more occupations than most, from a baker to a butcher, a horse trainer to a contractor and a welder to an inventor. He even drove truck a little bit.

In 1986 he founded CO Building Systems in Ephraim, which is now in its 39th year of operation. The company has about 100 employees and operates mostly the western United States. Along the way, Craig has been accumulating farm and range land and operates a sizable cattle operation today. He is now in the process of turning it over to the next generation.