Norman Van Wagenen

Norman Van Wagenen graduated from Provo High School in 1971 and enrolled in Brigham Young University.   After a year of school he traveled to begin his LDS mission to the Germany Hamburg Mission.  Serving in most every position within his mission, he was known as the "VW" because "like a Volkswagen he never quit running."  When he returned home to Utah he completed his BA degree in Economics at Brigham Young University while working part time for the family business "Van Wagenen Finance Company."   The business was founded by his father Dean Van Wagenen in 1957 as a small loan office for those needing collateral based loans with no credit checks.  Under Norman's stewardship, the business grew exponentially for three decades expanding both in loans as well as quickly becoming the leading retailer for all types of gun purchases and sales.   By 1993, the "store" had in excess of 7,400 firearms for sale, making it the clear leader in retail gun inventory in the western United States.  In late 2011, Norman retired having sold the business and opened a new chapter in his life in southern Utah and Nevada.   

Today Norman is active in local charitable work and has a special passion for the extraordinary terrain found in the national parks in Utah.  So much a fan of the pristine beauty of the Northern Nevada and Southern Utah landscape, Norman has been known to volunteer to keep extensive sections of the highway and surrounding area near Lake Mead clean from all debris as a courtesy to all those visiting the area. Norman has also traveled extensively in his retirement spending sometimes as many as 300 nights per year traveling.   He dutifully has visited more than once every state capitol throughout the lower 48 states in the USA.