It has become a badge of honor. Step into Rasmussen Equipment, an LBX Company equipment dealer in Salt Lake City, Utah, and the walls are lined with more than 1,200 ball caps from past and current construction equipment customers, friends of the Rasmussen’s and other company employees, and yet others who just want a space on the walls of fame.

The walls of fame began when company salesmen began collecting hats from current and potential customers. Those hats gained an ignoble showcase piled on the top of a file cabinet in a cubicle. Around 1987, when the pile began to topple to the floor, an idea was born. Employees built a single shelf above the parts counter to show off the trophies. The collection began to steamroll from there.

“Customers came in and said, ’I want my hat up there,’” said Randy Galegos, branch manager of Rasmussen Equipment. “The guys at the parts counter took their hats and gave them a Rasmussen hat. The customers loved the notoriety.”

The company had additional fun jibing customers wearing hats from manufacturers Rasmussen does not represent.

“We took their hat, tossed it in a trashcan, and gave them one of our hats. The guys liked the ribbing,” Galegos said.

Now shelves three deep or more line the top of all of the walls in the dealership.

In 2006, the original hats and shelves began to show their wear. And what customer wants their trophy dusty? So Steve Strah, maintenance manager of Rasmussen, began a three-month undertaking.

“I took all of the hats down, dusted them off and painted all of the shelves and walls,” Strah said.

He didn’t take too kindly to the receptionist’s suggestion that he alphabetize them all. Some jobs are just too big.

“It’s pretty awesome to walk into a dealership and see our Link-Belt excavator customer’s hats up there,” said Amy Maddox, marketing communications manager of LBX Company, upon a recent visit to the dealership. “Those hats represent our real customers and both their commitment to our dealer and Rasmussen’s commitment to them.”

Now the collection continues to grow, and when shelf space runs out, Strah builds a new shelf. It’s a look through a short span of the company’s 61-year history, but reflective of a company that is so proud of its customers that Rasmussen Equipment keep its relationship on display for all to enjoy.

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