Franklin Covey

FranklinCovey began as a result of separate entities founded by two different Utah entrepreneurs. Franklin Quest Co. was founded in Salt Lake City in 1983 by Hyrum W. Smith and was so named because of its focus on time management and the organizational principles based on Benjamin Franklin’s writings. Two years later, Stephen Covey formed Stephen R. Covey and Associates in Provo, Utah, to offer leadership seminars based on his ongoing research on The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, a book he would publish four years later. Stephen R. Covey and Associates changed its name to the Covey Leadership Center the same year.

Franklin Quest and the Covey Leadership Center operated independently until January 22, 1997, when the two companies jointly announced a merger and public offering valued at $160 million. The merged entity took its new name, FranklinCovey, from the first part of Franklin Quest's name and founder Stephen Covey's last name. Both Covey and Smith remained as co-chairs of the new company's board and remained so until their deaths in 2012 and 2019, respectively.