The people you went to just sucked at what they were doing. We've had to air tires up to over 120 psi to get them to pop out before. No big deal at all.
Some shops have a cheetah that will help pop beads on initially, then fill it till it pops. I would be scared to do anything over 75lbs, on a slick tire, but a radial I'd do until it popped.