Eleven to be honored with Governor's Awards at April's One Utah Summit
Seven individuals and four organizations will be honored with Governor’s Awards at the spring One Utah Summit taking place April 12 in Salt Lake City.
Gov. Spencer Cox and the summit’s organizing partners will recognize award recipients for their significant contributions to Utah’s economy, local communities and industries. Honorees live and work full-time in the state and have supported the local economy for five years or more. Also, company recipients have maintained operations in Utah for five or more years.
The 2024 Governor’s Awards recipients are:
- Utah Business Leader Community Impact Award: Keith B. McMullin, retired president and CEO, Deseret Management Corp. The award is presented by the governor’s office in partnership with the Salt Lake Chamber.
- Utah Businessperson of the Year: Lavanya Mahate, founder and CEO, Saffron Valley Restaurants, Bix Bakery & Cafe and RISE Culinary Institute. The award is presented by the governor’s office in partnership with the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity.
- Utah Business of the Year: bioMérieux. The award is presented by the governor’s office in partnership with GOEO.
- Utah International Person of the Year: Fraser Bullock, president and CEO, Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games. The award is presented by the governor’s office in partnership with World Trade Center Utah.
- Utah International Business of the Year: PMI Foods. The award is presented by the governor’s office in partnership with World Trade Center Utah.
- Cameron Russell Williams Rising Impact Award: Kimmy Paluch, managing partner, Beta Boom. The award is presented in partnership with the Cameron Russell Williams Impact Fund.
- Pete Suazo Business of the Year: Rancho Markets. The award is presented in partnership with the Suazo Business Center.
- Utah Governor’s Medal for Science and Technology: K-12 Education: Juliette Bautista Barahona, founder and director, Club Ability; Academic/Research: Cornelia Ulrich, chief scientific officer and executive director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center, Huntsman Cancer Institute; and Industry: Dr. Gregory C. Critchfield. The awards are presented in partnership with the Utah Innovation Center.
- Energy Pioneer Award: OxEon Energy. The award is presented by the governor’s office in partnership with the Utah Office of Energy Development.
The governor hosts the One Utah Summit in Northern Utah every spring and in Southern Utah every fall. The 2024 spring event will take place April 11-12 at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City. It will include conversations about the intersections of emerging technologies, government and business in Utah.
Summit activities begin at 5 p.m. April 11 with the Startup State Entrepreneur Challenge, where new entrepreneurs compete for cash before a panel anchored by Cox. The following morning brings mainstage keynote addresses and breakout sessions focused on the day’s business topics and trends. Cox will present the awards during a lunchtime plenary session and then provide his keynote remarks.
Details are at oneutahsummit.utah.gov.