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AGRICULTURE
• Dairy West, a regional dairy promotion organization working for Utah and Idaho dairy farm families, has launched a new brand called Unbottled, designed to appeal to people who are concerned about health, nutrition and good food choices for themselves and their families.
BANKING
• Zions Bancorporation, Salt Lake City, has transferred securities exchange listing for four securities from the New York Stock Exchange to the Nasdaq Global Select Market. The trading symbols on the NYSE were ZB/PA, ZB/PG, ZB/PH and ZB/K are now trading on Nasdaq as ZIONP, ZIONO, ZIONN and ZIONL, respectively.
• The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) has granted conditional approval of the application by Bank of St. George for federal deposit insurance, bringing the proposed community bank one step closer to opening its doors. The proposed bank’s organizers hoped to also receive the Utah Department of Financial Institution’s (UDFI) conditional approval for a state commercial bank charter shortly thereafter. When it begins operation, Bank of St. George will become the only locally headquartered bank in St. George. Bank of St. George plans to open in early 2020 and will operate out of temporary offices located at 148 E. Tabernacle St., St. George, for approximately two years. A northern Utah loan production office is also expected to open about the same time. The proposed bank will be led by Chief Executive Officer Bruce Jensen, President and Chief Credit Officer West Martin and Chief Financial Officer Cody Bateman.
• A collaboration between Zions Bank and community housing providers will create affordable housing opportunities for nearly 200 low-income families and individuals from Brigham City to Escalante. The Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines recently announced that $1.8 million in Competitive Affordable Housing Program grants have been awarded to six Utah affordable housing projects in Salt Lake City, Park City, Brigham City, Escalante and Tropic. From construction of new affordable housing to the rehabilitation of existing homes and rental properties, the projects will benefit low-income families, seniors, persons with disabilities, homeless individuals and at-risk youths. In 2019, FHLB Des Moines approved 85 of the 143 affordable housing applications it received, awarding $51.5 million in aid for projects. As a member of FHLB Des Moines, Zions Bank was the sponsoring financial institution for each of the six Utah grant recipients. Since becoming a member of FHLB Des Moines in 2017, Zions Bank has helped secure nearly $4.3 million in affordable housing awards to build or rehabilitate 335 housing units in Utah.
COMMUNICATIONS
• The Federal Communications Commission has authorized over $3.1 million in funding over the next decade to expand broadband to nearly 3,000 unserved rural homes and businesses in Beaver County. The commission approved for funding satellite provider Viasat, which is receiving more than $3.1 million over 10 years to offer service to 2,995 remote and rural homes and businesses in Beaver County, at speeds of at least 25/3 Mbps. In return for the funding, Viasat will be providing service in the supported areas at lower cost to consumers, while also permitting higher usage allowances, than it typically provides in areas where it is not receiving Connect America Fund support. The action represents the eighth wave of support from last year’s Connect America Fund Phase II auction. Nationwide, the eighth funding round authorized nearly $89.2 million in funding over the next decade to expand broadband to more than 123,000 unserved rural homes and businesses across 21 states. Total Utah funding in the program has topped $6.3 million, expanding connectivity to 3,817 homes and businesses.
CORPORATE
• Vivint Solar, Lehi, has closed a $200 million revolving asset-based loan facility that the company says will help fund the company’s continued growth in 2020 and beyond by allowing Vivint Solar to finance the purchase of safe harbor equipment and receive attractive advance rates on projects throughout the development life cycle. In addition, proceeds from the facility will be used by the company to refinance its existing working capital credit facility that was set to mature in 2020. Vivint Solar operates in 22 states.
• Purple Innovation Inc., an Alpine-based manufacturer of comfort products, has announced that the underwriters of its previously announced underwritten secondary public offering have exercised in full their option to purchase 1.5 million additional shares of Class A common stock from InnoHold LLC. Purple did not receive any proceeds from the sale of the additional shares.
DIRECT SALES
• USANA Health Sciences, a Salt Lake City-based health and wellness company, has opened a food-packing facility at 2538 S. 3850 W., West Valley City.
DIVIDENDS
• Security National Financial Corp., Murray, has announced a 5 percent stock dividend, which will be issued Feb. 7 to stockholders of record Jan. 10. It is the company’s 31st consecutive year in declaring a 5 percent stock dividend.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
• A ZIP code area in Fort Duchesne has the cheapest rent rates in Utah and one in Park City has the highest, according to a study by UnitedStatesZipCodes.org using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The median monthly rent in Utah is $1,122. The figure in the 84026 area of Fort Duchesne is $217. It is followed, in order, by areas in Mexican Hat, Monument Valley, Bluff, Montezuma Creek, Whiterocks, Marysvale, Randlett, Lynndyl and East Carbon. The 84098 area in Park City has a rate of $1,981. It is followed, in order, by areas in Salt Lake City, Alpine, Herriman, Draper, Sandy, Riverton, South Jordan, Saratoga Springs and Hooper.
• Utah is ranked 10th among states for being at-risk for package theft, according to a study by Security.org, using data on larceny thefts from buildings from the FBI and survey results from more than 1,000 consumers across the nation. Utah had 2,092 larceny thefts per 100,000 residents. Larceny from vehicles is the top type, at 34.2 percent of all cases, followed by shoplifting at 20.8 percent and larceny from buildings at 10.6 percent.
EDUCATION/TRAINING
• The inauguration of Brad L. Mortensen as the 13th president of Weber State University is set for Jan. 7 at 1:30 p.m. in the university’s Val A. Browning Center Austad Auditorium. The community is invited to the inauguration celebration, where Mortensen will outline his vision for the university. The program will also feature brief remarks from faculty, staff, student and government leaders as well as distinguished alumni. WSU students and alumni will perform a selection of musical numbers. An informal reception will follow in the lobby of the Browning Center. Mortensen joined the university in 2004 as associate vice president for support and government relations and became vice president for university advancement three years later. Prior to his tenure at Weber State, Mortensen served in a number of professional capacities within the Utah System of Higher Education, the Utah Office of the Governor and the Arizona Legislature. Weber State also announced it has selected Matthew Mouritsen as dean of the John B. Goddard School of Business & Economics, a role he has filled as interim dean since June. Mouritsen served as director of the Master of Business Administration program from 2008-2019 and as a member of the faculty since 2001. He also earned his bachelor of arts in accounting from Weber State and an MBA and a doctoral degree in business information systems and education from Utah State University.
• The University of Utah has named Marlon C. Lynchas the university’s first chief safety officer. Lynch assumes his new role Feb. 1 and comes to the UofU from New York University, where he has been senior vice president for campus services and safety. The Presidential Task Force on Campus Safety recommended this summer that the university hire a chief safety officer with responsibility, oversight and coordination of all campus safety initiatives. In addition to overseeing campus-wide safety programs, Lynch will supervise the Department of Public Safety. Lynch’s experience also includes serving as the associate vice president for safety and security and civic affairs at the University of Chicago; serving as the police chief at Vanderbilt University, University of North Carolina at Charlotte and North Carolina A&T State University; and serving as an officer with the Meridian Township Police Department in Okemos, Michigan.
FOOD
• DishDivvy, a Los Angeles-based marketplace for connecting local home cooks with nearby consumers, has launched operations across Utah. Home cooks in Utah can manage and grow their home-based food businesses by sharing their creations with locals who are seeking fresh, wholesome homemade food. Using DishDivvy’s mobile app, diners can browse homemade dishes available for sale by their neighborhood cooks, and order directly on the platform. Customers can pick up their order for free at the cook’s home or have it delivered to them for a mileage-based fee by DoorDash.
GOVERNMENT
• The Utah Department of Workforce Services’ Utah State Office of Rehabilitation has selected Arlene Garcia Gunderson as the new director of the Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Gunderson will be responsible for the oversight and administration of programs assisting Utah’s deaf, deafblind and hard-of-hearing communities and their families. Gunderson’s career includes serving as deaf services coordinator, high school social studies teacher, K-12 school for the deaf principal, American Sign Language (ASL) lead and co-director of an ASL-interpreter preparation program. Gunderson most recently worked as an ASL assistant professor, as well as a consultant and project lead for the first mobile, on-demand and live interactive video chat tutoring, education and practice platform for the deaf in both K-12 and college-level subjects. She also led a development team in creating free, online courses for deaf adults in Ontario, Canada. Gunderson also served as the first director of the Gallaudet University Regional Center — Southwest in Austin, Texas, when it opened in 2011.
NONPROFITS
• Shelter the Homeless and The Road Home have broken ground on Magnolia, a 65-unit permanent supportive housing complex for people who have experienced homelessness, at 165 S. 300 E., Salt Lake City. Developed by Cowboy Partners, owned by Shelter the Homeless and operated by The Road Home, Magnolia will serve single men and women by providing stable housing and services to help address the issues that resulted in their homelessness. The new complex will be The Road Home’s newest addition to its housing program, which currently includes its 201-unit Palmer Court complex and 32-unit Wendell Apartments, as well as hundreds more stand-alone supportive housing units and single-family dwellings throughout Salt Lake County.
PHILANTHROPY
• Bank of Utah, Arctic Circle Restaurants and Red Hanger delivered more than 250 bags and barrels full of warm clothing to 13 Utah charities the week of Christmas, collected during their eighth annual “Warm Bodies, Warm Souls” coat drive. The three businesses invited the public to drop off items at their locations from Tremonton to St. George in November and December. The donations were distributed to Joyce Hansen Hall Food Bank, Ogden; The Lantern House, Ogden; Cache Community Food Pantry, Logan; Tremonton Community Pantry, Tremonton; Family Support Center, Brigham City; Community Action Services and Food Bank, Provo; Crossroads Urban Center, Salt Lake City; The Road Home’s Midvale Family Shelter and Men’s Homeless Resource Center, Salt Lake City; Geraldine King Women’s Homeless Resource Center, operated by Volunteers of America, Utah, Salt Lake City; Gail Miller Homeless Resource Center for Men and Women, operated by Catholic Community Services, Salt Lake City; Bountiful Community Pantry, Bountiful; Heber Valley Center Stage, Heber; and Hope Pregnancy Center, St. George.
• The nonprofit Ketamine Fund recently donated 400 ketamine treatments to veterans in Utah suffering from suicidal ideation caused by PTSD, depression and addiction. The fund’s first-of-its-kind pilot program is being administered at Ketamine SLC by Dr. Robert Hiemstra.
RECOGNITIONS
• Several Utah companies are ranked in a list of top company cultures, compiled by employer data company Comparably.com. Among large companies are No. 9 Qualtrics, Provo; No. 14 Workfront, Lehi; and No. 22 BambooHR, Lindon. Among small and mid-size companies are No. 1 Weave, Lehi; No. 15 Malouf, Logan; No. 22 Disruptive Advertising, Lindon; No. 26 Finicity, Salt Lake City; and No. 27 Big Leap, Lehi. Rankings were derived from sentiment ratings provided by employees who anonymously rated their employers at the website in November. Also, five CEOs of Utah companies are ranked in a list of top CEOs in the nation, compiled Comparably.com using information from employee surveys. Among large companies are No. 14 Ryan Smith, Qualtrics, Provo; and No. 16 Alex Shootman, Workfront, Lehi. Among small and mid-size businesses are No. 2 Sam Malouf, Malouf, Logan; No. 4 Brandon Rodman, Weave, Lehi; and No. 42 John Benson, Verisys Corp., South Jordan.
• Purple Innovation, an Alpine-based manufacturer of comfort products, is the highest-ranked company in customer satisfaction — including comfort, support, price and durability — in the J.D. Power 2019 Mattress Satisfaction Report for the bed-in-a-box category. The 2019 report is the first for the direct-to-consumer category. The report is based on more than 1,800 customers who purchased mattresses in the 12 months prior to the survey, and measures overall customer satisfaction with mattress purchases based on seven factors.
SCHOLARSHIPS
• Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski has announced the establishment of the HOPE Scholarship, a private-public partnership to benefit the city’s low-income, first-generation college students. HOPE, which stands for “Helping Our People Excel,” will award eligible students with up to $7,000 per academic year. The scholarship is made possible through a private-public partnership among Salt Lake City, the Semnani Family Foundation and the University of Utah David Eccles School of Business. Jointly, the foundation and the business school have seeded the HOPE Scholarship fund with $150,000. Need-based HOPE scholarships are open to incoming and currently enrolled University of Utah students. Priority will be given to applicants who have participated in the Salt Lake City Police Department’s Promising Youth Project or Explorers Program or Salt Lake City’s YouthCity program. The first scholarships will be awarded to students enrolled in the 2020-2021 academic year. Details are available by emailing opportunityscholars@eccles.utah.edu or by calling (810) 585-1752.
SERVICES
• Kiln, a tech-focused shared workspace community, has announced a 30,000-square-foot addition to its shared workspace community in Lehi. Its international team is crafting the expansion to be optimal for teams up to 50. Due to open this spring, the addition will increase the capacity of its Lehi community to house more than 1,000 professionals. Kiln launched its beta location in Lehi in May 2018 and later a location at The Gateway in Salt Lake City.
• Secuvant, a Salt Lake City-based company providing cybersecurity solutions to the SMB, middle market and emerging enterprise markets, has hired Don Ainslie as the executive vice president of risk management and professional services. Ainslie has more than 35 years of experience in security, including more than 16 years as a senior partner at Deloitte.
• Simplus, a Salt Lake City-based company focused on quote-to-cash implementations, has opened a digital practice to better serve customers in the Salesforce ecosystem. Kim Georgeton, Simplus’ new managing director of commerce and marketing cloud, will lead the practice of 24 commerce and marketing cloud developers, administrators, quality assurance and project managers, digital specialists, solution strategists, UX designers, and architects. She has experience in Salesforce Commerce Cloud, digital marketing solutions, and creative and photographic services. Georgeton has worked as vice president of e-commerce at Arhaus Furniture, DMM of e-commerce and media services at Lane Bryant, and at Amazon.com. Jerry Claunch and Kevin Durbin will assist Georgeton in leading the practice as delivery directors. For more than 10 years, Claunch has been a digital implementation leader in Commerce Cloud. Durbin has 15 years of experience and has led numerous retail marketing programs.
TECHNOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCES
• Impartner, a Salt Lake City-based channel management platform company, has promoted Kerry Desberg from global marketing director to chief marketing officer. Desberg succeeds Dave R Taylor, who has accepted a soon-to-be-announced role with another company. Desberg will be responsible for leading the strategy, planning and development of Impartner’s global marketing initiatives and continuing to build a worldwide marketing organization. Desberg joined Impartner in 2015. She has more than 30 years of experience in marketing and communications, including in positions with Procter & Gamble, Owens Corning, Danaher, Lockheed Martin and Fleishman Hillard.