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AGRICULTURE
• Grōv Technologies LLC, a Vineyard-based producer of nutrient feed, has signed a definitive agreement with Cnossen Dairy, based in Texas, to build a controlled-environment feed center to grow high-density nutrient feed. It will produce over 288,000 pounds per day on less than 5 percent of the water used in convention farming, Grōv said. Cnossen milks 11,000 cows and farms over 7,500 acres of cropland.
BANKING
• Regions Bank has completed its acquisition of Salt Lake City-based home improvement lender EnerBank USA, which has joined Regions’ Consumer Banking Group. EnerBank will maintain its headquarters presence in Salt Lake City, with many team members scheduled to occupy portions of 650 Main in downtown Salt Lake City. The division will continue to be led by Charlie Knadler, who will join Regions as part of the Consumer Banking Group. EnerBank will continue to operate under the EnerBank brand during the coming months.
• Mountain America Credit Union, Sandy, has launched its MyInvest platform, an automated micro-investment manager. MyInvest is designed to make it easy for Mountain America members to start investing with as little as $5. The platform is easy to access, has minimal fees, and can be customized to users’ personal preferences and risk tolerance. Users can set up automatic deposits to their investment account or choose to make a one-time transfer. MyInvest was developed in partnership with Access Softek Advisory Services LLC and DriveWealth LLC.
COMMUNICATIONS
• Zayo Group Holdings Inc., a Colorado-based provider of fiber-based communications, has completed three new underground, high-capacity, long-haul dark fiber routes, including a 532-mile route connecting Denver to Salt Lake City. The route also completes the final section of the shortest path and lowest latency route between New York City and San Francisco.
CONTESTS
• Applications are being accepted for the 2021-22 High School Utah Entrepreneur Challenge, the high school counterpart of the Utah Entrepreneur Challenge, a college business-plan competition. The deadline for filing an application is Feb. 21. Utah high school students ages 14-18 will compete for $30,000 in cash and scholarships. The program is managed by the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute at the University of Utah. Details are at https://lassonde.utah.edu/hsuec.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
• The Economic Development Corporation of Utah has awarded this year’s Community Match Grants, representing a total of more than $30,000 in matching funds. The awards include seven Special Project Match Grants and six Professional Development Match Grants. Special Projects awardees are Herriman, Ogden, Payson, Saratoga Springs, South Ogden, Taylorsville and Tremonton. Professional Development awardees include three staff each in Tooele and West Jordan.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
• Salt Lake City is ranked No. 4 among major U.S. markets for new data center construction and No. 5 for data center absorption, with local absorption more than doubling between 2020 and 2021, according to a study by JLL. It’s H1 2021 Data Center Outlook said Salt Lake City has become an attract market because of low power rates, numerous renewable energy options and a supportive tech sector. “Utah recently passed legislation that allows sales tax-free equipment purchases for data center clients, which became effective July 1, 2020,” the report said. “Utah has made leaps and bounds in becoming one of the most competitively priced data center markets in the country, which has been proven with the constant expansion of new space coming to the market.”
• Salt Lake City is ranked No. 6 on a list of “2021’s Best Cities for Beer Lovers,” compiled by Lawn Love. It ranked 180 of the largest U.S. cities based on the number of breweries, award-winning beers, cheap pints, beer-centered festivals, and a big beer-loving community. The top-ranked city is Spokane, Washington. The bottom-ranked city is San Bernardino, California. Details are at https://lawnlove.com/blog/best-beer-cities-in-the-us/.
• Utah is ranked No. 12 on a list of “Best States to Visit This Fall,” compiled by LawnStarter. It ranked the states based on 15 fall factors, including the number of national and state parks, corn mazes and wineries, plus the projected number of weeks each state will produce fall foliage. In subcategories, Utah was ranked No. 1 for projected number of weeks with fall foliage, No. 2 for most scenic drives, seventh for hiking trails per 100,000 residents, and No. 26 for number of corn mazes per 100,000 residents. The top-ranked state is Vermont. The bottom-ranked state is Louisiana. Details are at https://www.lawnstarter.com/blog/studies/best-worst-states-to-visit-in-fall/.
EDUCATION/TRAINING
• Weber State University is one of 42 institutions nationwide to make the “2021 Great Colleges to Work For” Honor Roll, based on a survey commissioned by The Chronicle of Higher Education. The results are based on an employee survey conducted in March at 196 colleges and universities nationwide. Only 70 of the 196 institutions achieved “Great Colleges to Work For” recognition for specific best practices and policies. The 42 universities of any size, including Weber State, that received the additional Honor Roll distinction had high employee marks in multiple categories. This is Weber State’s fourth time participating and second time making the Honor Roll. For the first time, it was recognized in all 10 categories. Only 14 of the 196 institutions surveyed received high marks in all 10 categories.
• The Mill Entrepreneurship Center at Salt Lake Community College has hired Clint Stoker as marketing manager. He most recently worked for nine years at Salt Lake Community College’s staff development department. Stoker also has been involved in his own entrepreneurial endeavors. from a small window-cleaning business that helped him pay for college, to his comic book publishing company and success with crowdfunding.
ENVIRONMENT
• The Synergy Co., a Moab-based company focused on certified organic supplement manufacturing, has earned Certified B Corporation status by meeting the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability that balance profit and purpose. The certification encompasses employee treatment, good and transparent governance, community support and partnerships, as well as environmental performance. Synergy is the eighth company in Utah to become a Certified B Corporation.
GOVERNMENT
• Weber State University and Southern Utah University are among 50 recipients nationwide to receive funds from the U.S. Department of Commerce as part of its “Build to Scale” Program. Grantee projects are expected to fuel innovation and tech-based economic development. Weber State will receive $749,175 for its plan to create the Northern Utah Accelerator along with Grow Utah and the Utah Advanced Materials Manufacturing Initiative. The accelerator will address critical deficiencies and foster homegrown scalable companies while addressing economic distress in the region. SUU will receive $749,334 in federal funding for a project designed to stimulate entrepreneurial innovation, scalable startups, and job creation by enhancing the overall innovation capacity and long-term resilience of the region. Fifty organizations from 26 states were granted a total of $36.5 million. The 2021 awardees will leverage an additional $40 million in matching funds from a variety of private- and public-sector sources.
HEALTHCARE
• Ward MD, Salt Lake City, is offering the first accredited facial plastic surgery fellowship program in the Intermountain West. The Educational and Research Foundation for the American Academy of Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery is the sponsoring institution for the Ward MD fellowship program directed by Dr. P. Daniel Ward. The program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Post-Residency Specialty Education (ACPSE) and offers training in facial plastic surgery to surgeons who have completed their residency and are seeking further subspecialty training in rhinoplasty, aging face surgery, hair transplantation and injectables. The first fellow in the program is Dr. Sarah Khayat, who completed her residency at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Selected as chief resident, Khayat will be working with Ward in the operating room and clinic as well as seeing her own facial plastic surgery and FORM Derm Spa patients. FORM Derm Spa has three locations in Northern Utah. The Ward MD program will train one fellow per year and already has been matched with a 2022-2023 fellow.
LAW
• Parsons Behle & Latimer has added Simeon J. Brown and Hannah J. Ector at the company’s Salt Lake City office. Brown joins Parsons’ corporate legal team, while Ector joins its litigation team. Both are graduates of the University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College of Law and have experience working alongside Parsons’ attorneys as summer associates.
MEDIA/MARKETING
• Osmond Marketing, Provo, has changed its corporate name to Stage Marketing “to better reflect the company’s mission, values and core competencies” as it guides clients’ marketing strategy and services through different stages of company growth. Osmond Marketing began in 2009 when the founders, Dr. Amy Osmond Cook and her husband, Jeff Cook, started the company to support their family in the wake of the Great Recession. Stage Marketing will continue to collaborate with clients of all sizes, especially in the healthcare, technology and real estate verticals.
PHILANTHROPY
• DoTerra, a Pleasant Grove-based aromatherapy and essential oils company, has partnered with the state of Utah to distribute 1 million On Guard hand-sanitizing wipes to local students and teachers. The company is working with the Governor’s Office, the Utah Department of Health and the Utah State Board of Education to manage the distribution of the wipes in response to the growing threat of COVID-19 delta variant. Davis, Canyons, Granite and Jordan school districts will receive an allocation of 800,000 wipes. The overall donation represents a retail value of over $700,000.
• Employees from four Ken Garff dealerships recently weeded, sanded, stained porches and created kid-friendly spaces at four House of Hope locations in Salt Lake City. The work was part of Ken Garff’s “We’re ‘Hear’ for You” initiative during the ongoing COVID pandemic. People at House of Hope are feeling especially isolated during the pandemic as they continue to fight for their recovery and their families, the company said.
• Amare Global, a California-based company offering a holistic mental wellness platform of products, programs and people, has launched its “Round Up for Love” charity campaign to benefit The Children’s Center Utah, a Utah-based nonprofit offering mental health services to infants, toddlers, preschoolers and their families. For every first order from new customers and partners, Amare will automatically round up the total of each order to the nearest dollar as a donation from Amare to The Children’s Center Utah and offer its existing customers and partners the capability to round up their orders as an additional donation.
• The HealthTree Foundation, a Salt Lake City-based nonprofit organization, will host a trick-or-treat fundraising event for Utah families Oct. 30, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. at the Mountain America Expo Center, 9575 S. State St., Sandy. All proceeds will benefit the foundation as it tries to find a cure for blood cancers. Details are at https://boopalooza.com/.
REAL ESTATE
• Stockdale Capital Partners, a Los Angeles-based real estate investment firm, has acquired the DoubleTree Suites at the corner of West Temple and 600 S., Salt Lake City. Financial terms were not disclosed. The hotel has 241 rooms and its property includes 5752 square feet of meeting space.
• Mountain West Commercial Real Estate has expanded its service offerings to now include manufactured housing and RV investments. It has welcomed agent Matt Draeger, previously with Marcus & Millichap and who has over a decade of construction industry experience and three years of manufactured homes and RV investment experience.
• Pacaso, a real estate platform designed to help people buy and co-own a luxury second home, has expanded to Park City. The company has begun hiring a regional team and is working with a variety of local businesses to support its operations. Pacaso employs a minimum of eight local businesses to help care for and maintain each property it manages. Local real estate agent David Lawson partners with Pacaso in Park City. Lawson has been a licensed Realtor in Utah since 2000 and has over 30 years of experience in real estate. He is currently director of the Lawson Real Estate Team, part of the Engel & Völkers team in North America.
• HydroJug has expanded its space at 175 N. 1140 W., in Business Depot Ogden and moved into a second, new Class A industrial building, giving the company 160,429 total square feet. The lease for 119,786 square feet was announced by Newmark Knight Frank. Newmark director Braxton Willie and executive managing director Chris Falk represented the tenant in the transaction. The landlord, The Boyer Co., was self-represented. HydroJug was founded by two brothers who created a reusable half-gallon water jug that has since transformed into a more sophisticated design to include straws and insulated sleeves/carriers in a variety of colors and styles.
RECOGNITIONS
• The National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) has named Peggie Pelosi to the 2021 NACD Directorship 100, which recognizes the top 100 corporate directors, corporate governance experts, policymakers and influencers who make a significant impact on boardroom practices and performance. It is presented by the National Association of Corporate Directors. Pelosi is a member of the board of USANA, based in Salt Lake City. She and other honorees will be recognized Nov. 9 during the 2021 NACD Directorship Awards virtual gala. Pelosi joined USANA in 1999 as the executive director of sales for Canada at USANA Health Sciences. And in 2000, she advanced to vice president of network development. Working at USANA until 2004, she formed the program that would evolve into the USANA Foundation. She joined USANA’s board of directors in September 2018 as its first female board member.
• Vestar, owner of The Gateway in Salt Lake City, has been named an Arts+Business Partnership Award honoree for 2021 by Americans for the Arts. The award will be presented Oct. 15 at a virtual gala. The award is a national recognition given annually to businesses that have mutually beneficial, innovative and sustained partnerships with the arts. Since Vestar purchased The Gateway, it has been transformed into a destination for arts and culture. Vacant spaces are revitalized with art shop windows throughout the year, while vibrant murals, crosswalks and interactive art exhibits are regularly displayed. The Gateway also hosts art-themed events such as the annual Chalk Art Festival and the Urban Arts Festival, which provide a free opportunity for attendees to experience and celebrate both local and national artists.
• GuideCX, a Draper-based company producing client onboarding software, has been awarded 14 new badges for the fall quarter from G2, a B2B software and services review website. Four badges are a first for the SaaS platform, and Guide CX received the badge for Best Relationship Fall 2021.
• MX, a Lehi-based financial data platform and modern connectivity company, has recognized U.S. Bank, The Points Guy, MetLife and CIBC as the 2021 MX Innovator Award winners for using financial data to deliver exceptional new money experiences for their customers. The honors were announced at the second annual Money Experience Summit at Snowbird.
TECHNOLOGY
• Lucidpress, a Salt Lake City-based design and brand templating software provider for businesses, has hired Brandon Moss as head of product and Wes Novack as vice president of engineering. Moss will continue to drive broader adoption of the company’s platform by making it more streamlined and simplified for Lucidpress customers. He brings product management experience, having worked at Podium, Domo and DealerSocket. Novack will build out the engineering organization while ensuring that proper security processes and controls are in place to safeguard customer data. He most recently worked at Pluralsight as a leader on engineering teams in software, cloud, DevOps, architecture, platform and product security. Before Pluralsight, he held engineering roles at Verizon and MCI.