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BANKING
• D.L. Evans Bank, based in Idaho, will open a full-service branch at 156 E. Winchester St., Murray, on Nov. 1. Julie Taylor will be vice president/branch manager. The company has branches in Tremonton, Brigham City, Logan and South Ogden among 37 throughout Utah and Idaho.
• Mountain America Credit Union, Sandy, has launched a Spanish language initiative. The program includes the recent roll-out of eight Spanish language hub branches that offer additional resources, marketing materials and signage in Spanish, as well as fluent Spanish speakers on staff. The branches are in Kearns; Magna; 700 North, Salt Lake City; 1225 S. Redwood Road, Salt Lake City; 2850 W. 3500 S., West Valley City; 2958 S. 5600 W., West Valley City; Mesa, Arizona; and Glendale, Arizona.
• TAB Bank, Ogden, has hired Scott Franzen for its sales team as a vice president and business development officer. Based in Minnesota, he will be responsible for sourcing new business opportunities in the upper Midwest region, providing asset-based and factoring working capital resources to commercial businesses throughout northern Midwestern states with annual revenues ranging from $2 million to $150 million. Franzen has nearly three decades of experience in accounts receivable financing and asset-based lending. Franzen’s experience includes positions at Transport Clearings, Associates Commercial Corp., Marquette Transportation Finance, UMB Commercial Finance and TCI Business Capital.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
• Utah is the best state in the U.S. for older adults situated for retirement, according to a list compiled by MagnifyMoney. Utah has the highest homeownership rate among older adults, at 86.4 percent. Utah is tied with New Hampshire for No. 2 on a list of states with the lowest share of adults 65 and older living below the poverty line, at 6.2 percent. It was No. 5 for share of older adults with retirement income, at 64.5 percent, and is No. 13 for the lowest percentage of its older adults who are housing cost-burdened, with only 24.5 percent of older homeowners spending 30 percent or more of their income on housing. The bottom-ranked state overall is California. Details are at https://www.magnifymoney.com/blog/news/best-states-for-older-americans-study/.
• Salt Lake City is ranked No. 5 overall in a listing of Mid-Sized Americas Cities of the Future 2021-22, compiled by fDi. Salt Lake was ranked behind the Canadian cities of Mississauga, Hamilton and Quebec and also Raleigh, North Carolina. FDi considered five main factors: economic potential, business-friendliness, human capital and lifestyle, cost-effectiveness and connectivity. In addition, local economic development organizations (EDOs) and investment promotion agencies (IPAs) filled out a survey on their plans and strategies to compete in a sixth category, FDI strategy. Salt Lake City was ranked No. 3 among mid-sized cities for economic potential and for human capital and lifestyle, and was ranked No. 8 for connectivity and business-friendliness. In a list of all cities of all sizes, New York City topped the rankings. Details are at https://files.constantcontact.com/20894ff5001/e0db2bd2-0005-4412-9bb9-9ed19b12007b.pdf.
• Utah is ranked No. 8 on a list of laser strikes on aircraft reported by pilots to the FAA in 2021 (through Sept. 30). Utah had 203 reports, part of 6,723 reported nationwide. There were 6,852 nationwide for all of 2020. California led the 2021 totals, with 1,167.
• Utah is ranked No. 31 among states as a place best for starting a farm or ranch, a list compiled by LawnStarter. It weighed 42 metrics, including existing farm communities to indicate viability, good infrastructure, and a suitable climate. We also compared the states based on overhead and return-on-investment potential. The top-ranked state is Montana. The bottom-ranked state is Alaska. Details are at https://www.lawnstarter.com/blog/studies/best-states-to-start-a-farm/.
• Daggett County is the “most paycheck-friendly place” in Utah, according to rankings compiled by SmartAsset. It compared income taxes, purchasing power, unemployment, and income growth in counties across the U.S. Daggett County is followed, in order, by Wasatch, Summit, Morgan, Davis, Utah, Salt Lake, Tooele, Millard and Weber counties. Details are at https://smartasset.com/taxes/utah-paycheck-calculator#utah.
EDUCATION/TRAINING
• Denise Dragoo has been elected to the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law Board of Trustees. She succeeds David E. Leta. Dragoo is a partner at Snell & Wilmer in Salt Lake City. Leta is a Snell & Wilmer attorney. Dragoo’s practice focuses on natural resources, coal law, water law, environmental law, mining law, public land law, issues affecting the oil and gas industry, mine safety and health law. She also assists clients with compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act and related administrative appeals. Her legal career has spanned over 40 years. Her education includes receiving her J.D. from the University of Utah College of Law.
FOOD
• Kodiak, a Park City-based food company, has appointed Cory Bayers as chief marketing officer, a newly created position. He will lead all aspects of Kodiak’s marketing initiatives, including strategy development, brand positioning, community building, content creation and partner collaborations. Bayers had more than two decades of marketing experience, most recently as head of global marketing at Patagonia. He also spent more than six years at Lululemon Athletica, most recently as head of global brand creative, and served in various roles at Helly Hansen for a decade.
HEALTHCARE
• Ioniq Sciences Inc., a Salt Lake City-based company that is developing a rapid and non-invasive multi-cancer screen for early detection, has named Dr. Benjamin Haibe-Kains to its Scientific Advisory Committee. Haibe-Kains is a senior scientist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, associate professor in the medical biophysics department of the University of Toronto and the Canada research chair in computational pharmacogenomics.
INVESTMENTS
• Pattern, a Lehi-based company focused on global e-commerce and marketplace acceleration, has secured a $225 million growth equity investment, led by San Francisco-based Knox Lane Investment. It also included participation from existing investors. Since its founding in 2013, Pattern has grown to more than 900 employees operating in 18 countries that support more than 100 global brands. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC acted as sole placement agent on the financing. Jones Day acted as legal counsel to Pattern. William Blair acted as financial advisor and Kirkland & Ellis LLP acted as legal counsel to Knox Lane.
• Publisher Arts, with offices in London; Santiago, Chile; and Salt Lake City, has closed on funding and a partnership with Oxbridge Angels, based in London. The funding amount was not disclosed, but the relationship ensures funding through each round as Publisher Arts achieves business milestones. Publisher Arts provides tools, analytics and data pool relationships to streamline the analytics process related to consumer viewing habits and content recommendations.
LIFE SCIENCES
• BioHive, with a mission to brand, build and bring together Utah’s robust and growing life sciences industry, has named Katelin Roberts as executive director. Roberts had been serving as interim executive director since the launch of BioHive last year. Roberts has a broad range of leadership experience in the life sciences, from operations and manufacturing to investing. Most recently, she served as CEO of Line Logic, a company offering a catheter stabilization device. She also is a partner with MedMountain Ventures, where she will stay on in a nonoperating investing role. BioHive is a chartered organization of BioUtah, Utah’s trade organization for the life sciences.
PARTNERSHIPS
• The Weber County Commission, the Weber Prosperity Center of Excellence and Western Governors University have signed a resolution to advance a partnership that is designed to support the more than 7,000 children impacted by intergenerational poverty in Weber County. The Weber Prosperity Center of Excellence will help expand the impact and reach of the Integrated Community Action Now (ICAN) model, which aims to reduce intergenerational poverty. ICAN aids families who remain in a cycle of poverty by taking a child-centric approach with two generational strategies. With a resource integration coach, families access integrated partners and resources to build family resilience, increase educational obtainment and social capital to become economically mobile and provide future opportunities for children experiencing intergenerational poverty.
REAL ESTATE
• Century Communities Inc. has announced the grand opening of its second phase at Summerfield Estates at 734 S. 1400 W., Provo. It will offer new homes in rambler and two-story floor plans. Colorado-based Century Communities operates in 17 states and more than 40 markets across the U.S., and also offers title, insurance and lending services in select markets through its Parkway Title, IHL Home Insurance Agency and Inspire Home Loan subsidiaries.
• D.A. Davidson’s Special Districts Group has priced and closed $106 million of limited tax general obligation bonds for Black Desert Public Infrastructure District (PID), encompassing approximately 278 acres. The proceeds will fund public infrastructure for a commercial and residential resort community known as Black Desert Resort at Entrada. The project marks D.A. Davidson’s fifth financing in the state, totaling approximately $230 million raised for public infrastructure. The Black Desert PID is on the southeast side of Ivins. Black Desert Resort at Entrada is a commercial and residential resort designed as a vacation destination for guests and visitors, as well as a home for full- and part-time residents. Black Desert’s Resort Center will accommodate guests in its 148 hotel rooms and 299 hotel condominium units and feature a 200-acre, 19-hole golf course; miles of nearby trails; a wellness spa; and 46,160 square feet of restaurant and retail space. Future residents of the community will reside in the Residential Village, planned for 32-single-family estates, 783 condominium units and approximately 214,000 square feet of commercial space. Construction on Phase One of the development began in 2020. Full buildout of the commercial and residential resort is anticipated in 2027. The development is being undertaken by Enlaw LLC, a Delaware limited liability company that is primarily owned by Reef Capital Partners LLC, a real estate private equity firm that has completed more than 400 projects across 35 states.
RECOGNITIONS
• Jamaica Triniman, owner of Hello!Bulk, recently was presented with the Salt Lake Region Small Business Development Center Client of the Year Award. Hello!Bulk, at 355 N. 500 W., Salt Lake City, opened in 2018 and is a grocery store that bypasses packaging. Customers bring their own containers and purchase everything by weight. Supporting the company’s growth have been the SBDC, Sorensen Impact Fund, Salt Lake Economic Development Loan Fund, Utah Microloan Fund and the GIV Group. The Salt Lake SBDC assisted more than 700 clients last year.
• Orbit B-hyve, a product offered by North Salt Lake-based Orbit, has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with the 2021 WaterSense Partner of the Year Award for its dedication to helping consumers and businesses save water, even with the additional challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Orbit was recognized for promoting WaterSense and water efficiency throughout 2020, along with 33 other utilities, manufacturers, builders, retailers and other organizations that partner with WaterSense to promote water-efficient products, homes and programs. Ninety-five percent of Orbit Irrigation Products’ B-hyve controller models are WaterSense-labeled and WaterSense-labeled spray sprinkler bodies joined the Orbit family of labeled products with 54 models in 2020.
• CHG Healthcare, Salt Lake City, has announced the winners of its new Top Women in Healthcare Staffing award, which highlights and honors women who are leaders in healthcare staffing. This year’s honorees are Marjorie Alexander-Vermeulen, managing director of physician recruitment with ChenMed; Amy Burns, system manager of physician recruitment for Ascension St. Vincent’s; Kim T. Collins, lead physician recruiter for Luminis Health Medical Group; Melissa M. Love, vice president of professional staff services and the office of professional well-being for Ochsner Health; Kristine A. Olson, senior director of physician and professional services for Essentia Health; Amy Powell, director of provider recruitment and retention for Reid Health; Aisha DeBerry, group director of physician and advanced provider recruitment for Bon Secours Mercy Health; Tiffany C. Ellington, vice president of physician recruitment and retention for McLeod Health; Sasha Randolph, recruitment and retention manager for rural health education services at the University of Kansas Medical Center; Christy Bray Ricks, AVP, provider recruitment for LifePoint Health; Carey Goryl, CEO of the Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment (AAPPR); Laura Screeney, director of physician recruitment for New York-Presbyterian; Lindsay Hamilton, system director, provider recruitment for Northern Light Health; Kate M. Kaegi, senior leader of physician, provider, and executive talent for SSM Health Dean Medical Group; Nicole Kiser, locum tenens recruiter for Aspirus Health; Jennifer Semling, manager of talent acquisition for Altru Health System; Kayla Silver, physician recruiter for Monument Health; and Jennifer Waters-Plemon, physician and APC recruiter for Marshfield Clinic Health System.
• TCN Operator, a platform offered by TCN Inc., has been selected as a winner of a 2021 Contact Center Technology Award, presented by Customer magazine, a publication of TMC. TCN Inc. is a St. George-based company and its cloud-based call center platform is for enterprises, contact centers, BPOs and collection agencies. The awards program is in its 16th year of honoring the best in technology solutions that enhance customer service. Winners are selected based on a product or service’s ability to help enterprise, small-to-medium-sized businesses and outsourced contact centers deliver amazing customer experiences.
SERVICES
• Exit IQ, Salt Lake City, has been established to provide private business owners in the Intermountain West with education and proven strategies for business exit success. The company designs and executes exit plans, from goal-setting to close for internal transfers of ownership to family and partners, sale to an outside party, or employee stock ownership plans for privately held companies valued at $8 million and higher. Once closed, the relationship continues as Exit IQ provides business owners with resources as they transition from entrepreneur to investor, transfer family wealth to the next generation or accomplish charitable intents. The founding team consists of CEO Richard Tanner and President Cory Tanner, who have helped hundreds of privately held businesses to design and execute exits from their companies. They also co-own Moreton Business Solutions LLC.
TECHNOLOGY
• Qualtrics, a Provo-based company focused on experience management, has hired Dr. Adrienne Boissy as its first chief medical officer. Boissy is a practicing neurologist most recently serving as chief experience officer at the Cleveland Clinic. She will continue as a neurologist at the Cleveland Clinic.
• Executech, a South Jordan-based managed IT services provider, has promoted Sandra Smith to chief administrative officer and Kristen Norris to chief financial officer. Smith has been with Executech for more than 10 years. Initially a part-time employee, she worked in a variety of back-office and administrative capacities. Eventually she managed the marketing, recruiting, accounting, HR and all administrative aspects of Executech. Her new role gives her increased oversight and focus on the growing administrative needs of Executech, including HR, employee development, recruiting, internal operations and administration for Executech’s core brand and over six subsidiary brands encompassing eight office locations and more than 270 employees. Norris joined Executech two years ago as part of the acquisition of DSA Technologies, where she was employed for four years. Since joining, she has worked closely with the accounting and finance functions across Executech and its subsidiary brands. Before joining Executech, Kristen worked across accounting, finance and HR functions at DSA. Prior to that, she spent 10 years in roles that included client relations, account operations, and financial consulting. In her new role, she will oversee all financial operations at Executech, including the subsidiary brands and future acquisitions.
• Jolt Software, a Lehi-based company offering digital food safety and operations execution software for restaurants, has appointed Shannon Lippe as vice president of marketing. Lippe will be responsible for creating and overseeing the execution of Jolt’s marketing strategy, furthering the company’s growth across several markets. She has more than 10 years of experience in the hospitality technology industry at numerous companies, including Micros/Oracle and Shiji Group.
TRANSPORTATION
• Alaska Airlines has announced it will start nonstop service between Anchorage and Salt Lake City on June 18, 2022. Alaska Airlines and its regional partners currently serve more than 120 destinations across the United States and to Mexico, Canada and Costa Rica.