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ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT
• Utah Symphony/Utah Opera has appointed Robert Neu as vice president of artistic planning. Neu was consultant/senior vice president of artistic planning with the Colorado Symphony from 2014 to 2016, vice president and general manager of the Minnesota Orchestra from 1995 to 2014, and orchestra manager of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra from 1990 to 1995. In 2016, Neu became a full-time stage director and has earned credits on more than 100 productions, largely in the opera world. Neu will become part of the search process to find the symphony’s new music director, in addition to responsibilities including developing and implementing the symphony’s artistic vision through programming, commissioning of new works, and recording projects; stewarding relationships with guest artists across the U.S. and abroad; and taking a role in artistic development in USUO’s strategic planning.
ASSOCIATIONS
• Leslie Titus Bryant has joined the Salt Lake Chamber’s Business Women’s Forum Steering Committee. She is director of marketing and brand at Spectrum Solutions LLC, a Salt Lake City-based medical device manufacturing company. The forum is dedicated to and supporting both professional and personal growth for all Utah businesswomen. Bryant has industry experience in molecular diagnostics, medical devices, bio-sample collection, direct-to-patient at-home testing, DTC bioinformatic products, genetic testing and forensic DNA.
BANKING
• Zions Bank, Salt Lake City, has received Bank On certification for its newly launched no-overdraft-fee account from the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund. The OnBudgetBanking product is designed to help bring financial stability to underserved consumers. It helps keep customers aligned with their financial goals with a predictable monthly service fee of $5, mobile banking and no overdraft fees. The checkless account offers a Visa debit card for making payments and accessing funds. The national Bank On certification recognizes that the account meets standards around affordability and functionality created by consumer advocates, nonprofit organizations and civic leaders.
• America First Credit Union and the Utah Jazz have announced a multi-year partnership that features naming America First as the official credit union of the Jazz. America First has been affiliated with the Jazz since 1985 and will have an expanded relationship with the franchise, including digital and traditional branding at Vivint Arena, activations during Jazz games, affiliations with the NBA G League Salt Lake City Stars and other sporting events. The two organizations will also work together on various community outreach initiatives throughout Utah. America First will continue as a presenting sponsor of Junior Jazz, which has more than 60,000 participants, as well as supporting the Jazz Youth Camps & Clinics program. America First will also team up with the Jazz to expand its Small Business Showcase with financial and marketing support.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
• Salt Lake City is ranked No. 35 among the top 50 “smart” cities in the world with a population between 600,000 and 3 million people, according to rankings compiled by global parking tech company Easyparkgroup.com. The 2021 Global Smart City Index (Cities of the Future Study) studied cities that are best adopting new technological solutions to improve their sustainability and liveability. Copenhagen, Denmark, ranks as the most intelligent and future-proof city with a population of between 600,000 and 3 million people. London led cities with populations over 3 million. Details are at https://easyparkgroup.com/studies/cities-of-the-future/en/.
• Seventy-nine percent of Utahns want all their social media posts automatically erased when they die, according to a survey by Redact.dev, a software that allows people to scan social media history and automatically remove any contentious posts. The highest number is in Iowa, at 85 percent. The lowest is in Wyoming, at 27 percent. Details are at https://redact.dev/blog/digital-death-cancel-culture.
EDUCATION/TRAINING
• Western Governors University, a Salt Lake City-based online, nonprofit university, has named Ismar Vallecillos as its first-ever director of Utah operations. He will help guide the strategic direction of WGU within the state and execute the shared mission of expanding access to high-quality, in-demand degree programs for more Utahns. Vallecillos will focus specific efforts supporting low-income, rural, and some-college-but-no-degree students across the state. Vallecillos most recently spent over eight years leading international operations in 25 countries at BYU-Pathway Worldwide.
• The South Valley Chamber of Commerce will offer its South Valley Business Accelerator, a 10-week program providing business owners with the knowledge need to create and manage a customized, three-year strategic growth plan, running Jan. 4-May 10. Seventy percent of business that have completed the program have increased annual revenue by 47 percent, the chamber said. The program costs $500 and participants must be chamber members.
HEALTHCARE
• A group including physicians, scientists and technologists have unveiled Metrodora, a national center of excellence for the treatment and research of complex neuroimmune disorders. Metrodora said it will focus on advancing women’s health by introducing a new way to treat women impacted by these conditions through a holistic view of the full patient and advancing research on these conditions. Metrodora’s research initiatives and partnerships are already well underway, and the Metrodora clinic will open its doors to patients in a 50,000-square-foot facility in Salt Lake City in the summer of 2022. Dr. Laura A. Pace will serve as CEO. She is a neurogastroenterologist and rare disease specialist. Among other positions, Pace has served as co-lead for the adult program for University of Utah’s NIH Undiagnosed Diseases Network (NIH UDN) clinical site. Interdisciplinary scientist Dr. James Hemp will serve as chief scientific officer. Hemp has over 20 years of research experience spanning biology, chemistry, physics, genetics and medicine. Instacart CEO Fidji Simo will serve as president of the Metrodora Foundation. Pace, Hemp and Simo are co-founders. Anthony Philippakis, chief data officer at the Broad Institute, and Carol Suh, partner at Arch Ventures, will also be joining the Metrodora Foundation board.
• Xenter Inc., a Salt Lake City-based medical device-data-drug technologies company, has appointed Tony Collins as chief financial officer. Collins served as group chief financial officer at Zimmer Biomet since 2019. He also has held numerous other financial leadership positions at Zimmer Biomet, including vice president, finance, corporate controller and chief accounting officer and vice president finance for global operations and supply chain. Prior to Zimmer Biomet, Collins held executive leadership positions at Guidant/Boston Scientific, including CFO of Guidant Japan.
• National Partners in Healthcare (NPH), a heathcare organization delivering anesthesiology services, has announced that Alpine Anesthesia, Salt Lake City, has joined NPH. The organization said the partnership will allow Alpine to “retain control over clinical operations and continue providing quality perioperative services while gaining the infrastructure, efficiencies and expertise that NPH offers.” Rebecca Brophy, Holly Buckley and Thomas Zahn of McGuireWoods LLP provided legal counsel to NPH. Alpine Anesthesia and its partners were represented in the transaction by Blake Voorhees of Ray, Quinney & Nebeker, Salt Lake City.
INVESTMENTS
• Impartner, a Salt Lake City-based pure-play leader in SaaS-based channel management and partner relationship management, has raised $50 million in funding, led by Brighton Park Capital and with participation from existing investors Savant Growth, Emergence and Golub Capital. The investment brings Impartner’s total funding to date to over $113 million. The funding will bolster sales and marketing resources, and expand customer success initiatives to support the company’s global customer base.
• Atomic, a Salt Lake City-based company providing payroll connectivity, has secured $22 million in Series A financing to expand its payroll integration platform and grow its team. The round was led by Core Innovation Capital, with participation from existing investors Portag3 Ventures and Greylock Capital Management. Atomic has raised more than $38.6 million since its founding in 2019.
• SponsorCX, an American Fork-based sponsorship management technology company, has completed its angel round of financing through Peak, an angel tech investment firm in Utah. The amount was not disclosed. With the investment, SponsorCX will expand its current property platform and launch new sponsorship management products. This investment comes nearly a year after the company launched its property platform in December 2020. SponsorCX was founded in 2017.
LAW
• Parr Brown Gee & Loveless, Salt Lake City, has hired Briggs Matheson as a shareholder in the commercial litigation section. Matheson’s experience includes representing companies, individuals and government entities in civil and criminal proceedings involving fraud, breach-of-contract, intellectual property, securities and sensitive corporate investigations. Matheson previously was a federal prosecutor in the Northern District of California. He also served as a deputy city attorney for the city and county of San Francisco as a member of the City Attorney’s Office Trial Team. Matheson previously worked as an associate at Keker, Van Nest & Peters LLP in San Francisco.
NONPROFITS
• My529, a nonprofit educational savings plan, for the fifth year in a row, has reduced its administrative asset fee. The fee cut affects 23 of 24 investment options and benefits 99 percent of my529 accounts, it said. The new fees went into effect Oct. 1. My529 also recently qualified for a lower-cost share class in the Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund Institutional Select Shares. The Underlying Fund Expense has dropped from 0.03 percent to 0.01 percent (or 10 cents per $1,000 invested annually). The fund is used in 17 my529 investment options, including the Customized options. This change will collectively save my529 account owners approximately $600,000 annually. My529 serves more than 450,000 accounts and manages $20 billion in assets.
PHILANTHROPY
• Woodside Homes’ Utah Division has partnered for the first time with The Family Support Center, a nonprofit agency that provides support and recovery treatment to families seeking a way out of domestic crises. Woodside’s entire Utah Division team, including its corporate partners, devoted two weeks to renovating three housing units at LifeStart. The units provide income-restricted housing for struggling families looking pave the way to a better future and become self-sufficient. During the two weeks of renovations, the Woodside team repaired drywall, re-painted the walls, removed and installed fixtures, replaced the plumbing, and did other work.
• Encircle, a Utah-founded nonprofit that builds homes that provide life-saving mental health services and community programs for LGBTQ+ youth and their families, has received a $1 million donation from Domo and Josh James, Domo founder and CEO, and his wife, Marina James. The organization has reached its goal of raising $8 million to build eight new Encircle homes. In addition, The Kahlert Foundation is contributing $1 million for a ninth home in Utah. To help raise funds to sustain these new homes, Encircle also has launched a Sustainability Fund, which will ensure continued support for LGBTQ+ youth at all Encircle locations. To kick off the fund, Encircle is opening its first Encircle Cafe at 331 S. 600 E., Salt Lake City, which will not only employ Encircle youth, but also provide funds to support the home. Earlier this year, Encircle kicked off its “$8 Million, 8 Houses” capital campaign to begin the nationwide expansion of Encircle. With the campaign goal reached, Encircle will be able to continue its expansion with new locations in Arizona, Idaho, Nevada and Utah. The nonprofit has already started construction on locations in Heber, Logan and Ogden, as well as in Las Vegas.
• Ally Financial Inc. has provided a $500,000 grant to help Weber State University in its commitment to become an Emerging Hispanic Serving Institution (EHSI). In its 2021 strategic plan, Weber State Amplified, a five-year plan for growth, the university committed to increasing the percentage of students who identify as Hispanic or Latinx descent to 15 percent by 2025. Reaching EHSI status is a step to becoming designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), as defined by the U.S. Department of Education, which requires a 25 percent Hispanic/Latinx enrollment. Latinx students would be eligible to apply for scholarships, paid internships and leadership development opportunities. The designation also would allow WSU to apply for additional grants and funding from the federal government. Through Ally’s sponsorship, WSU will accelerate its efforts to improve access, retention and completion and achieve the EHSI enrollment target. The university will use the grant money to establish an HSI Initiatives Office evaluate existing university efforts, identify gaps and coordinate resources for underserved students.
• The George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation has awarded Needs Beyond Medicine $5,000 for its Relief Program, providing financial assistance grants helping cancer patients meet necessary (but nonmedical) expenses while in treatment. The program, now in its 15th year, aids adults, children, and their families facing extreme financial hardship during their cancer battles. Patient applicants can continue to apply for grants of up a $500 through the program, which is funded through private and public grants, along with business and community contributions. Applicants must be Utah residents, diagnosed with cancer within the past year, who are in active cancer treatment.
• ZAGG, a Salt Lake City-based innovator for screen protection, protective cases, tablet keyboards and power management solutions, and Eyesafe, a leader in blue light standards and technology for the consumer electronics industry, announced a joint initiative aimed at raising public awareness around the potential health risks posed by exposure to high-energy blue light. Blue light is given off by all digital devices. The advocacy campaign ran from Oct. 10 (in honor of California's Blue Light Awareness Day) through Oct. 15 (World Sight Day) and will culminate at the end of October. ZAGG and Eyesafe have created educational materials to share with the public through their respective social media channels, PR, email and websites.
RECOGNITIONS
• Four Utah credit unions are ranked on a list of “best credit unions to work for,” compiled by American Banker, a trade journal and website focused on the U.S. financial services industry. They are No. 3 Mountain America Credit Union, Sandy; No. 25 Cyprus Federal Credit Union, West Jordan; No. 28 Deseret First Credit Union, West Valley City; and No. 30 America First Credit Union, Riverdale. American Banker ranked 55 credit unions for their executives placing “employees’ needs first,” including remote works and those who have returned to, or never left, the office. Details are at https://www.americanbanker.com/creditunions/list/the-best-credit-unions-to-work-for.
• Flagg Flanagan, chairman and CEO of Salt Lake City-based DiscGenics Inc., has been named one of the 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs of 2021 by Goldman Sachs at its Builders+Innovators Summit in California. DiscGenics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing regenerative cell-based therapies that alleviate pain and restore function in patients with degenerative diseases of the spine. Flanagan has over 30 years of experience in the medical device field as an entrepreneur, executive and advisor. He has led DiscGenics since its founding in 2007. Prior to DiscGenics, Flanagan founded Flanagan Instruments, which he built over 24 years into a leading neurosurgical device distribution business before selling it to Itochu International in 2005. Flanagan is currently on the boards of TrueDigital Systems, Peleton Medical, Triad Life Sciences, Steribite and the Neurosurgery Research & Education Foundation. He has also served on the boards of the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine, as well as TrueVision Systems and Image Stream Medical, which were acquired by Alcon and Olympus, respectively.
• MHTN Architects, a Salt Lake City-based firm specializing in student life and educational design, has received the grand prize from Learning by Design for designing West Bountiful Elementary School. The 65,000-square-foot, two-story school features several learning studios with sliding doors and portable furniture to provide more flexibility and opportunities for social distancing. The building also includes a media center and an “Imaginarium,” a combination of an art studio and a makerspace for students to explore and express their creativity. The Learning By Design Award is a national competition that judges submissions on six categories: innovation, 21st-century learning, community needs, functional design, interior design, and sustainability.
• Avetta, an Orem-based provider of supply chain risk management software, has made the “50 Providers to Know” list, compiled by procurement and supply chain advisory company Spend Matters. It is the fourth straight year for Avetta to make the list, which recognizes the best-in-class companies in the procurement and supply chain market.
• The SelectHealth Advantage plan earned a five-star overall rating for 2022 and is ranked among the highest-rated Medicare Advantage plans in the U.S., according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). For 2021, only 5.25 percent of all contracts reached that level of achievement. Each year, CMS rates Medicare-certified health plans (both parts C and D) on a scale of one to five stars, with five stars representing the highest quality, using the Medicare Star Quality Ratings system. The overall scores are based on 37 care and service quality measures across several categories. SelectHealth is a not-for-profit health plan serving more than 950,000 members.
RETAIL
• H&E Equipment Services Inc., has opened a rental branch at 1723 W. 1350 S., Ogden. It is the company’s third Utah facility. The 8,350-square-foot facility sits on three acres with a yard area, offices, parts warehouse, and a separate repair shop with six service bays. It is capable of handling construction and general industrial equipment for customers in northern Utah, southeast Idaho and western Wyoming.
TECHNOLOGY
• BambooHR, a Lindon-based company offering cloud-hosted software focused on human resources, has appointed Justin Judd as chief financial officer. He succeeds Kent Goates, who will retire after seven years at the company. Judd joins BambooHR from Adobe, where he served as the CFO of its Digital Experience Business unit. In previous roles, Judd led the corporate legal group at Adobe, and held positions at PwC and several law firms. His education includes a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the Brigham Young University Marriott School of Business.
• MX, a Lehi-based company offering a financial data platform and connectivity, has named Shawn Lindquist as chief legal officer and hired Ryan Jackson as executive vice president and head of revenue, Christopher Trepel as senior vice president of data science, Crystal Anderson as vice president of product for money experience, Bose Chan as head of strategic partnerships and vice president of product, and Janet Pruden as vice president of sales operations. Lindquist is an advisor and executive who has been working with emerging growth companies for nearly 25 years, and he has extensive experience working closely with management teams and boards of directors. Lindquist served as chief legal officer and a member of the C-suite of four public companies: Vivint Smart Home Inc., Vivint Solar Inc., Fusion-io Inc. and Omniture Inc. Before that, he was a corporate and securities attorney at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati; in-house corporate counsel, business development and M&A for Novell; and general counsel of a venture-backed software company. He has also served as an adjunct professor of law at the law school at Brigham Young University. Jackson previously spent 12 years at Qualtrics in roles including area vice president, enterprise sales; head of public sector; and sales team lead. Trepel most recently led the advanced analytics function at Lowell. Before that, he built and led the predictive analytics and corporate affairs functions at Encore Capital and held analytic and strategic roles at Wells Fargo Bank and McKinsey & Co. Anderson previously was vice president of financial services at H&R Block. She has spent nearly 20 years in product management in financial services technology and consumer goods industries. Chan previously managed the Open Banking function at Citi, as part of its FinTech and Consumer Digital business. Before Open Banking, he was in Citi’s Global Strategy Group, covering consumer retail, credit cards, commercial and fintech. Pruden most recently spent seven years at Salesforce leading sales strategy and operations organizations. Prior to Salesforce, she spent six years at BTS as a director. She has more than 15 years’ experience as a strategy and operations leader helping build sales organizations within high-growth organizations.
• Podium, a Lehi-based company offering a communication and payments platform for local businesses, has hired Loren Padelford for a newly created role of chief operating officer. He will oversee all aspects of the go-to-market strategy and operations across Podium’s business, including building out and scaling the marketing, sales, business development, customer success and international efforts for the company. Padelford most recently was vice president and general manager of revenue at Shopify. Prior to that, he helped create and lead Shopify Plus and held senior leadership positions across sales and marketing at software firms in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K.
• Sarcos Technology and Robotics Corp., a Salt Lake City-based company offering robotic systems to augment humans to enhance productivity and safety, has appointed James “Hondo” Geurts as its executive vice chairman. Geurts in August retired from his role as the undersecretary of the Navy for the Biden administration after serving more than 34 years in various military and government positions. His roles have included assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition under the Trump administration and acquisition executive and director of SOF acquisition, technology and logistics at the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). He was commissioned as a U.S. Air Force officer in 1987.
• GPS Capital Markets Inc., a Salt Lake City-based financial technology company offering foreign exchange services, has opened offices in Perth and Sydney, Australia. Luke Coleman will lead the Perth office, and Sam Choucair will lead the Sydney office.