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AGRICULTURE
• The Downtown Winter Farmers Market has opened at 12 S. Rio Grande St., at The Gateway in Salt Lake City and will offer products each Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., through April 17. It traditionally has been held at the Rio Grande Train Depot, but it is under repairs after structural damages caused by the March 18 earthquake. The Winter Market offers produce, grass-fed meats, baked goods, dairy, eggs, honey, packaged foods and more. Nearly half of Utah’s counties are represented at the Winter Market on behalf of farmers and producers within a 250-mile radius of Salt Lake City. Details, including a full list of safety precautions and restrictions, are available at slcfarmersmarket.org.
ASSOCIATIONS
• The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Council has appointed Natalie Kaddas, CEO of Kaddas Enterprises, Salt Lake City, as vice chair. She will assist in creating strategies on legislative, regulatory and international initiatives to support small businesses around the country. Kaddas Enterprises is a second-generation, family-owned thermoplastic manufacturing business that has operated in Utah for over 50 years.
BANKING
• Bank of Utah, Ogden, has announced the appointments of three women to branch manager positions in Northern Utah. Sarah Carver has accepted the position of branch manager for Bank of Utah’s Ben Lomond branch in Ogden. Carver has previously managed Bank of Utah branches in Bountiful and Layton and has held other positions, including customer service representative and account manager for the bank. Kimberly O’Neal will serve as branch manager for two Bank of Utah branches, in Roy and Bountiful. She formerly served as branch manager for the bank’s Redwood Road branch. O’Neal has worked for retail banks for more than 26 years, including JP Morgan Chase Bank. She is a graduate of the University of Utah, where she majored in consumer economics/family studies. Bank of Utah has appointed Karen Owens to serve as branch manager for the Layton branch. Owens previously served as Bank of Utah’s Bountiful branch manager and as an account manager at the main branch in Ogden. She brings many years of retail management to her position. Owens earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Western Governors University.
DIRECT SALES
• ASEA, a Pleasant Grove-based, privately owned international direct selling and multi-level marketing company, has announced several promotions. Nico N. Raczek is chief science officer. Raczek has decades of leadership in scientific strategies, new product development, research, and regulatory and scientific affairs, including having global industry expertise in nutrition and health, cosmetics and consumer goods. Jina Anson is chief marketing officer. Anson has been leading ASEA’s global marketing for over a year. She has nearly two decades of experience in new product development, international business, and marketing for health and beauty products. Her education includes studying at Brigham Young University. Jörg Höche is chief revenue officer. Höche joined ASEA in 2016 as vice president of sales for the EU and has more than 20 years of experience as an executive manager in the network marketing industry. Edouard Gug is vice president of ASEA Europe. Over the past four years at ASEA, Gug has successfully developed and grown the European region. Gug began his career in sales in the catering industry in France and transitioned his career to network marketing in 2014.
DIVIDENDS
• The board of directors of Extra Space Storage Inc., Salt Lake City, has declared a quarter dividend of 90 cents per share on the common stock of the company for the fourth quarter. The dividend is payable Dec. 31 to stockholders of record Dec. 15. Extra Space Storage is a real estate investment trust that owns and/or operates 1,906 self-storage properties. It is the second-largest owner and/or operator of self-storage properties in the United States and is the largest self-storage management company in the U.S.
• The board of directors of Overstock.com Inc., Salt Lake City, has declared a regular annual cash dividend for 2020 of 16 cents per share on the company’s Series A-1 and Series B Preferred Stock. The dividend is payable Dec. 16 to shareholders of record Nov. 30. It is the fourth consecutive year for a cash dividend to preferred shareholders, and it is the largest amount of cash the company has ever paid out in a dividend. Overstock.com is an online retailer and technology company.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
• The Economic Development Corporation of Utah (EDCUtah) has promoted Colby Cooley to vice president of business development. Cooley joined EDCUtah in 2016 after serving as a Fellow in the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. He leads EDCUtah’s Global Strategy and Outreach program, which uses analytics to proactively target high-potential companies in out-of-state markets. Cooley has managed corporate expansion projects in the outdoor products, manufacturing/distribution, aerospace/defense, and life sciences industry sectors. Cooley graduated from the University of Utah with a B.A. in history.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
• Utah is ranked No. 23 among states in controlling the flood of garbage recyclables, according to LawnStarter, which compared 14 metrics across four categories to determine the best and worst states at managing waste. These metrics include the presence of plastic-bag bans, the presence of mandatory recycling laws and the number of recycling facilities per 100,000 residents. Vermont is the top-ranked state. Alaska is at the bottom of the rankings. Details are at https://www.lawnstarter.com/blog/studies/best-worst-states-waste-management/.
HEALTHCARE
• Dymicron, an Orem-based, privately held medical device company developing a next-generation cervical artificial disc, has appointed Dr. Armen Khachatryan to its board of directors. Khachatryan is an orthopedic surgeon specializing in minimally invasive microsurgery and the treatment of cervical and lumbar spinal disease. He has extensive experience in minimally invasive surgery, motion preservation technology, artificial disc replacement and non-fusion technologies. He is an active partner at the Center for Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Excellence, founder of the Disc Replacement Center in Salt Lake City and co-founder of the Masson Spine Institute Outpatient Center of Excellence in Park City. He has trained hundreds of surgeons in advanced spine surgery solutions and cervical arthroplasty and has been a lecturer throughout the United States and internationally, has been a clinical investigator in multiple FDA clinical trials for cervical artificial disc replacement and was among the first to implant artificial discs in Utah both in the lumbar and cervical spine.
• Caris Life Sciences, a Texas-based innovator in molecular science, has announced the addition of Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah to the company’s Precision Oncology Alliance, a group of 40-plus cancer centers collaborating to advance comprehensive cancer profiling and institute standards of care for molecular testing in oncology. Institutions in the alliance have early access to Caris MAI (Molecular Artificial Intelligence) offerings and establish evidence-based standards for cancer profiling and molecular testing in oncology. They also have access to CODEai, a data solution in the industry with cancer treatment information and clinical outcomes data for over 215,000 patients covering over 1 million data points per patient.
HOSPITALITY/FOOD SERVICE
• The Goldener Hirsch, a Deer Valley Austrian-inspired luxury hotel at the resort’s Silver Lake Village, has expanded with 40 new luxury residential condominiums. The $120 million project includes new amenities such as a rooftop pool and gym, a plaza bridge connecting the original and new buildings as well as sunlit courtyards, a café and ski valet.
INVESTMENTS
• GuideCX, a Salt Lake City-based project management platform for onboarding new customers, has completed a $10 million Series A funding round led by Sorenson Ventures. Other series participants include new investors Epic Ventures and Orchard Ventures LLC and previous investors Album VC and Prelude, among others. GuideCX said the investment will allow it to further define the category of modern customer onboarding.
LAW
• Dorsey & Whitney LLP has hired Alison Garner as a senior attorney in its Regulatory Affairs Group in Salt Lake City. Garner joins Dorsey after over a decade of public service in both the Utah Attorney General’s Office and the U.S. Department of Justice. Prior to joining the Utah Office of the Attorney General, Garner was a trial attorney with U.S. Department of Justice, Environment and Natural Resources Division, in Washington, D.C. Garner has a J.D. degree from University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College of Law.
MANUFACTURING
• Malouf Cos., Logan, has hired Matthew Croshaw to lead strategies for organization effectiveness inclusive of organization design, talent and leader development, and change and continuous transformation for is growing network of companies. Malouf produces sleep and home furnishings products and has home and apparel retail company Downeast, technology and app pioneer Impact Collective; and venture-focused family office Tamarak Capital. Croshaw most recently worked since 2004 for Parker Hannifin.
MEDIA/MARKETING
• The Walton Group, a Provo-based media relations and advertising agency, has hired Nathaniel Potz and Amber Rawlings as associates. Potz is a junior studying public relations at Brigham Young University. Rawlings, an account executive, is a communications graduate from Brigham Young University. She previously worked in marketing for over three years, gaining experience in event planning, social media marketing, website design and advertising.
NONPROFITS
• The CrowdCare Foundation, a Salt Lake City-based, patient-driven nonprofit organization, is changing its name to the HealthTree Foundation. It said the move “reflects its growing community of users with multiple myeloma and the foundation’s plan to expand the platform to patients with other diseases.” The foundation was first created to support multiple myeloma and ALS patients in navigating their disease. The HealthTree Foundation is a nonprofit that built a suite of software tools to provide a fully integrated solution for patients with rare and terminal diseases. The change is in name only. No changes have been made to the foundation’s leadership, nonprofit status, structure or mission.
PHILANTHROPY
• Tucanos Brazilian Grill in Farmington recently donated $3,000 to Red Barn Academy. The new restaurant at Station Park held a VIP grand opening event and donated the net proceeds to the Farmington-based nonprofit, which is a residential life-skills program in a farm setting that helps men address addiction, criminality and homelessness.
• Mountain America Credit Union, Sandy, has awarded grants to 10 education professionals in Utah and Idaho to support K-12 classroom learning, with up to $1,500 awards to each grant recipient. Since 2016, Mountain America has assisted more than 40 educators in purchasing supplies to enhance the classroom learning experience. The 2020-21 recipients are Jennifer Foley, Terra Academy; Emma Moss, Eastmont Middle School; Vanessa Tendick, Canyon Rim Academy; Tonya King, Lowell Scott Middle School; Mindi Reimann, West Jordan Elementary; Brenda Bennett, Antelope Elementary; Katrina Stratford, Ensign Elementary; Sarah Curtis, Bell View Elementary; Marianne Wilson, Davis County School District; and Ryan Oldroyd, West Jordan Middle School.
REAL ESTATE
• Newmark has hired Jeff Rossi and Trigger Reital as executive managing directors in its Salt Lake City office. The office leasing experts have more than 38 years of combined commercial real estate experience. Prior to joining Newmark, the duo worked as executive directors at Cushman & Wakefield. For over 19 years, Rossi has provided for the needs of occupier clients, combining financial analysis, strategic consulting, market knowledge and other needed resources to help them make informed real estate decisions. He has transacted on over 21 million square feet of real estate and closed more than 1,600 transactions over the course of his career. Reital has executed over 1,500 lease transactions comprising nearly 20 million square feet of real estate over the span of his nearly 20-year career. He helped run Cushman & Wakefield’s tenant advisory group.
RECOGNITIONS
• BioUtah has announced its 2020 Utah Life Sciences award winners, which were presented during a special virtual awards session at the Utah Life Sciences Summit. They are being recognized for their contributions to medical innovation, entrepreneurship, leadership and the life sciences community at large. The Friend of Industry is Erin Mendenhall, mayor of Salt Lake City. The Entrepreneur of the Year is Chris Gibson, CEO of Recursion Pharmaceutical. The Innovation Impact Award was presented to Bill Phillips, chief operating officer at Spectrum Solutions. The Executive of the Year is Randy Rasmussen, co-founder of BioFire Diagnostics. The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Gary Crocker, president of Crocker Ventures.
• The Utah Manufacturers Association recently presented its 2020 awards for outstanding performance in operational performance and best practices at the 2020 Manufacturers Conference. Bean Trailer earned first place as 2020 Manufacturer of the Year, followed by second-place Procter & Gamble Box Elder; third-place Capstone Nutrition; and honorable mentions USANA Health Sciences and Bonnell Aluminum Clearfield. Earning first place in the 2020 Safety Award was Treehouse Foods, followed by second-place Post Consumer Brands; third-place L3Harris; and honorable mention Mechanical Service and Systems. Earning the 2020 Best Company Culture award was Camp Chef.
• O.C. Tanner, a Salt Lake City-based employee recognition and workplace culture company, has been honored by Upwardly Global with the Championing Inclusion award at its annual gala, held virtually Nov. 12. Upwardly Global is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to the effective integration of skilled immigrants into the professional U.S. workforce. O.C. Tanner is one of only three companies being honored and is the sole recipient of the Championing Inclusion award. O.C. Tanner was selected for its commitment to hiring and advancing refugees as well as their larger commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion practices.
• Purple Innovation LLC, a Lehi-based producer of comfort products, has ranked highest in customer satisfaction for the second year in a row in the J.D. Power 2020 Mattress Satisfaction Report for the Mattresses Online category. The ranking included support, comfort, value given the price paid, warranty and customer care. The rankings are based on responses from 2,348 customers who purchased a mattress in the 12 months prior to fielding the survey.
• The Utah Golf Course Superintendents Association recently recognized a superintendent, assistant superintendent and industry salesperson for their exceptional work. Winners were chosen by the current Utah GCSA board of directors based on the number of nominations and justifications provided. They were recognized during the association’s virtual annual meeting Nov. 12. Jake Ebner was named Superintendent of the Year for private clubs. Ebner has been director of agronomy at Alpine Country Club in Highland since 2006. He manages a staff of 22 crew members and has a degree in horticulture. Jay Geise was honored as Superintendent of the Year for public courses. Geise has served as superintendent for three years at Hobble Creek Golf Course in Springville. He also worked as the assistant at Riverside Country Club in Provo. The Assistant Superintendent of the Year is Jack Hammer, who has worked since 2016 as first assistant superintendent at Glenwild Golf Club & Spa in Park City. The Salesperson of the Year is Daryl Dinkel, sales representative for Target Specialty Products and business lead for the Target golf team in the western U.S. He has 15 years of experience as a gold course superintendent, part of more than 34 years of working in the turf industry.
SERVICES
• Kiln is launching its fifth flex-office space and coworking community at 1090 Center Drive, Park City. Scheduled to open March 1, the workspace will offer private and open office spaces, meeting rooms, large event space, phone booths, and a set of wellness-focused amenities for transient executives, creatives, and tech and enterprise teams. The location will transform what was previously Kimball Junction’s Jupiter Bowling Alley. In partnership with Newpark Retail, EDA and Serenity Construction, a joint restorative project is underway. Kiln plans to grow across the Mountain West and West Coast.
SPORTS
• Snowbird has appointed Sarah Sherman as its communications manager. She will work within the marketing team to oversee the resort’s public and media relations, communications and more. Originally from Los Angeles, Sherman began her career as a snow reporter at Mammoth Mountain and since then has spent time working as the social media coordinator at Freeskier Magazine, program and communications manager at Windells Camp, and most recently as the communications and content manager at Sierra-at-Tahoe.
• Solitude Mountain Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon has postponed its opening day for the 2020-21 ski season. It had planned to open Nov. 20 but that has been delayed due to a lack of early-season snowfall.
TECHNOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCES
• CleanSpark Inc., a Salt Lake City-based software and services company, has hired Rachel Silverstein as vice president of compliance and general counsel and Owen Cadwalader as vice president of operations. Silverstein is former corporate counsel at Zappos, a company owned by Amazon Inc. Cadwalader most recently was an executive with Molekule, a clean-air technology company. Prior to Molekule, he served as vice president/co-founder of OptiRTC, a cloud software platform for smart water management.
TRAVEL & TOURISM
• Visit Salt Lake has launched “Salt Lake Bound=FREEdom Found,” an incentive-based travel campaign featuring a number of travel and in-market adventure incentives. When booking two or more nights in participating Salt Lake lodging properties, regional and national travelers can select between $100 in Sinclair gas cards or a $200 Delta Air Lines’ eGift Card. For those preferring in-market incentives, it offers the option to select two 2-day Connect Passes, VSL’s all-inclusive pass that allows visitors to experience 13 of the area’s top attractions. Skiers and snowboarders have the option to choose two complimentary one-day Ski City Super Passes, allowing skiers to choose which of Salt Lake’s four resorts they want to ski on any given day.