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BANKING
• America First Credit Union has opened a new location inside the Kent’s Market at 3673 W. 2600 N., Plain City. It is the company’s second location in Plain City. Tom Cooney will serve as service center manager. He began his career with America First seven years ago as a teller at the Ogden main location and quickly moved up the ranks, most recently serving as service center manager for the Riverdale Walmart branch. America First has 123 locations.
CONTESTS
• The Technology Commercialization and Innovation Program (TCIP), a program within the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED), will accept grant applications until 5 p.m. Nov. 20. TCIP provides competitive grants to small businesses and university teams seeking to bring their new technologies to market. Over the last three years, 63 companies have received grant funds totaling $5.4 million. TCIP has $2.5 million to distribute among companies in this round. First-time grant awardees may receive up to $100,000 in funds, and companies that have previously received TCIP funding may qualify for a grant of up to $200,000. Details are at business.utah.gov/TCIP.
DIVIDENDS
• The board of directors of Zions Bancorporation, Salt Lake City, has declared a regular quarterly dividend of 16 cents per common share. The dividend is payable Nov. 22 to shareholders of record Nov. 15. The board also declared regular quarterly cash dividends on the company’s various perpetual preferred shares. The dividend on the series A, G, H and I shares are payable Dec. 15 to shareholders of record Dec. 1. The dividend on the Series J shares is payable March 15 to shareholders of record March 1.
• The board of directors of Holly Energy Partners LP, with headquarters in Dallas but with operations in Utah, has declared a cash distribution of 64.5 cents per unit for the third quarter of 2017, an 8.4 percent increase compared to the distribution declared for the 2016 third quarter. The distribution will be paid Nov. 14 to unitholders of record Nov. 6. It is the 52nd consecutive quarterly distribution increase. Holly provides petroleum product and crude oil transportation, terminalling, storage and throughput services to the petroleum industry, including HollyFrontier Corp. subsidiaries.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
• Salt Lake City finished last in a ranking of commute times among the 27 major U.S. cities compiled by staffing firm Robert Half. Salt Lake workers spend an average of 40 minutes commuting, compared to the national average of 49 minutes. Salt Lake City also ranked 23rd for commuting stress levels, and only 19 percent of Salt Lake City workers think their commute is too long. The longest average commutes are in Washington, D.C., (60 minutes); San Francisco (59 minutes); and Chicago (58 minutes). The most-stressed commutes are in Los Angeles; Miami; and Austin, Texas.
EXPANSIONS
• Sundance — a Salt Lake City-based retailer of women’s and men’s apparel, footwear, jewelry, accessories, art and home décor — has opened its first store in the Southeast in Avalon, Georgia, outside of Atlanta. Sundance will donate a portion of the proceeds from the store’s opening weekend to the Spruill Center for the Arts, an Atlanta-based organization committed to fostering understanding and appreciation of the visual arts. Since August 2015, Sundance has opened stores in six cities and plans to expand the number of its retail locations over the next several years.
GOVERNMENT
• The Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) has appointed Clark Cahoon as the life science cluster director. Cahoon will retain his role and responsibilities as fund manager for the Technology Commercialization and Innovation Program (TCIP). Cahoon previously worked at World Trade Center Utah, helping small and medium-sized businesses grow through international trade. He received his bachelor’s degree in political science from Brigham Young University-Hawaii.
PHILANTHROPY
• Silicon Slopes is undertaking its third annual “Startup Santa” book drive and is urging Utah companies to compete among one another to see which can donate the most books and support childhood literacy programs for children living in low-income families. Startup Santa will begin Nov. 7 with the Startup Santa Tailgate at Rice-Eccles Stadium, and the drive will continue through Dec. 15. Last year’s book drive included nearly 100 companies that donated a combined 87,000 books. Details are at https://startupsanta.org/.
• America First Credit Union collected more than 18,000 pounds of food and donated it to the Utah Food Bank during the 13th annual Community Food Drive. With the help of the community and employees, the credit union collected 15,710 pounds of non-perishable food items and 2,692 pounds in turkeys for a total of 18,402 pounds of food. The items will be distributed to local food pantries in advance of the holiday season. The drive was held at all branch locations Sept. 11-Oct. 21. America First has collected nearly 168,000 pounds of food since the start of the food drive in 2004.
• The fourth annual “Aces for Humanity” campaign, a joint initiative of the Women’s Tennis Association and USANA Health Sciences supporting the USANA True Health Foundation, raised $25,000 for the not-for-profit foundation, whose mission is to ensure that impoverished children and families reach their fullest potential by providing food and nutrition. Beginning at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells this past March, every ace served at a Premier-level WTA event translated into a donation for the foundation. For every ace served by the four USANA brand ambassadors, the WTA contributed $20 toward the campaign, while every ace served by any other player on tour translated into a $5 donation.
REAL ESTATE
• Envoy Mortgage, based in Houston, has opened a branch at 13894 S. Bangerter Parkway, Suite 200, Draper. The brand manager is Misty Shafer. She has been aided first-time home buyers and borrowers for the past 13 years, serving in loan officer and branch manager roles.
RECOGNITIONS
• Deer Valley Resort has been ranked as the top resort in western North America by the readers of Ski Magazine. The rankings of “Best of the West, 2018” list were compiled through the submission of more than 25,000 reviews. Other Utah resorts on the list are Park City (No. 16), Snowbird (17), Alta (21), Solitude (22), Snowbasin (25) and Brighton (29).
• Four local businesses and one advocate have been honored with Golden Key Awards for empowering individuals with disabilities. The awards were presented by the Utah Governor’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities and the Department of Workforce Services, Utah State Office of Rehabilitation. Recipients of the 43rd annual Golden Key Awards were nominated by their peers for their outstanding contributions that promote employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities, including veterans. The recipients are: Large Employer of the Year, Utah Transit Authority (UTA); Medium Employer of the Year, CNA Training Centers, Salt Lake City; Small Employer of the Year, Liquid Nutra Group, Vernal; Ace Award, Sidney Smith, Vernal; Freedom Award, GE Healthcare, Logan. Special recognitions were given to St. George City for their work on the Thunder Junction All Access Park and to the state’s use of the Alternative State Application Program. In addition, Walmart provided scholarships to students with disabilities: Andy Hiatt, Kyra Chambers, Hannah Clay and Katie Draper. Details are at usor.utah.gov/vr/golden-key.
• After making a donation to North Central College in Napierville, Illinois, for its new science center, the center has been named for USANA Health Sciences founder Dr. Myron Wentz. The $60 million Wentz Science Center encompasses 125,000 square feet and has 18 teaching labs, 16 research labs, 15 classrooms, an auditorium, 53 faculty offices and 19 student social areas. Wentz was an undergraduate student at the college. Wentz’ name also is on the college’s Wentz Concert Hall and Fine Arts Center.
• Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski has been selected for the 2018 class of Daniel Rose Land Use Fellows by the Rose Center for Public Leadership. Biskupski and mayors from three other cities will participate in a year-long program during which the Urban Land Institute (ULI), the National League of Cities (NLC) and fellowship peers will provide technical assistance on a Salt Lake City land use challenge. The Salt Lake City fellowship team also includes Michael Akerlow, deputy director of the Department of Community & Neighborhoods; Nick Norris, director of the Department of Community & Neighborhoods’ Planning Division; and Danny Walz, chief operating officer of the Redevelopment Agency, as Salt Lake City’s additional fellows, with Amanda Holty, marketing and communications specialist of the Redevelopment Agency, as the team’s project manager. The Salt Lake City fellowship team will be focusing on local regulatory barriers impacting housing choice and affordability.
• The Park City Chamber of Commerce/Convention & Visitors Bureau is one of four organizations to receive a 2017 “Best Idea Program” award presented by DMA West, a regional professional association. The Park City organization was recognized for a video initiative called “First Timers,” designed to show potential visitors the array of recreational opportunities in Park City.
• Salt Lake City is ranked No. 10 among “Top 10 Best Places to Retire, 2017,” compiled by Livability.com. Topping the list was Walnut Creek, California; followed by Reno, Nevada; Boca Raton, Florida; Plano, Texas; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Vancouver, Washington; Birmingham, Alabama; Littleton, Colorado and Bismarck, North Dakota. The rankings were determined by surveys and data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Medicare, Esri, NOAA, Walk Score, the EPA and other sources.
RETAIL
• Michaels Arts & Crafts will open a 21,360-square-foot store at Mountain View Village, 13400 S. 4800 W., Riverton. The opening was announced by Mountain West Commercial Real Estate (MW). Chad Moore, MW’s managing director, represents Michaels Stores in the lease transaction. Michaels, founded in 1973, has more than 1,000 stores in the U.S. and Canada.
SCHOLARSHIPS
• Incorporate Massage has announced the first recipient of its $2,000 “Winning Woman Scholarship.” The winning scholarship essay was written by graduate student Amelia Brown, who studies public administration at Brigham Young University. Brown serves as a research assistant in the Public Service Lab and as the development director for the BYU Grantwell program, while also working as a lead advisor in the MPA student mentorship program. The scholarship was available to women across the country currently enrolled in an accredited university. The company received more than 300 submissions.
TECHNOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCES
• Podium, a software-as-a-service platform company, has broken ground on a 125,000-square-foot corporate headquarters building in Lehi. Founded in 2014, the company employs about 250 people, but the figure is expected to grow to nearly 400 by the time the building is completed in August of next year.
TRADING
• Apiary Fund, Orem, has established a new lab as an extension of its popular and successful trading strategy development process conducted at each of its bi-annual Trading Summits. The Strategies Lab gives traders the opportunity to spend one hour per week with Apiary Fund trading experts brainstorming new trading strategies to use in the market. It now is available weekly and is a place to teach and lead new traders through the whole process of developing trading strategies and allowing participants to go through the process repeatedly to develop new strategies for use in the trading market. Apiary Fund will roll out the lab among a small invited group of traders to begin the process and work out any issues. Later, more people can join in the lab sessions held each week.