Company news information may be sent to brice.w@thecityjournals.com.
DIVIDENDS
• The board of directors of Utah Medical Products Inc., based in Salt Lake City, has approved a quarterly cash dividend of 31 cents per share of common stock. The dividend is payable Jan. 5 to shareholders of record Dec. 16. The company develops, manufactures and markets disposable and reusable specialty medical devices.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
• Utahns who stayed on their jobs saw their pay increase an average of 4.5 percent from November 2024 to November this year, according to a study by ADP, a provider of human resources and payroll solutions. That put Utah No. 25 among states and compares with 4.4 percent growth nationally. Utah’s median annual salary for job-stayers in November was $55,000. Wage growth for job-changers nationally was 6.3 percent year over year. Nationally, industries with the highest year-over-year pay growth in November were financial activities with 5.2 percent growth, manufacturing with 4.8 percent growth, and leisure and hospitality with 4.5 percent growth. Nationally, industries that added the most jobs in November were education and health services (33,000 jobs) and leisure and hospitality (13,000). Details are at https://payinsights.adp.com/.
• Utah ranks No. 32 nationally for the share of family-owned farms, according to a study by Farm Flavor, which provides news and information about the agriculture industry. In the U.S., 94.7 percent of U.S. farms are family-owned, compared with 93.7 percent in Utah. The share of sales from family-owned farms nationally is 80.7 percent, compared with 73.6 percent in Utah. Utah has 16,286 family-owned farms, from a national total of 1.8 million. The state has 17,386 total farms, from a national figure of 1.9 million. Sales from family-owned farms in Utah totaled $1.9 billion (the national figure is $484.4 billion), and total farm sales amounted to nearly $2.59 billion (nationally nearly $600 billion). Average family-owned farm sales in Utah is $116,898, while the national average is $269,079. Nationally, farms not owned by the principal operator and his or her family make up only about 5 percent of all farms and contribute 19.1 percent of agricultural output. The share of farms that are family-owned ranges from about 90 percent to 98 percent among states, while the share of total agricultural output generated by those farms varies much more widely, from roughly 47 percent in some states to more than 93 percent in others. West Virginia, at 97.6 percent, leads the nation in the percentage of family-farm ownership. Details are at https://farmflavor.com/farm/states-with-most-family-owned-farms/.
• Moab is the top Utah location that deserves its own Hallmark Christmas movie, according to a survey by travel company Exoticca. It is followed by Huntsville and Midvale. Details are at https://www.exoticca.com/us/blog/most-festive-christmas-towns/.
EDUCATION/TRAINING
• University of Utah education researchers have been awarded $8 million to launch the first national center dedicated to prison education research and leadership. A team led by Erin Castro, an associate professor of educational leadership and policy, will use the grant to establish the Prison Education Action Research Lab, or PEARL, to advance educational justice for people and communities impacted by incarceration. The grant comes from the Ascendium Education Group, a Wisconsin-based philanthropic organization that promotes access to post-secondary education and workforce training. PEARL’s anchor project, called the Prison Education Research Initiative (PERI), is a first-of-its-kind multi-institutional study that will address urgent policy- and practice-relevant research questions. In partnership with 22 or more colleges and universities, PERI will link postsecondary and workforce outcome data with institutional data on incarcerated learners across a range of academic pathways and modalities.
• Saras AI Institute, a Salt Lake City-based AI-exclusive, fully online, degree-granting higher education institute, has launched a master’s degree in AI engineering for software developers and technology professionals in Utah. The 12-month, fully online program was developed in collaboration with Microsoft and Google leaders and is designed for working professionals. Master’s degree tuition is $499 per month for 12 months (total $5,988). The program is available in 15 U.S. states and worldwide and offers a portfolio-first, project-based learning model and eliminates traditional exams in favor of hands-on, real-world work. The first master’s degree cohort begins Jan. 19. Details are at https://www.sarasai.org/masterai and https://www.sarasai.org/masteraidev.
EVENTS
• The Gateway in Salt Lake City will host the “Last Hurrah” New Year’s Eve celebration from 8-11:59 p.m. The free event will feature live music and performances, buskers, karaoke, food, cocktails and more, with fireworks at midnight.
HEALTH CARE
• University of Utah Health surpassed the half-billion-dollar mark in research funding for fiscal year 2025, reaching $531 million by June 30. The investments fuel research, advance knowledge, improve health in Utah and worldwide, and support the training of future scientific leaders, it said. In fiscal 2025, health sciences funding represented 68 percent of the university’s total research portfolio totaling $782 million. Across the health sciences, 755 principal investigators received 1,835 awards. Faculty submitted $2.3 billion in research proposals in fiscal 2025, an increase of $500 million compared to the previous year. The National Institutes of Health continues to be the largest source of research support for UofU Health, providing $264.1 million in the fiscal year. Industry partnerships made up the second-largest funding category, followed by other federal agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Defense. Additional contributions from the state, other universities and foundations totaled $110.7 million.
PARTNERSHIPS
• USANA Health Sciences Inc., a Salt Lake City-based nutrition company, has extended its partnership with the Jamaica Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation through two additional Olympic cycles. USANA will continue providing nutritional products to support the team’s training and performance, while the USANA logo will be featured on the team’s bobsled, helmets and racing suits. Financial terms were not disclosed. USANA and the JBSF began their partnership in early 2024.
RECOGNITIONS
• Zions Bank is the top U.S. Small Business Administration lender in Utah for fiscal year 2025. Zions led U.S. Small Business Administration 7(a) loans for the 29th time in the past 32 years in the Utah District. Zions Bank approved 264 7(a) loans totaling more than $40 million in the district during the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2025, according to data from the SBA’s Utah District Office. During the year, Zions Bank-supported small businesses created 672 new jobs and retained 1,262 existing positions through SBA 7(a) loans, according to SBA data. The bank’s approved loans accounted for nearly 20 percent of the 7(a) loans issued in the Utah District this fiscal year. The average loan size was $153,267. At least 30 percent of Zions’ SBA 7(a) loans in the Utah District were awarded to businesses owned by women and people of color.
• Owlet Inc., a Lehi-based company focused on smart infant monitoring, has been named to a list of “Brands That Matter,” compiled by Fast Company. The recognition celebrates brands that create deep emotional connection and cultural relevance, not just customer acquisition, through clear purpose, originality and measurable business impact. This year’s list highlights 111 brands and 10 CMOs of the Year. Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with fellow business publication Inc.
• MasterControl, a Salt Lake City-based provider of quality, manufacturing and asset management software for regulated industries, has been recognized as a 2026 Buyer’s Choice award winner by TrustRadius, an HG Insights company, a buyer intelligence platform for business technology. Buyer’s Choice awards are based on vetted, unbiased customer reviews. During the evaluation process, reviewers are asked if products and their support teams live up to expectations and if they would buy the product again. Reviewers’ answers determine the other qualifying factor: if a product is rated best in capabilities, value for price, and customer relationship.
• MarketStar, an Ogden-based company focused on sales-as-a-service, has been named a “Leader” in the Everest Group Business-to-Business Sales Services PEAK Matrix Assessment 2025. The company said the recognition affirms its nearly 40-year leadership in outsourced sales and its position as a leader in market impact, vision and
capability.
• Three Utah-based global real estate advisors have been named to Sotheby’s International Realty’s Top 100 Worldwide, recognizing the network’s highest-performing agents globally: Sheila Hall, Michael LaPay and Caren McClelland of Summit Sotheby’s International Realty in Park City. The Top 100 distinction honors the highest-achieving agents across Sotheby’s International Realty’s global network of more than 26,100 sales associates in 1,100 offices across 84 countries and territories. It is Hall’s third year earning the distinction. She serves as the official listing agent for Deer Valley Resort’s new East Village development, which is represented exclusively by Summit Sotheby’s International Realty. LaPay has made the list four times. He has 45 years of Park City expertise. McClelland has made the list for the second time. She has more than two decades of experience in the Park City market and serves as director of sales at Victory Ranch, a 6,250-acre private community near Park City.
RESTAURANTS
• Chick-fil-A Valley Fair has opened at 3817 S. 2700 W., West Valley City. The new restaurant is locally owned and operated by Matt Griffith.
RETAIL
• The 65-inch Vizio 4K smart TV was the top-selling Black Friday product at Walmart in Utah, the company announced. Walmart said that overall, it delivered 57 percent more orders from stores and 44 percent more orders in under three hours, with the fastest delivery completed in 10 minutes. Nationwide demand was led by Apple AirPods Gen 4, the Vizio 65-inch TV and the 55-inch Hisense 4K TV. Walmart has roughly 270 million customers, more than 10,750 stores and numerous e-commerce websites in 19 countries.