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ECONOMIC INDICATORS
• The average Utahn would “reconsider their relationship’” if their partner spent over $5,829 without consulting them first, according to a study by CouponBirds. It surveyed people about the threshold amount in which one half of a couple would reconsider their relationship if the other had spent a considerable amount without first consulting them. The national average is $13,510. The highest amount is in Massachusetts, at $23,416. The lowest is in Rhode Island, at $2,389. Details are at https://www.couponbirds.com/research-center/data/how-much-financial-infidelity-can-you-accept.
• Salt Lake City is ranked No. 48 and West Valley City is No. 137 on a list of “most festive cities,” compiled by LawnStarter. It looked for cities with lots of fun, like holiday festivals and European-style Christmas markets serving delicious goodies, and also measured the average snowfall in each city to find the most Instagram-worthy backdrops. On a breakout list, West Valley City is tied for first for fewest holiday festivals. The top-ranked city is New York City. The No. 200 city is Port St. Lucie, Florida. Details are at https://www.lawnstarter.com/blog/studies/most-festive-cities/.
• Salt Lake City is ranked No. 33 and West Valley City is No. 100 on a list of “best cities for pastry lovers,” compiled by Lawn Love. It measured 200 of the biggest U.S. cities, looking for plenty of access to highly rated bakeries and patisseries. It also considered bakers awarded by the James Beard Foundation and patisseries recognized by Mashed for having “The Absolute Best Pastries In The US,” among nine total metrics. On breakout lists, West Valley City is No. 2 for fewest bakeries per square mile. Salt Lake City tied for first with several cities for fewest pastry and pastry chef awards won. The overall top city is San Francisco. The No. 200 city is Kansas City, Kansas. Details are at https://lawnlove.com/blog/best-cities-pastry-lovers/.
• Sugar cookies are Utah’s favorite holiday treat, according to a study by bipartisan educational platform Wisevoter. Sugar cookies are followed in Utah by hot chocolate, cheesecake, cinnamon rolls and eggnog. Cheesecake is tops in 28 states, with sugar cookies tops in 17 states. Details are at https://wisevoter.com/report/favorite-christmas-treats-by-state/.
• Harvard is the “most attended Ivy League university” in Utah, according to a study by educational researcher firm and scholarship website engine Scholaroo. It studied the residences of Ivy League students at the time of their admission since 2015. It found that Cornell has the highest rate of admitted students in 18 states. Harvard was tops in 12 states. In Utah, Harvard was followed by the University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth, Cornell and Princeton. Details are at https://scholaroo.com/report/most-attended-ivy-league-university/.
EDUCATION/TRAINING
• The Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute, a division of the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah, welcomed 39 students as the third group of Lassonde Founders for the 2022-23 academic year. Some of the students are returning to the program for the second or third year. The students admitted into the program applied by explaining their business idea and why they wanted to learn about entrepreneurship. In the program, they receive a scholarship to live at Lassonde Studios, an innovation center and dorm. They also receive personalized support for their startup ideas from the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute.
ENERGY
• During a recent visit to Arizona, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Laura Daniel-Davis announced new efforts to support solar energy development on public lands across the West. The Bureau of Land Management will develop an updated plan to guide responsible solar energy development on public lands through an updated Solar Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, designed to help accelerate and continue momentum for the clean energy economy. In 2012, the BLM and the Department of Energy issued a Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Solar Energy Development in six states, including Utah. It identified areas with high solar potential and low resource conflicts in order to guide responsible solar development and provide certainty to developers. The new plan updates the 2012 statement. The BLM currently is in a 60-day public comment period, with interested stakeholders invited to submit written feedback or participate in one of many upcoming in-person and virtual public scoping meetings. Following the public scoping period, the BLM will develop a draft programmatic environmental impact statement for public review and comment. Across the West, the BLM is currently processing 65 utility-scale onshore clean energy projects proposed on public lands.
• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has completed an air quality plan designed to reduce air pollution from oil and gas sources on the Uintah and Ouray Reservation in northeast Utah. The plan require enforceable controls on the emissions of air pollutants from new, modified and existing oil and natural gas facilities on Indian country lands within the reservation. EPA’s plan will address air quality in the Uinta Basin Ozone Nonattainment Area and support a streamlined approach for authorizing new oil and natural gas production on Indian country lands within the reservation. The plan is designed to improve air quality by establishing emissions control requirements for oil and natural gas activities that contribute to high ozone concentrations in the Uinta Basin, establish regulatory requirements that are the same or consistent between Indian country and neighboring jurisdictions in the basin, and secure air emissions reductions on the Indian country lands within the reservation to ensure that new development of oil and natural gas sources will not interfere with the attainment of national air quality standards for ground-level ozone and other air pollutants.
GOVERNMENT
• Kimberly Paluch has been appointed by Gov. Spencer Cox as a member of the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity (Go Utah) board of directors. The board helps promote and encourage the state’s economic, commercial, financial, industrial, agricultural and civic welfare. Paluch replaces Douglas Dilley on the board. Paluch is the founder and managing partner of Beta Boom, an early-stage venture fund that invests in software companies that build the future for women and multicultural consumers in the U.S. Before Beta Boom, she founded a Silicon Valley innovation firm where she defined the strategic vision and design of interactive products for several startups and high-profile clients. Paluch is on leadership boards for the Utah African American Chamber of Commerce Charitable Foundation, Womenpreneurs, Intermountain Healthcare, and the Community Foundation of Utah’s Philanthropy Committee.
• The Central Wasatch Commission, an intergovernmental entity that seeks to engage the public, build consensus and coordinate the actions in the Central Wasatch Mountains, has released a request for proposals for the Big Cottonwood Canyon Mobility Action Plan. The plan will identify and develop strategies that will guide multi-modal, year-round transportation system investments for Big Cottonwood Canyon. The plan efforts got underway in late fall, and the final plan is slated to be completed in May 2023. The plan will include a prioritized list of near-, mid- and long-term recommendations, including projects, programs, funding and policy reform/development. Broadly guiding the plan development are the Mountain Accord and the Pillars for Transportation Solutions in the Central Wasatch Mountains. Additional project updates and documents will be posted on the Central Wasatch Commission website as the project progresses. In addition, an online public survey will be available starting in January.
• The deadline has been extended to Dec. 20 for Utah natural and specialty food companies to complete a STEP grant application to be part of the Natural Products Expo West tradeshow in March in Anaheim, California. In partnership with the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity and the U.S. Small Business Administration, World Trade Center Utah will lead a delegation of companies to represent the state at the show. It typically has more than 3,500 exhibitors and more than 85,000 attendees. The U.S. Commercial Service will also provide matchmaking and other services for qualifying companies exhibiting at the show. The application form is at https://wtcutah.formstack.com/forms/step_grant_fy22_year10_application.
HEALTHCARE
• Back at Work Physical Therapy has opened outpatient clinics at 460 N. Redwood Road, Unit D, North Salt Lake, and 773 E. Mill Road, Suite D, Vineyard. The North Salt Lake clinic offers outpatient and telehealth orthopedic physical therapy, including pre- and post-operative rehabilitation, manual therapy, sports rehabilitation and injury prevention, and industrial physical therapy, including injury care, post-offer employment testing and functional capacity evaluations. Clinic director Tyler Robinson is a certified strength and conditioning specialist and has advanced training with the spine, vestibular conditions, headaches and dry needling. Robinson earned degrees in kinesiology and Spanish from Utah State University and a doctor of physical therapy degree from Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions. The Vineyard clinic offers outpatient and telehealth orthopedic physical therapy, including pre- and post-operative rehabilitation; manual therapy; sports rehabilitation and injury prevention; and industrial physical therapy, including injury care, post-offer employment testing and functional capacity evaluations. Clinic director Collin Bateman is an orthopedic clinical specialist, a certified practitioner of the Mulligan Concept of manual therapy and is certified by the Titleist Performance Institute to help golfers improve their swings. Joining Bateman on the clinic’s staff is physical therapist Melanie Jessup, who provides pelvic and women’s health services.
LAW
• Holland & Hart has added several attorneys in his Salt Lake City office: Steven Suflas, Havilah Coady, Emily Howe, Ashley Kennedy, Zachary Kriesberg, Leslie Perkins and Andrew Revelle. Suflas joins Holland & Hart’s employment and labor practice in Salt Lake City. He has more than four decades of national experience, counseling employers on a broad spectrum of labor and employment law issues. He also is a lecturer, frequently speaking around the country at expert-level programs on matters that involve thorny legal issues for employers. Before joining Holland & Hart, Suflas practiced most recently at a national law firm in its New Jersey, Denver and Salt Lake City offices, where he served as an office managing partner. Coady has experience in land development and as a real estate broker and helps clients through real estate transactions. She is a 2022 graduate of S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah. Howe uses litigation and trial experience to advise clients on a range of commercial litigation matters, including through all phases of litigation, from the investigation and discovery stages through trial preparation and trial. Kennedy’s practice focuses on intellectual property and technology transactions. She is a 2022 graduate of S.J. Quinney College of Law at the UofU. Kriesberg guides startup and emerging growth companies through business formation, financings and general corporate issues. Perkins collaborates closely with both large and small businesses to resolve employment matters and counsels clients on compliance and potential employment policy changes, handling state and federal administrative charges, and employment litigation. Revelle has a background in environmental science and natural resources and helps clients on a variety of environmental issues, including compliance, enforcement, permitting, and litigation. Revelle is a 2022 graduate of S.J. Quinney College of Law at the UofU.
MANUFACTURING
• Nature’s Sunshine Products Inc., a Lehi-based health and wellness company manufacturing herbal and nutrition products, has named Shane Jones as chief financial officer. Jones has over 25 years of finance experience, having previously served as the CFO at West Marine, 1-800 Contacts and Backcountry.com and most recently at FullSpeed Automotive. He also held senior-level finance roles at several companies, including Amazon, L Brands and Yum Brands. Jones earned an MBA and a bachelor of science degree in finance from Brigham Young University. Jonathon Lanoy, the company’s interim CFO since Sept. 6, will continue as senior vice president of finance and corporate controller and will also serve as a member of the company’s Executive Committee.
• Dynamic Blending Specialists, a Vineyard-based contract manufacturer, has announced a manufacturing facility expansion that will allow for increasing production capacity, expansion in product offerings, and addition of both a “white room” and quality control lab. The new facility increases square footage from 83,000 to 133,000, doubles the number of available product lines from six to 14, adds six conference rooms and 65 workstations, and improves lab space with advanced tech and 600 percent more square footage. The company also is adding new robotic equipment to increase its manufacturing capabilities. The expansion also allows Dynamic Blending to begin filling and formulating cologne and perfume. Dynamic Blending Specialists is a contract manufacturer of cosmetics, personal care, skincare, dietary supplements, nutraceuticals and more.
MINING
• Rio Tinto Kennecott has named Nate Foster, who has been serving as the interim managing director since July, as the mining operation’s head leadership position permanently as managing director for Kennecott. Foster has been a Rio Tinto employee since 2005, beginning his career as a graduate mining engineer at Antelope Coal Mine in Wyoming. He has since held several leadership positions at multiple Rio Tinto ventures around the globe, including stops in South Africa and Australia.
PARTNERSHIPS
• Health Catalyst Inc., a South Jordan-based provider of data and analytics technology and services for healthcare organizations, has announced a strengthened partnership with Carle Health, an Illinois-based integrated health system that includes five hospitals, multi-specialty physician group practices with more than 1,000 doctors and advanced practice providers, and Health Alliance Medical Plans. The five-year agreement will include an all-access technology subscription, plus tech-enabled managed services in the areas of analytics, data management, reporting and project management. Beginning in January, Carle Health Clinical and Business Intelligence (CBI) team members will transfer employment to Health Catalyst and transitioned team members will constitute a specialized team that will continue to provide analytics support and innovation to the Carle Health system.
RECOGNITIONS
• Dan Liljenquist, senior vice president and chief strategy officer at Intermountain Healthcare, is on a list of the “100 Most Influential People in Healthcare,” selected by Modern Healthcare. The awards honors individuals in healthcare who are deemed by their peers and the senior editors of Modern Healthcare to be the most influential individuals in the industry in terms of leadership and impact.
• The Utah Chapter Association for Talent Development has named Wayne Davis as the recipient of the Utah ATD Thought Leader Award. Davis is vice president of talent development at England Logistics, a Salt Lake City-based freight brokerage firm. Award recipients are identified as subject matter experts who excel in their professional excellence, desire to share knowledge, forward-thinking abilities, and advocacy for innovation.
• Three Utah-based companies are on the list of “America’s Most Responsible Companies 2023,” compiled by Newsweek. They are No. 172 USANA Health Sciences, No. 370 Merit Medical Systems and No. 465 Varex Imaging. Newsweek partnered with global research and data firm Statista for the fourth annual list. Of the 500 companies on the list, Newsweek said it found the largest number of responsible companies (55) in the materials and chemicals business, and the fewest (12) in hotels, dining and leisure.
RESTAURANTS
• Leave Room for Dessert Eateries, a Park City-based restaurant group, has opened Urban Hill, a wood-fire restaurant concept, at 550 South and 300 West, Salt Lake City. It is part of what will be a $200 million Post District development in the city’s Granary District which will have 13 acres of retail, office, recreational and residential space. The 7,200-square-foot restaurant will anchor the entire first floor of the development’s Post House. It features a 190-seat dining room; an open kitchen; a bar area; two private dining rooms; and a 90-seat, 1,500-square-foot patio.
• Cupbop, a fast-casual Korean barbecue concept that started in 2013 as a food truck in Salt Lake City, has announced plans to expand nationally by identifying franchise partners. Cupbop has 42 locations throughout the United States and plans to open at least five locations by the end of this year. The company has not opened for franchise opportunities until now. Cupbop has one franchisee that has been grandfathered in since 2017, who plans to end the year at 19 total locations.
SERVICES
• MarketStar, an Ogden-based company focused on B2B sales and revenue acceleration, has hired Ezra Hookano as senior vice president and head of indirect sales. Hookano has more than 20 years of channel experience and will lead the continued growth of MarketStar’s indirect sales business unit, ensuring the delivery of results for clients looking to grow revenue within their partner channel. His experience includes work at Fusion-io, Barracuda Networks and most recently Bitwarden.
• BMO Wealth Management, a wealth management group, has expanded into Salt Lake City with a team of veteran Utah-based wealth managers who will focus on serving high-net-worth clients, including family office services. The office is at 222 S. Main St., Salt Lake City. The team will be led by Michael Poulter, who will serve as managing director of BMO Wealth Management in Utah. He has served the Utah market for more than two decades. The team of wealth managers, portfolio managers, private bankers and fiduciary advisors has a depth of knowledge and proven track record of delivering wealth management services to Utah residents.
• Consensus Sales Inc., a Lehi-based company focused on demo automation for presales teams, has appointed Brett Sheppard as vice president of marketing. He will lead all marketing efforts for global expansion and product category creation. Sheppard has experience crafting and implementing cohesive marketing strategies along with mastery of data analytics, rapid-growth startup marketing and sales development. His experience includes serving as a solution engineering leader, U.S. military data engineer and Gartner senior analyst.
TECHNOLOGY
• Strider Technologies Inc., a Salt Lake City-based company focused on strategic intelligence, has named Michael Brown to its board of directors. Brown is a former Department of Defense official and corporate chief executive. Most recently, Brown served as the director of the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) in the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) from 2018-22. Before that, he served as a White House Presidential Innovation Fellow at the DoD. Earlier in his career, Brown spent two decades as a corporate executive at leading computer storage and security software providers. From 2014-16, he was the CEO of Symantec. Currently, Brown is a visiting scholar at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and a venture partner at Shield Capital, a VC firm that invests in companies building solutions in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, space, and autonomy for commercial and government enterprises.
• Bitt, a Draper-based global financial technology company that is a portfolio company of Medici Ventures LP, has named Greg Prokter as chief technology officer. He will lead Bitt’s global team of engineers and developers to deliver enhanced support for the company’s deployments in 12 countries across Africa, Central America, Europe and the Caribbean. Prokter has been chief architect, CTO and vice president of engineering at several web, networking, blockchain and payment companies, and financial institutions. Most recently, he was vice president of engineering at Stanford Credit Union. He also was principal architect at PayPal, lead architect at Silicon Valley Bank and CTO of PayCertify.