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ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT
- The Utah Symphony has named Markus Poschner as music director. He is the symphony’s eighth music director in its 84-year history. Poschner assumes the role of music director designate and he will take on full duties as music director in the 2027-28 season. Poschner also is chief conductor of Bruckner Orchestra Linz (through 2026-27) and Orchestra della Svizzera italiana (through 2024-25), and has been named chief conductor of the Basel Symphony Orchestra beginning in fall 2025. Poschner made his U.S conducting debut with the Utah Symphony in December 2022.
ASSOCIATIONS
- The Park City Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau has announced it has updated its Chamber Sponsored Employee Benefit Program one year after its launch in collaboration with the Heber Valley Chamber of Commerce. The health insurance collaboration provides top-tier coverage and competitive premiums, mirroring larger employer benefits for an affordable price, the chamber/bureau said. The program is accessible to employers with as few as two employees. The updated program offers options for medical, dental, vision and other ancillary benefits, potentially offering lower out-of-pocket maximums than those of small group market plans. Beyond typical health benefits, the program offers life insurance and critical illness coverage.
AWARDS
- BioHive is accepting nominations until Dec. 23 for the “Best of BioHive” Awards, which recognize individuals and companies within Utah’s life sciences, biotech and health care sectors who are transforming patient care. An awards recognition ceremony takes place Feb. 20 at The Depot in Salt Lake City. A panel of experts from various sectors within the life sciences will review the nominations and select the winners. Company awards include Visionary of the Year, Community Partners of the Year, Innovation of the Year, Community Impact Award, Ecosystem Excellence Award and the People First Award. Individual awards are the Woman in Technology and Science Leadership Award, University Student of the Year Award, Storyteller of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Researcher of the Year, Patient Advocate of the Year, Mentor of the Year and Customer Advocate of the Year. Details are at https://www.biohive.com/awards/.
BANKING
- Chartway Credit Union, based in Virginia and serving member-owners in Utah, Virginia and Texas, has announced it will open a new branch in Herriman in 2025d and relocate its Cedar City branch to a newly constructed building with a grand opening scheduled for June 2025. This year, the credit union renovated its Red Cliffs and Sunset branches in Washington and St. George, respectively. In 2024, the credit union invested more than $10 million in its overall expansion effort. Chartway also said it recently designated its Sunset branch in St. George as a “Juntos Avanzamos” location, bringing the credit union’s total number of fully bilingual branches to six. Chartway has nearly $3 billion in assets and over 250,000 members nationwide.
CONSTRUCTION
- Helix Electric, an electrical contractor, has promoted Lawrence Fuchs to project manager. Fuchs, who joined Helix Electric over four years ago, is working at the company’s division in Salt Lake City. As project manager, Fuchs is responsible for organizing and managing project teams and ensuring all company projects are delivered on time, within budget and according to customer expectations. Additionally, his responsibilities include confirming all projects meet their contractual requirements while providing oversight for third-party construction firms. The company’s Utah division was established in 2004, with a dedicated office opening in Sandy in 2020 marking the latest expansion.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
- Utahranks No. 1 in the nation for the percentage of “A” hospitals, a list compiled by the Leapfrog Group, an independent nonprofit focused on patient safety. Utah led the rankings for the third cycle in a row. The Fall 2024 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade evaluated nearly 3,000 hospitals nationally on their ability to prevent medical errors, accidents and infections. Utah hospitals receiving an “A” grade are Ashley Regional Medical Center, Vernal; Holy Cross hospitals in Jordan Valley (West Jordan), Jordan Valley West (West Valley City) and Mountain Point (Lehi); Intermountain Health’s Alta View Hospital (Sandy), Cedar City Hospital, Intermountain Medical Center (Murray), LDS Hospital (Salt Lake City), Logan Regional Hospital, McKay-Dee Hospital (Ogden), Park City Hospital, Riverton Hospital, Spanish Fork Hospital, St. George Regional Hospital and Utah Valley Hospital (Provo); Lakeview Hospital, Bountiful; and Lone Peak Hospital, Draper. Those with a “B” grade are Intermountain Health American Fork Hospital; Mountain View Hospital, Payton; Ogden Regional Medical Center; and St. Mark’s Hospital, Salt Lake City. Those with a “C” grade are Castleview Hospital, Price; Holy Cross hospitals in Davis (Layton) and Salt Lake City; Intermountain Health Layton Hospital; Timpanogos Regional Hospital, Orem; Uintah Basin Medical Center, Roosevelt; and University of Utah Hospital, Salt Lake City. In contrast with Utah, there are no “A” hospitals in Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota or Vermont. The Leapfrog grades are in the fall and spring.
- Utah’s most-expensive ZIP code is 84060 in Deer Valley, Park City, with a median home listing price of $2,125,000, according to a recently released annual report by RealtyHop. Coming in No. 2 in Utah is 84098 at Kimball Junction, Park City, at $1,370,000. No. 3 is 84004 in Alpine, at $1,250,000. For the fifth year in a row, 94027 in Atherton, California, is the most expensive, with a median price of $7,750,000. The least-expensive is 72758 in Rogers, Arkansas, at $408,403. Details are at https://www.realtyhop.com/blog/most-expensive-us-zip-codes-2024/.
- Emergency medical technicians are Utahns’ most valued workers, according to a study by global outplacement agency Careerminds. It polled people to identify each state’s “hidden heroes.” In Utah, EMTs were followed (in order) by teachers, nurses, paramedics, community outreach workers, firefighters, utility workers, social workers, grocery store workers and postal workers. Details are at https://careerminds.com/blog/hidden-heroes.
- Preservation of Utah’s national parks is the No. 1 local philanthropic cause that Utahns would support if they became wealthy, according to a study by LotteryTexts. Coming in at No. 2 is promoting the preservation of the Great Salt Lake and at No. 3 is supporting outdoor recreation and conservation in the Wasatch Mountains. Details are at https://lotterytexts.com/blog/survey-what-philanthropic-causes-would-americans-support-if-they-struck-it-rich/.
- Brigham Young University tailgating offers the “most coveted party/gameday experience” for football fans in Utah, according to a survey by LiveSportsonTV.com. The BYU experience is ranked No. 102 nationally. The top-ranked experience is at the Alabama Crimson Tide. Details are at https://www.livesportsontv.com/news/survey-reveals-americas-most-coveted-tailgating-experiences.
- Three Utah locations are on a list of “Top Farm-to-Table Dining Scenes for Thanksgiving,” compiled by photobook company Mixbook. They are Midway at No. 72, Moab at No. 98 and Springdale at No. 143. The top-ranked location overall is Greenville, South Carolina. Details are at https://www.mixbook.com/inspiration/top-farm-to-table-restaurants-for-thanksgiving.
- Utah is ranked dead last on a list of places where people want their favorite sports team included in some form in their funeral or memorial service, according to a study by sports platform PromoGuy.us. Utah’s 9 percent amount is the lowest nationally. In contrast, the number if Mississippi is 75 percent. The national average is 63 percent. Nationally, one in three sports fans would like to be buried with memorabilia from their favorite team, 18 percent want their ashes scattered at a location tied to their favorite team, and one in five plan to leave a donation to their favorite team in their will. Details are at https://www.promoguy.us/die-hard-sports-fans.
EDUCATION/TRAINING
- The University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business is ranked No. 3 for both undergraduate and graduate entrepreneurship programs in the West by Princeton Review for 2025. The UofU was No. 24 overall in the undergraduate category and No. 11 in the graduate category. The rankings are based on a summer 2024 survey conducted of nearly 300 schools with entrepreneurship offerings. The rankings were determined by considering more than 40 data points about the school programs, faculties, students and alumni. The entrepreneurship programs at the Eccles School are provided in partnership between the Department of Entrepreneurship & Strategy and the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute.
ENVIRONMENT
- Packsize, a Salt Lake City-based company providing sustainable, right-sized, on-demand packaging, has launched its inaugural Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report, which establishes the company’s baselines and future goals for related practices. The company has committed to becoming immediately carbon-neutral by purchasing carbon credits and renewable energy certificates to offset its Scope 1 emissions. The company’s goal is to reach net zero for Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2030. The company’s packaging solutions have 40 percent less embodied carbon than traditional packaging, and Packsize customers typically see financial and warehouse space savings in the form of 40 percent reduction in box size, 60 percent reduction in void fill, and 26 percent reduction in corrugated use.
FRANCHISING
- Tommy Gun’s Original Barbershop has announced it is looking to open locations in Utah and Arizona. It hopes to open 15 to 20 more stores in the U.S. within the next year and plans to double in size in the next five years, reaching 200 locations. The company was founded in 2009 and has operations in the U.S., Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
HEALTH CARE
- Utah is ranked No. 1 in the nation for the rate of new lung cancer cases and No. 10 for surgery rates, according to the “State of Lung Cancer” report released by the American Lung Association. The study looked at cancer rates by state and examined key indicators, including new cases, survival, early diagnosis, surgical treatment, lack of treatment, screening rates and insurance coverage of comprehensive biomarker testing. The association said lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in Utah and across the U.S., although the lung cancer survival rate has improved 26 percent nationally in the past five years. Utah has a rate of new lung cancer cases of 25.2 per 100,000. The national rate is 53.6 per 100,000. Utah is ranked No. 19 in the nation for survival at 29 percent; No. 34 for early diagnosis at 26.1 percent; No. 45 for lung cancer screening at 11.8 percent, No. 10 for surgery at 22.7 percent, and No. 30 for lack of treatment at 21.5 percent.
NONPROFITS
- Clark Planetarium recently had a ribbon-cutting and grand opening of the Clark Planetarium Learning Space, just south of the planetarium in Salt Lake City. The facility aims to inspire and educate people of all ages. It offers an area for exploration and discovery, plus programs like Astro Tots, Fun Science Fridays and Micro Wednesdays, along with classes for adults that delve into topics ranging from the wonders of telescopes to the latest astronomical discoveries.
PHILANTHROPY
- Ken Garff employees recently provided 500 Thanksgiving meals as part of its fifth annual “We’re ‘Hear’ For You” Veterans Thanksgiving Meal Drive-Thru. The project involved employees at Ken Garff Salt Lake Imports Group: Downtown Nissan, Downtown Honda, Downtown Hyundai, Southtowne Hyundai, Nate Wade Subaru and Blackridge Fleet Center. The project included a preparation day at the Blackridge Fleet Center in West Valley City to pack 500 reusable totes filled with side items, and a follow-up distribution of meals to veterans at a drive-through in front of the VA Hospital campus in Salt Lake City. Ken Garff more than doubled the number of meals they provided in the project’s first year.
- During a recent open house event at the Walmart Supercenter in West Valley City, 11 local Walmart stores contributed $3,600 worth of gifts to the “Sub for Santa” program for Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake. Participating stores are in Tooele, Taylorsville, Midvale, South Jordan, West Jordan, West Valley, Salt Lake City, Riverton, West Valley, Sandy and Murray.
- Parker Migliorini International (PMI Foods), a Salt Lake City-based food distribution company, has announced a partnership with environmental nonprofit tree planting charity One Tree Planted to plant another 20,000 trees in the Amazon. With this latest donation, PMI Foods will have helped reforest land equal to more than 75 U.S. football fields.
RECOGNITIONS
- Salt Lake City has been named a winner in the Cities category of Good Housekeeping’s 2025 Family Travel Awards. It is one of five destinations to be named a recipient of the honor, which recognizes exceptional destinations for family travel.
- Five Star Franchising, a Springville-based home service brands company, recently recognized its best franchise owners. Five Star Franchising has expanded to more than 1,500 locations and 1,000 franchise owners across its six franchise brands this year. A total of 79 locations received Million Dollar Club recognition, which are awarded to franchise locations exceeding $1 million in revenue. Of the 79 locations, 27 surpassed the $2 million revenue mark. Among the award recipients were Jen and Dustin Schouten of North Salt Lake in the Rookie of the Year category for the Mosquito Shield brand. Rookies are franchises open one year or less.
- CNBC will air a one-hour primetime special titled “Cities of Success: Salt Lake City” on Dec. 10, examining the influence of money, power and faith on the city’s rise while also addressing potential hurdles, including the threat climate change poses to one of the city’s natural resources and the unique challenges that face female and minority entrepreneurs. The program will feature in-depth interviews with top leaders in government and business steering the region’s growth. Tied to the TV special, CNBC will also partner with Junior Achievement of Utah, a nonprofit that inspires and prepares young people for success, to engage the community and educate students about personal finance. On Dec. 11, Sharon Epperson, senior personal finance correspondent, will moderate a panel with notable Utah entrepreneurs and host “It’s My Business! Competition,” providing students with an opportunity to learn how to turn an idea into a business. The community engagement with students is part of CNBC’s financial education initiative, “CNBC Your Money,” dedicated to helping people manage, grow and protect their money so they can live ambitiously.
SCHOLARSHIPS
- RPlus Energies, a renewable energy leader and developer of the battery storage Green River Energy Center project in eastern Utah, has announced new scholarship offerings for students in Emery and Carbon counties. The company and 11 partners are contributing $375,000 to support scholarships for students in partnership with Utah State University Eastern. The investment establishes two scholarships: the Local First Scholarship and the Energy First Scholarship. The Local First Scholarship supports Emery and Carbon county students who plan to remain in the area after completing a degree or certificate from USUE. The Energy First Scholarship is tailored for students pursuing education in energy-related fields. Other participants in the program are Kem and Carolyn Gardner, Sundt Construction, Nextracker, EliTe Solar, Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank, TSJ Construction, BHI, BODEC, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and Truist Securities. Applications for the spring 2025 semester opened Dec. 1 through scholarships.usu.edu.
SPORTS
- League One Volleyball (LOVB), in partnership with its Club V in North Salt Lake, recently put a spotlight on the launch of its new professional volleyball team in Salt Lake with an inaugural training camp for youth players. The one-day camp featured LOVB’s pro players as they trained, motivated and coached junior players to unlock personal growth, enhance their skills, work hard and have fun.