Company news information may be sent to brice.w@thecityjournals.com.
CONTESTS
• Nominations are being accepted until Feb. 16 for the Utah Governor’s Medal for Science and Technology. The award recognizes the distinguished service, significant achievements and positive economic impact of individuals and companies in science, research, STEM education or deep technology. The awards program has been in place since 1987. Nominations are accepted in three categories: academic/research, education (K-12) and industry (individual or company). Details are available at grow@nucleusutah.org or nucleusutah.org/grow.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
• Utah is ranked No. 2 on a list of “Best States to Start a Business,” compiled by WalletHub. It compared the 50 U.S. states across 25 key indicators of startup success, with data ranging from financing accessibility to labor costs to office-space affordability. Utah is ranked No. 6 for business environment, No. 2 for access to resources and No. 31 for business costs. It also was No. 2 for average growth in the number of small businesses, No. 6 for number of startup firms per capita, No. 19 for availability of human capital, No. 24 for office space availability, and No. 30 for cost of living. The top-ranked state overall is Florida. The bottom-ranked state is Rhode Island. Details are at https://wallethub.com/edu/best-states-to-start-a-business/36934.
• Family vacations to Salt Lake City cost 23.8 percent more than they did in 2019, the fourth-largest increase in the U.S., according to a new study on behalf of online booking platform Luxury Link. It looked into the cost for a four-night domestic trip for a family of four in cities across the country. The analysis examined four major expenses — airfare, lodging, meals and rental cars — comparing 2019 prices to the most recent available data for 2025. It considered data from the U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. General Services Administration and Business Travel News. Nationally, the price is up 14.5 percent since 2019. In Salt Lake City, the cost is $4,865, compared with the national figure of $4,668. In Salt Lake City, the primary cost driver was meals, which increased by 42.9 percent (28.2 percent nationally). In Salt Lake City, rental car prices jumped more than 26 percent (8.7 percent nationally). The round-trip flight cost was up 20 percent (9.1 percent nationally). Lodging in Salt Lake City was up 13.6 percent (12.9 percent nationally). Details are at https://www.luxurylink.com/blog/family-vacation-costs-risen-most/.
• Utah business owners have said “a culture of discipline” is the trait they value most, according to a survey by financial media company MarketBeat. It was followed by a “value-driven workforce,” “high-trust networks,” “a business environment that supports a high quality of life,” and “pragmatic entrepreneurship.” When asked which single word best captures their state’s business culture, “hard-working” dominated, at 30 percent. Details are at https://www.marketbeat.com/originals/poll-reveals-the-top-reasons-people-enjoy-doing-business-in-their-state/.
• Salt Lake City, at No. 101 nationally, is the top Utah city for composting, according to a study by LawnStarter. It compared the 500 largest U.S. cities based on 11 total metrics, including access to both city-run and private composting services; average yard size; and policies driving compost access, like zero-waste initiatives. The worst-ranked Utah city is No. 496 West Jordan. The top-ranked city overall is San Diego. The No. 500 city is North Las Vegas, Nevada. Details are at https://www.lawnstarter.com/blog/studies/top-cities-composting/.
EDUCATION/TRAINING
• Really Great Reading Co., a Maryland-based provider of evidence-based literacy solutions, has had its literacy suite approved through Utah’s Instructional Materials Review Process for Tier II and Tier III intervention. In addition, RGR’s programs, when paired with Great Minds Arts & Letters, have earned a Tier I recommendation through the Utah Instructional Materials Commission, expanding districts’ access to aligned core and intervention literacy solutions. Utah’s Tier I recommendation confirms that RGR’s programs align with the Utah Core Standards and meet the state’s criteria for high-quality instructional materials. This designation allows districts statewide to use RGR’s literacy solutions for core classroom instruction when paired with Great Minds. The RGR suite was previously approved for supplemental K–2 instruction in phonological awareness and phonics. RGR is also approved as a teacher resource for pre-K, supporting an approach for early and developing readers.
• Results will be released in February related to the 2025 Utah School Technology Inventory, a program of the Utah Education Network, in partnership with the Utah State Board of Education and Connected Nation. UEN said the inventory is the sixth statewide and sixth in a row to achieve 100 percent participation among Utah’s public and charter schools. For the first time, the biennial survey included a dedicated section on artificial intelligence to better understand how emerging technologies are shaping teaching and learning in classrooms across the state. The results will include statewide, district, charter and school-level data and analyses. The inventory tracks how technology is accessed and used in Utah schools, including devices, connectivity, instructional platforms and digital learning environments. It provides a long-term look at trends, helping leaders understand how Utah classrooms are evolving.
EXPANSIONS
• Rodatherm Energy Corp. has announced plans to expand its operations in Beaver County. The $40 million project is expected to create 10 jobs and generate 100 megawatts of electricity. Rodatherm is a geothermal energy company that combines horizontal drilling with heat pump technology to deliver low-cost, water-free electricity. Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS), its member communities and the Southern Utah Economic Alliance were instrumental in securing the project, which will be partially located in Millard County. Rodatherm was expected to begin drilling its first project in mid-January near Milford in Beaver County. The project announcement was made by the Economic Development Corporation of Utah. Jared Stewart, senior business development manager, led the project for EDCUtah.
INDOOR RECREATION
• Escapology has opened at 136 S. Rio Grande St. in The Gateway in Salt Lake City. It offers games rooms with unique storylines that customers select, including treasure hunts, pirate adventures, haunted houses, mysteries and more. Each offers an hour-long experience with challenges, twists and turns, and rapidly unfolding stories.
NONPROFITS
• HealthTree Foundation, a South Jordan-based nonprofit offering a platform for blood cancer education, support and research acceleration, has announced its inclusion in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Health Tech Ecosystem, specifically supporting the “Kill the Clipboard” initiative and advancing conversational AI assistance for patients. The CMS “Kill the Clipboard” initiative, launched in 2025, aims to eliminate outdated paper-based intake forms and fragmented data collection by enabling secure, seamless digital sharing of health records using FHIR standards, QR codes, Smart Health Cards/Links and other modern tools. It is designed to reduce the administrative burden on patients. HealthTree also supports the CMS focus on conversational AI assistants, building on its existing AI-powered tool, Leif. Leif provides real-time, personalized guidance to help patients understand symptoms, explore treatment options, find clinical trials, manage side effects and connect with specialists.
PHILANTHROPY
• All West Fiber, based in Kamas, has donated $4,500 to local food banks across its service areas in Utah and Wyoming. For eight consecutive years, the Internet service provider has supported various organizations that provide resources to individuals and families in need. Recipients in Utah are Compassion Community Center, Herriman; Community Action Services, Coalville; Community Action Services, Oakley; Joyce Hansen Hall Food Bank, Ogden; Tooele Community Resource Center, Tooele; and Weber Cares Pantry at Weber State University, Ogden.
• The 2026 “Shred For Red” will take place March 28 at Deer Valley Resort. The eighth annual event is a family-friendly ski day supporting Blood Cancer United (formerly the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society) and its support for blood cancer patients and their families. Participants can ski alongside Olympians and Paralympians, explore on-mountain activities, and celebrate at an après-ski reception at Snow Park Lodge. Participants who meet fundraising minimums receive a full-day Deer Valley lift ticket (valid March 28), a Shred For Red bib, access to the scavenger hunt and downhill racecourse, and entry to the après-ski celebration. The minimums are $1,000 for adults and $300 for children under age 12. Details are at https://pages.lls.org/events/home/shred.
REAL ESTATE
• Two years after launching in Park City under the Christie’s International Real Estate brand, a locally owned brokerage firm is expanding to Salt Lake City and taking on a new name: VUE Christie’s International Real Estate. The change, the company said, is intended to reflect its broader geographic focus and to better position itself for continued growth. VUE Christie’s International Real Estate was founded in September 2023 by a team of five agents in Park City. The firm has grown to 80 agents in Park City and brokered more than $1.5 billion in total sales. The firm’s new office is located in the 9th & 9th District in Salt Lake City and is expected to grow to 30 agents within the first year. Christie’s International Real Estate is based in New York City. Founded in 2012, it operates as a brand under the ownership of Compass, the largest residential real estate brokerage in the United States by sales volume.
RECOGNITIONS
• BambooHR, a Draper-based company offering an intelligence platform for human resources, payroll and benefits, has been named a winner in the 2025-26 Cloud Awards, earning recognition in the Best Cloud HR/HRMS Solution category for its continued innovation in cloud-powered human resources technology. The company’s platform unifies AI-powered HR, payroll, benefits, talent management and more than 150 integrations in a single system designed to simplify people processes and improve workforce clarity. Its customer base includes more than 30,000 companies across 190 countries and 50 industries.
• Awardco, a Salt Lake City-based employee recognition and rewards platform, has been recognized by G2 in its winter 2026 reports, earning multiple “Leader” distinctions across categories and market segments. Among the honors, Awardco earned leader placements in the Employee Recognition Grid, Rewards and Incentives Grid, and Lifestyle Spending Accounts (LSA) Grid, along with Momentum Leader recognition in both Employee Recognition and Rewards and Incentives categories. The rankings span small-business, mid-market and enterprise segments. G2 rankings are based entirely on verified customer reviews and real-world usage data.
RESTAURANTS
• Crispy Cones, a handcrafted dessert brand known for its warm pastry cones filled with soft-serve ice cream, will open a location Feb. 6 in West Valley City. It reopened a Provo store under new management and also opened a Draper location in November.
TECHNOLOGY
• Data Quality Co-op, a Salt Lake City-based independent first-party data quality clearinghouse, has launched its Data Trust Score. Based on observed behavior across the data ecosystem, the Data Trust Score aims to communicate the trustworthiness of each individual’s data in a single metric. Built on DQC’s shared quality infrastructure, the Data Trust Score combines fraud signals, in-survey behavior and participation history across the data ecosystem. Similar to a FICO score, it brings many quality signals together into a single, easy-to-understand metric. This allows teams to quickly assess respondent trustworthiness and reduce the risk poor-quality data poses to their insights, decisions and business outcomes by using benchmarks grounded in data from people.