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ACCELERATORS
• Applications are being accepted until March 13 for the spring cohort of RAMP, a product/startup accelerator for innovators using carbon fiber, advanced composites or 3D printing as key components in their product innovations. In partnership with Utah Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Initiative (UAMMI), Grow Utah and Davis County, RAMP will help companies rapidly accelerate your product innovation and startup. A 10-week mentoring and training course, RAMP is for startups, small businesses and product innovation teams across different growth stages and various market sectors, including outdoor recreation, sporting goods, medical devices, construction, aerospace and more. Companies receive financial support during the program and preferred consideration for follow-on funding from RAMP partners without giving up any equity. Details are at www.growutah.com/ramp.
• Techstars, a startup accelerator that accepts less than 1 percent of applicants, has accepted Unbird, an Orem-based product management software startup, in its flagship Boulder, Colorado, location. Launched in early 2018 by co-founders Jeff Whitlock and Cameron Nuckols, Unbird simplifies customer feedback, helping digital product and marketing teams make better decisions by providing a seamless solution to aggregate, analyze and act on their qualitative data to uncover insights.
ASSOCIATIONS
• T.A. Barker, superintendent at Fore Lakes Golf Course in Taylorsville, has been re-elected to the board of directors of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA). He was first elected to the board in 2018. Barker has been at Fore Lakes since 1995 and superintendent since 2006. He is a third-generation superintendent, following in the footsteps of his father, Todd, and grandfather, Vaughn. Barker is a 14-year member of GCSAA and a member and past president of the Utah GCSA (formerly Intermountain GCSA). He has served on several GCSAA committees and has represented Utah at National Golf Day in Washington, D.C., for the last four years. He is sits on the executive board for the Golf Alliance of Utah. GCSAA is a professional association for the men and women who manage golf courses in the U.S. and worldwide. It has more than 18,000 members in more than 78 countries.
• America Outdoors, an association of outfitters and guides, has announced the appointment of six new members and the re-election of nine past members to its board of directors. Among those re-elected is Brian Merrill of Western River Expeditions, Salt Lake City. Merrill is the president and CEO of Western River Expeditions and has been active in the outdoor industry for 35 years. He has served on the AO board of directors, including three years as its president, since 1994. His education includes graduating from Brigham Young University. Western River Expeditions has operated rafting trips on the Colorado and Green rivers in Utah and through Grand Canyon since 1961. Out of its Moab Adventure Center, Western operates and sells a variety of other adventure tours out of Moab.
BANKING
• Brighton Bank, based in Salt Lake City and with four branches along the Wasatch Front, has named J. Michael Jensen as executive vice president and Daniel Barnes as vice president. Jensen will continue functioning as the bank’s chief financial officer. He has been employed by Brighton Bank since 2001 and has 19 years of banking and financial experience, with an emphasis in administration, management and technology. Jensen’s education includes a bachelor’s degree in business-accounting from the University of Phoenix. Barnes will remain serving as the bank technology officer. Barnes has been with the bank since 2003 and has over 18 years of banking experience. He earned his MBA in 2014 and a bachelor of science degree in business finance in 2012 from the University of Phoenix.
• EnerBank USA, a Salt Lake City-based consumer lender, has promoted Rob Palmer to executive vice president and bank operations manager, with overall responsibility for operations and information technology. He will continue to serve as the chairman of the company’s IT committee. Palmer previously was senior vice president of information technology and IT manager, where his responsibilities included information technology, telecommunications, business intelligence, software development, cybersecurity and project management. Palmer joined EnerBank in 2012. Before that, he worked in various IT management roles, including stints at Volvo Financial Services, Verisk Health and custom software solution providers.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
• Box Elder leads all Utah counties with the per-capita highest net worth, according to a list compiled by financial technology company SmartAsset. Box Elder was followed (in order) by Davis, Summit, Washington, Tooele, Sevier, Sanpete, Weber, Wasatch and Carbon counties. The study took into account net worth as a percentage of income and net worth as a percentage of debt. Details are at https://smartadvisormatch.com/data/places-with-the-highest-net-worth/utah.
• Utah is the No. 21-most-targeted state in the U.S. for robocall phone scams during tax season, according to AllAreaCodes.com. The organization analyzed 15 million consumer complaints released by the Federal Trade Commission over the past three years. Utah had 1,759 complaints per 100,000 people. Nevada topped the list, at 2,579. Alaska was last, at 549. Among U.S. counties, Salt Lake County was the No. 37 most-targeted.
• Morgan County leads all Utah counties as the “Best Place to Save for Retirement,” based on rankings compiled by financial technology company SmartAsset. Following Morgan were (in order) Summit, Davis, Wasatch, Utah, Duchesne, Salt Lake, Uintah, Millard and Weber counties. The study weighed four criteria in counties across the country to determine the best places to save for retirement: 401(k) performance, pension performance, local economic conditions and access to financial advisors. Details are at https://smartadvisormatch.com/best-places-to-save-for-retirement/Utah.
EDUCATION/TRAINING
• A team of students from Weber State University’s building design and construction program has been selected as one of 11 international teams to compete in the 2020 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon, a collegiate competition that challenges students to design and construct highly efficient and innovative buildings powered by renewable energy. The competition includes six teams from the United States and teams from Canada, Chile, the Netherlands and South Africa. The year-and-a-half-long competition includes two parts: a design challenge and a build challenge. This semester, the Weber State team will focus on designing a duplex and triplex to be built in Salt Lake City. The homes will be net-zero, meaning they produce as much energy as they consume. At the end of the semester, the team will travel to the National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden, Colorado, for the Design Challenge Weekend. There, they will present their designs to a panel of judges who will provide feedback and suggestions. After that, the team will take summer, fall and spring semesters to construct the homes and create a presentation for the Build Challenge Event in Washington, D.C., in July 2020. Weber State’s team will partner with Redfish Builders, which built the first net-zero community in Salt Lake City, to build the homes. Redfish Builders will cover most of the labor and construction costs. After completion, the units will be sold for under $300,000 each.
HEALTHCARE
• Upwell Health, a Salt Lake City-based consumer healthcare company, has appointed Patrick Grosso as chief financial officer. Grosso previously was chief administrative officer for Upwell and was instrumental in a number of key initiatives, including the implementation of a new product strategy and a pilot consultative sales program. In January, Grosso also ensured efficiency and performance during the launch of UpwellBeing.com, a new content hub providing educational materials to help people living with various chronic conditions manage their healthcare journey. Upwell also recently announced the hires of Tim Moran as vice president of editorial and digital content and Bridget Quinlan as chief strategy officer.
• Activz Global LLC, a West Jordan-based company focused on “life activating” products, has appointed Vice Admiral Mathias W. Winter to the company’s board of advisors. Winter is a career naval aviator who was designated a naval flight officer in 1985. He has held leadership positions at all levels within the Navy, commanding technical, programmatic and acquisition organizations for the past 35 years. In May 2017, he was selected to lead the F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office, the Department of Defense’s enterprise that is responsible for developing and acquiring the F-35, the most advanced next-generation strike aircraft weapon system for the Navy, Air Force, Marines and many allied nations.
NONPROFITS
• Human Outreach Project (HOP), a nonprofit organization, has a goal to raise funds to help support getting under-served children into the Wasatch mountains, manage an orphanage at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro and provide 943 daily school lunches to students in Makuyuni Primary School, as well as several other humanitarian aid projects in Utah, Tanzania, Nepal and Peru. With a particular focus on youth, HOP partners with communities to identify local needs and co-create sustainable solutions to improve health and education. In Utah, HOP supports projects help youth and veterans in the area. In partnership with local schools and Boys and Girls Clubs, HOP runs multiple trips a week in the summer to bring local children to Snowbird for outdoor education and leadership training programs. HOP also supports veterans in need during the holidays by delivering a meal service and gift cards to veterans in need.
REAL ESTATE
• HemaSource has leased 99,831 square feet of space in the Price 5600 West Building at 485 S. 5700 W., Salt Lake City. The announcement was made by IPG Commercial Real Estate and Newmark Grubb ACRES. HemaSource will be expanding with a move of their corporate headquarters and acquiring additional distribution space. Jeremy Jensen and Michael Jeppesen of IPG Commercial represented the lessee, HemaSource. Kyle Roberts of Newmark Grubb ACRES represented the lessor, Price 5600 West. HemaSource is a logistics solution partner that combines data analytics and medical product supply to specialty ambulatory clinics.
• Colliers International has hired Peter Hanlon for the firm’s downtown Salt Lake City office. Hanlon has more than 35 years of experience in real estate and banking, completing hundreds of transactions in healthcare-related clinical and office space. He joins Colliers after working at Cushman & Wakefield, where he was senior director of office and healthcare.
RECOGNITIONS
• Two Utah companies have been named to the 2019 list of “Best Places to Work in Financial Technology,” compiled by SourceMedia and Best Companies Group. The list of 50 fintech companies includes No. 18 MX, Lehi; and No. 39 Finicity, Murray. The awards program, created in 2017, is an annual survey and awards program is designed to identify, recognize and honor the best employers in the financial technology industry. To be considered for participation, companies had to be an organization that provides technology products, services or solutions that enable the delivery of financial services, with at least 15 employees working in the U.S. and been in business a minimum of one year.
• Podium, a Lehi-based interaction management platform for local businesses, has been named to the Fast Company annual list of the “World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2019.” Podium is ranked No. 10 in the Enterprise category. The list honors the businesses making the most profound impact on both industry and culture. Podium was founded in 2014 and works with more than 30,000 businesses to create more than 4 million customer interactions a month.
• SecurityMetrics’ GDPR compliance product SecurityMetrics GDPR Defense earned a bronze award in the 15th annual Global Excellence Awards, presented by Info Security Products Guide, in the category of “New Product or Service of the Year.” SecurityMetrics is based in Orem. The global awards program recognizes cybersecurity and information technology vendors with advanced, ground-breaking products, solutions and services that are helping set the bar higher for others in all areas of security and technologies.
• The Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (UMOCA) and the Jarvis and Constance Doctorow Family Foundation have announced that artist Nancy Friedemann-Sánchez, who is based in Lincoln, Nebraska and New York, has been awarded the 2019 Catherine Doctorow Prize for Contemporary Painting. In addition to a $15,000 unrestricted cash award, UMOCA, the permanent steward for the Doctorow Prize, will host a solo exhibition of her artwork Sept. 21-Jan. 11. UMOCA received nominations from leading curators, critics, gallerists, historians and artists from around the country. The nominations were then submitted for review by a set of jurors. The Catherine Doctorow Prize for Contemporary Painting is awarded every two years.
RESTAURANTS
• ParkStone Wood Kitchen has closed its Station Park location in Farmington in late February and will build out an enhanced, larger restaurant there. The new facility will take approximately a year to construct is expected to be open for business in early 2020. The restaurant opened in 2012 and features a locally sourced wood fire that is hand-lit each day. The new location will continue to utilize a natural wood fire.
SERVICES
• Cingo Solutions, a managed detection and response cybersecurity company, has opened its cybersecurity headquarters, a 6,000-square-foot facility at 491 N. Bluff St., St. George. The company said the space was designed to achieve necessary security protocols, multi-tiered security accesses, control sensors and smart-office technology.
SPORTS
• Sun Valley Resort in Idaho and Snowbasin Resort have announced a joint season pass, called the Sun and Snow Pass, for the 2019-20 season. The season pass offers three days of skiing and riding at both ski areas, then 50 percent off the daily lift ticket rate for additional days. Pricing by May 31 is $359 for adults and $89 for children. Pricing from June 1 until Labor Day is $399 for adults and $99 for children.
TECHNOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCES
• Pluralsight Inc., a Farmington-based enterprise technology skills platform company, has promoted Brandon Peay to chief strategy and operations officer. Peay joined Pluralsight in 2014. He previously was senior vice president of strategy and operations. Before that, he was chief of staff to the CEO and director of corporate development. Prior to joining Pluralsight, Peay held several roles at Bain & Co. His education includes a B.S. degree in economics from Brigham Young University.
• MasterControl Inc., a Salt Lake City software company serving life science and other regulated companies, has appointed Bryant Headley to lead its sales and customer success efforts with government entities such as the FDA, VA, Department of Defense and the Department of Treasury. Headley previously served as business/program manager at the FDA. Prior to that, he was program manager for the VA for its Health Data Repository. He also has served in the military, where he participated in multiple deployments before retiring after the Gulf War.
• Central Logic, a Sandy-based transfer center software company, has appointed Michelle McCleery as vice president of business development and Barry Dennis as vice president of sales. McCleery will lead Central Logic’s business development efforts as the company extends its products and SaaS platform with partnerships and strategic alliances. She has worked more than 15 years in the healthcare technology industry and most recently was the vice president of strategy and chief clinical officer for PerfectServe. Dennis holds an MBA and bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership and is also an RN. He was most recently the chief operating officer for Conduit Health, the transfer center outsourcing business for Mercy Health in Ohio. He also founded Navilife, which was later sold to PHI.
• HireVue, a provider of AI-driven talent assessment and video interviewing solutions, has hired Ilene Landon as senior vice president of professional services and delivery. Landon will help expand HireVue’s professional services offering with broader implementation capabilities to maximize customer success. Landon has more than 20 years of leadership experience within technology companies. Most recently, she was senior vice president of professional services at MicroStrategy. Prior to that, she served as vice president of professional services for SumTotal Systems and spent more than seven years in leadership roles at SuccessFactors, with five of those years as director of professional services.
TRAVEL & TOURISM
• Christopherson Business Travel, Salt Lake City, has hired J.B. Walsh as chief technology officer. Walsh has 20 years of experience in technology leadership and software development expertise. Most recently, he was vice president of development delivery practices at Amadeus IT Group. Prior to Amadeus, he led development teams at Accenture and Navitaire.
• HIPAA One, a Lindon-based provider of HIPAA compliance software, third-party validation and data security services, has hired Garrett Hall as vice president of strategy. Hall previously built the KLAS Research cybersecurity segment, served as an advisory board member at the Association for Executives in Healthcare Information Security (AEHIS) on the Medical Device and Professional Services committee, and wrote a long list of industry publications and conference presentations.