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COMMUNICATIONS
• Comcast, a media and technology company, has hired Jennifer Somers as vice president of state government affairs for Utah and New Mexico. She succeeds Steve Proper, who retired after 38 years of service at Comcast. Somers most recently was director of government affairs at CenturyLink, where she implemented advocacy strategies and educated legislators on key industry policies and issues. From 2010 to 2016, she was area director for U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop after working as his deputy chief of staff and foreign affairs legislative assistant. Somers’ education includes a bachelor’s degree in political science from Brigham Young University.
CONSTRUCTION
• Three people have joined Hamlet Homes as owners, bringing the number to seven: Tami Ostmark, vice president of marketing; John Peterson, vice president of construction; and Nate Kingdon, sales manager/principal broker. Hamlet Homes was founded in 1995 and in 2017 transitioned ownership from the founder to a senior leadership team. Murray-based Hamlet Homes builds townhomes and single-family homes in Northern Utah.
DIRECT SALES
• Young Living, a Lehi-based provider of essential oils, has appointed Lyndi Smith as chief marketing officer. Smith has over 20 years of marketing and communications experience. She started at Young Living in 2001 and advanced to senior vice president of global marketing before leaving in 2021 to tend to family needs. She graduated from Utah Valley University in 2013 with her Bachelors of Science in Business Management.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
• Salt Lake City is ranked No. 5 on a list of “2022’s Best Cities for Urban Gardening,” compiled by LawnStarter. It considered easy access to gardening space and supplies, an ideal climate, and a local gardening community. In a breakout list, Salt Lake City was No. 3 for most community gardens per 100,000 residents. St. Louis leads the rankings. The No. 196 city is Anchorage, Alaska. Details are at https://www.lawnstarter.com/blog/studies/best-cities-urban-gardening/.
ENVIRONMENT
• Nature’s Sunshine Products, a Lehi-based company offering herbal and nutritional products, has released its first comprehensive sustainability report. The report highlights the progress Nature’s Sunshine has made over its 50-year history to set goals for continued sustainable progress in manufacturing its products, investing in its people and improving processes. Its 2022 sustainability goals include a 50 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2025, a 100 percent renewable energy at owned manufacturing facilities by 2023, zero percent waste to landfill at all distribution centers by 2023, and a 35 percent reduction in waste at owned manufacturing facilities by 2025.
GOVERNMENT
• The Salt Lake County Council has approved a lease agreement between the county and Rio Tinto Kennecott for 17 acres of land in southwest Salt Lake County. The partnership will continue efforts by the county to build a network of multi-user trails to improve access to Rose, Yellow Fork and Butterfield canyons. In partnership with Rio Tinto and the Bureau of Land Management, Salt Lake County will build 12 miles of new trails in areas where public access has previously been unavailable. The lease agreement follows a recent purchase of 94 other acres of open space in Butterfield Canyon and complements a recent acquisition of 50 acres that will serve as a trailhead to this system of trails.
INVESTMENTS
• SudShare, a Salt Lake City-based laundry service marketplace, has raised a $10 million seed round from Headline, Origin Ventures, Ludlow Ventures, Starting Line VC and Clean Ventures. Also participating were Max Mullen, co-founder of Instacart; Steven Galanis, founder and CEO of Cameo; and Rob Chesnut, former general counsel for Airbnb. SudShare customers use an app to order laundry service, then leave their laundry on their porch. Personal launders pick up the laundry and wash, dry, fold and return it the next day.
• Red Door Capital Partners LLC, a Salt Lake City-based, independent private equity firm founded in 2019, has announced, with support from its network of high net worth individuals and family offices, an investment in PrimaHealth Credit. The amount was not disclosed. PrimaHealth Credit’s technology delivers a secure, scalable and easy-to-use solution that accurately matches patients to payment solutions they can afford.
• Nivati, a Salt Lake City-based holistic mental health platform for employees, has announced an oversubscribed seed round of $4 million. The round was led by FireBrand Ventures, with participation from Peak and Access Venture Partners.
• Altitude Lab, a Salt Lake City-based incubator focused on early-stage life science and healthcare companies, has announced that its first cohort of startups raised $54 million in seed funding while incubating at Altitude Lab. Founded by Recursion and the University of Utah’s PIVOT Center, the incubator finds, supports and incubates early-stage healthcare startups in Utah. Its first cohort includes seven startups enrolled in winter 2020, with six closing seed financing within 18 months of joining the program. Altitude Lab’s first cohort completes the program in early 2023. The incubator is currently recruiting and enrolling its second cohort.
NONPROFITS
• Encircle, a Salt Lake City-based nonprofit that builds homes to provide mental health services and community programs for LGBTQ+ youth and their families, has announced that its next location will be in Rexburg, Idaho. It will provide access to Encircle’s life-affirming therapy, programming and services to LGBTQ+ youth, students and families. The goal is to complete the home and begin offering services to youth and their families in early 2023. The nonprofit has already started construction on locations in Heber, Logan and Ogden and in Las Vegas.
PHILANTHROPY
• SixFifty, a Midvale-based technology company, has launched a free, automated tool to help Ukrainians living in the United States apply to stay in the country during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainians whose visas expire or would otherwise be required to return home have two options to stay in the U.S.: Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and asylum. Both options, however, require complicated applications that are only available in English. SixFifty automated the TPS and asylum applications in English and Ukrainian to help those who may not have easy access to legal help. SixFifty works with the law firm Wilson Sonsini to automate employment and privacy paperwork for companies across the United States. SixFifty uses the proceeds from those products to build free tools for people who need legal help.
• Supplemental Health Care, a Cottonwood Heights-based school and healthcare staffing provider, has announced a philanthropic partnership with nonprofit organization TNTP (formerly known as The New Teacher Project) to fuel its work to make high-quality education more accessible for all students. TNTP’s mission is to “end the injustice of educational inequality by providing excellent teachers to the students who need them most and by advancing policies and practices that ensure effective teaching in every classroom.”
REAL ESTATE
• Kiln has announced an expansion at its Salt Lake City coworking community at The Gateway, nearly doubling its size. It is projected to be completed in late spring. Kiln said that while it continues to cater to entrepreneurs, startups, freelancers and rapidly scaling teams, the expansion of Kiln Salt Lake City is designed to serve larger teams and companies seeking an experiential workspace. Jointly developed with The Boyer Co., the expansion consists of an additional 21,000 square feet, for a total of 54,000 square feet. Kiln has five locations, with the sixth opening in April.
• ViaWest Group, based in Phoenix, has acquired an 18-acre industrial development at 3255 W. 500 S., Salt Lake City. Financial terms were not disclosed. The site contains a 37,000-square-foot industrial building built in 2016. ViaWest plans to split the existing lot, creating an 11-acres parcel on which I will build a 171,600-square-foot Class A speculative industrial building. Phillip Eilers with Cushman & Wakefield represented ViaWest Group and James Merrill with cRc Nationwide represented the seller in the transaction.
RECOGNITIONS
• Michael Ford has been named a “2022 Pro to Know” by Supply & Demand Chain Executive, a supply chain publication. Ford is global lead of environment, health, safety and sustainability at Avetta, an Orem-based provider of supply chain risk management software. Ford was recognized for developing and implementing Avetta’s global supplier evaluation programs, designed to help organizations facilitate increased transparency and assurance across their supply chains by applying sustainability management and risk mitigation to meet their environmental, social and governance (ESG) objectives.
• Relay of Brigham Young University recently won the $20,000 grand prize and first place in the 2022 Utah Entrepreneur Challenge for its mobile app for team-based addition recovery and self-improvement. The statewide business-model competition is managed by the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute at the University of Utah. The event featured collegiate entrepreneurs in Utah competing for $60,000 in cash and prizes. Other winners are The Orion Belt, BYU, second place ($12,000); Scouter, Utah Valley University, third place ($7,000); Crypto Whales, Southern Utah University, People’s Choice Video Award, ($1,000); Scouter, People’s Choice Speed Pitch Award ($1,000); BugBuddies, Snow College, Actium Partners Bootstrap Award ($2,000); and Foam (University of Utah), Cambrio (BYU) and Veterans in ComBAT (Westminster College), Emerging Entrepreneur Awards ($750).
• Pure Solutions of Skyline High School recently won first place and the $10,000 grand prize in the 2022 High School Utah Entrepreneur Challenge for its product that enables consumers to easily analyze water samples. The business-idea competition is hosted by the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute at the University of Utah and involved 20 teams in the final event competing for $30,000 in cash and scholarships. Other winners are Noisy NICU Cap, American Heritage, second place ($5,000); Creative Book Folding, Bear River High School, third place ($2,500); and Viridis, Park City High School, Top Online Vote ($500). All top 20 teams were offered a position with the Lassonde Founders program, which includes a $1,000 housing scholarship for students to live and launch together at Lassonde Studios. Two teams, Pure Solutions and Noise NICU Cap, were awarded a $2,000 College of Science scholarship for students majoring at the University of Utah in a College of Science major.
• Nu Skin Enterprises Inc., a Provo-based beauty and wellness products company, has received two Communitas Awards for Leadership in Community Service and Corporate Social Responsibility, as well as Leadership in Ethical and Environmental Responsibility. The Communitas Awards are an international effort to recognize the spirit of people helping people. The awards recognize exceptional businesses, organizations and individuals for excellence in community service and corporate social responsibility. Communitas Awards evaluated Nu Skin’s sustainability and corporate social responsibility efforts based on the extent and effectiveness of its efforts to fight malnutrition, provide health and wellness opportunities for children and reduce its carbon footprint. They also evaluated Nu Skin’s global charity efforts, including more than 30 community-based outreach projects and sustainability commitments stretching to 2030. Communitas Awards was started in 2010 as an outgrowth of the pro bono recognition program of the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals.
• Impartner, a Salt Lake City-based pure-play company in SaaS-based channel management and partner relationship management, has announced that G2, a software marketplace, has awarded Impartner solutions in three categories in its spring 2022 report: Leader in Partner Management; Leader in Partner Management for Mid-Market; and Users Most Likely to Recommend for Mid-Market. Impartner has been ranked as a leader for six consecutive quarters. G2 recognitions are based on responses of real uses for each of segment featured in the G2 review form. Companies achieve leader status by receiving positive reviews from verified users compared to similar products in the category.
RECREATION
• Sundance Mountain Resort has announced new terrain and a fixed-grip quad lift for the 2022-23 season. The new mid-mountain lift will access four new runs and over 15 acres of novice and intermediate terrain south of Jake’s Lift. The five-minute lift ride will increase variety for families and novice/intermediate skiers in an area never skied before. The new trails will have early-season snowmaking coverage as part of Sundance’s newly upgraded snowmaking system.
• Closing dates have been announced for Utah’s ski resorts. All are based on weather and conditions permitting. Already closed are Beaver Mountain, Cherry Peak, Eagle Point, Nordic Valley, Powder Mountain, Snowbasin and Sundance. Others are Alta, April 17, although it will reopen for a three-day bonus closing weekend April 22-24; Brian Head, April 17; Deer Valley Resort, April 17; and Park City Mountain, April 17. Brighton, Snowbird, Solitude and Woodward Park City have yet to announce closing dates.
RETAIL
• Four stores have opened or will be opening soon at University Place, a 120-acre mixed-use development in Orem. Frankie Jane Couture Bridal, the first couture bridal store in Utah County and owned by the mother-daughter team Tatum Knell and Holly Smith. Manly Bands, offering online wedding ring brands for men, has this as its first-ever physical store. Chubby’s Neighborhood Café has opened its seventh restaurant location. Established in 2010 in Pleasant Grove, it is a fast-casual restaurant that offers a variety of American dining options. James & Joan Coffee Co., also known as JJ, is the first third-wave coffee shop in Utah County.
SERVICES
• PetWellClinic, a pet-wellness franchise, has announced plans to open 12 locations in the Salt Lake City area. Specific sites have not yet been selected. The clinics will provide veterinary care for pets, including general check-ups, vaccinations, and treatment of minor ailments and chronic conditions. The multi-unit agreement has been signed by Ed and Betsy Erb, who last year signed an eight-unit deal in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana. PetWellClinic has over 121 units in development.
TECHNOLOGY
• SafeMoon, a Pleasant Grove-based company focused on technology and cryptocurrency, has appointed Jonathan “‘Sketch” White as studio manager and head of video production. He will be responsible for the expanding production of the company’s video content, including SafeMoon podcasts and educational production. White has 20 years of experience as studio manager of Goal Line Productions for Pro Football Hall of Fame Coach John Madden, who died in December 2021.
• Instructure, a Salt Lake City-based education technology company, has created two complementary K-12 courses in Canvas LMS focused on helping Utah students better understand the role of influential women in the state’s history. The curriculum, developed by nonprofit organization Better Days, presents women’s history in a new and engaging way. Canvas users can find the content on Canvas Commons and Canvas Network, Instructure’s learning object repository and open online course offering.
TRANSPORTATION
• England Logistics, a Salt Lake City-based freight brokerage firm, has announced promotions for Jeremy Dailami, Michelle Potter and Ryan Hadlow. Dailami has been promoted to executive vice president of people and operations and will have oversight of the company’s operational divisions. He previously was vice president of brokerage services. Dailami has 17 years of sales and leadership experience. Potter has been promoted to vice president of strategic operations, joining the England Logistics executive team. A 24-year industry veteran, Potter previously served as the senior director of strategic development. Hadlow has been promoted to vice president of agent services, joining the England Logistics executive team. Previously the senior director of agent services, Hadlow will continue to lead the company’s authorized agent network of full truckload, parcel and less-than-truckload agents. Hadlow has been employed at England Logistics since 2006 when he joined the organization as an account manager.
TRAVEL & TOURISM
• The Utah Office of Tourism is encouraging advanced planning ahead of Arches National Park’s time-entry pilot program launch. The temporary program aims to create better access, improve the experience and encourage responsible visitation at the park. Over the course of the pilot program, the National Park Service will gather data measuring the effects on visitor safety, parking lot congestion, crowding on trails, and more. Through Oct. 3, to make a required reservation and secure a timed entry ticket into Arches National Park, visitors will need to go to Recreation.gov and select an entry window from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. A limited number of next-day tickets will also be available daily at 6 p.m. Visitors also will need a photo ID and a valid park pass or paid park entrance fee to enjoy the park.