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CONSERVATION
" The National Wild Turkey Federation and partners in Utah have reached a conservation milestone through the Watershed Restoration Initiative. WRI sportsmen partners, including the NWTF, collectively pledged a record of more than $6.6 million in funding. The WRI projects span all five Utah Division of Wildlife Resources wildlife regions of the state and are initially reviewed by regional ranking committees that are composed of biologists, foresters, natural resource professionals and stakeholders before being presented to the hunter-conservationist funding group. The NWTF contributed funding to 22 habitat improvement projects, in addition to supporting one new southern region habitat position, two sage-grouse biologist positions and two winter turkey trapping positions. The WRI is a partnership-based program administered by the state of Utah that aims to improve high-priority watersheds throughout the state.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
" Salt Lake City is ranked No. 28, Ogden is No. 115 and Provo is No. 150 on a list of places "most supportive of startups," compiled by financial media company MarketBeat.com and based on a survey. It ranked the 150 best cities for starting a business, based on local government support. The top-ranked city overall is Dallas. More details can be found at https://www.marketbeat.com/originals/innovation-incubators-survey-of-entrepreneurs-reveals-the-cities-most-supportive-of-startups/.
" Adobe is Utah's "most coveted employer," according to a survey conducted for outplacement and career development firm Careerminds. O.C. Tanner is No. 2 and BambooHR is No. 3. Nationally, the top five are Google in California, the Coca-Cola Co. in Georgia, Ben & Jerry's in Vermont, Hawaiian Airlines in Hawaii and Nike in Oregon. Details are at https://careerminds.com/blog/retention-revolution.
EXPANSIONS
" Filevine, a Salt Lake City-based legal work platform company, has opened an office in Chicago, allowing it to better serve legal professionals in the Midwest and beyond. The new office will serve as a hub for innovation, collaboration and support for the company's client base across the country. It marks Filevine's second headquarters.
HOSPITALITY
" Lodging Dynamics Hospitality Group, a Provo-based hotel management company, has announced the upcoming conversion of Park City Peaks Hotel to Hotel Thaynes. The 128-key property will undergo a $21 million renovation, joining Marriott Bonvoy's portfolio of independent, boutique hotels. The project is scheduled to be completed in October, and the property will remain open during the renovation. The project will include the transformation of Versante Hearth+Bar, the hotel's on-site restaurant. Hotel Thaynes will be part of Marriott Bonvoy's Tribute Portfolio, a collection of more than 150 hotels in nearly 30 countries and territories.
INVESTMENTS
" School AI, a Lehi-based company offering an AI platform for teaching and learning, has closed $25 million in Series A funding. The round was led by Insight Partners, with participation by existing investors, including NextView Ventures, The General Partnership and Peterson Ventures. The total funding for the company is $32 million to date. SchoolAI said it will use the funding to continue scaling to more schools across the globe; develop new products for students, parents and school administrators; and expand its implementation team to provide comprehensive onboarding and professional development. SchoolAI's Classroom Experience platform combines AI assistants for teachers that help with classroom preparation and other administrative work, and Spaces-personalized AI tutors, games and lessons that can adapt to each student's learning style and interests. SchoolAI was launched for classrooms in August 2023.
MEDIA/MARKETING
" Victus Marketing, a performance marketing agency, has officially launched. The Park City-based agency will serve small and mid-sized businesses of all kinds. It builds upon the reputation of Victus Advisors, a boutique consultancy focused on sports and entertainment strategy. The new venture is led by Eric Habermas, a marketing industry veteran with over two decades of experience working across Fortune 500 brands, professional sports teams, nonprofits and agencies. Joining Habermas is Courtney Stellar-Patterson, senior creative director, a longtime collaborator of Habermas. Victus Marketing is also backed by Victus Advisors principals Brian Connolly and Walter Franco.
PHILANTHROPY
" The Gateway in Salt Lake City, in a partnership with GREENBike, is marking Earth Day throughout April by giving away four annual GREENBike memberships every Tuesday through April 22. To enter, follow @AtTheGateway and @GREENbikeUtah, like the post/reel, and tag a friend who would like to ride. Details are at instagram.com/atthegateway.
RECOGNITIONS
" Bank of Utah (BOU Bancorp Inc.), based in Ogden, is ranked No. 14 on a list of the "Best-Performing U.S. Community Banks of 2024" in the asset category of $3 billion to $10 billion, compiled by S&P Global Market Intelligence. The annual rankings assess the best-performing community banks with assets between $3 billion and $10 billion, and those below $3 billion; credit unions; U.S. public banks; and community banks by region. The rankings, which have been published since 2011, were launched to assess the performance of banks and credit unions. Regional lists rank banks with assets under $10 billion in the Northeast, South Central, Southeast, West and Midwest. S&P Global Market Intelligence uses eight metrics to compile its rankings of financial institutions.
" Squire, an Orem-based accounting firm, has been recognized as a 2025 "Regional Leader" and a "Firm to Watch" by Accounting Today. Each year, Accounting Today evaluates accounting firms across the country, recognizing those that demonstrate exceptional growth, innovation and leadership within the industry. The "Regional Leader" designation highlights Squire's strong presence in its market, while the "Firm to Watch" recognition underscores the firm's continued upward trajectory and influence in the accounting sector.
SCHOLARSHIPS
" Salt Lake Community College is accepting applications for summer semester enrollment for the Johnson Controls International Partnership Program, which provides training in building automation, HVAC, and fire and security industries. Thanks to a $100,000 annual grant, the program supports underserved communities, recent graduates, veterans and career-changers. SLCC has received a grant valued at $100,000 per year, for up to four years, from Johnson Controls International for the program. The multi-year grant will support training tuition costs for 30 students annually in Building Automation Systems (BAS), which is an HVAC-adjacent field that encompasses energy conservation, alarm, safety and fire suppression systems, and water conservation. BAS is a tuition-free scholarship for eligible participants. The BAS curriculum includes a Fundamentals class and Devices and Controls Theory classes, which takes place Tuesday nights at SLCC's Miller Campus in Sandy for 15 weeks. The BAS Basic Electrical Concepts is an online course that is completed in 12 weeks. Interested people should contact Paul.Jones@slcc.edu or 801-957-5372 to determine whether they are eligible for the JCI Scholarship or STIT funding, and create a profile at https://www.enrole.com/slcc/jsp/addAttendee.jsp?source=register.
" Applications are being accepted until 11:59 p.m. on April 14 for the Mountain America First-Generation College Student Scholarship program for the 20252026 academic year. Mountain America Credit Union, through the Mountain America Foundation, has partnered with Snow College to launch the initiative, which aims to support first-generation students in their pursuit of higher education by awarding five scholarships of $1,000 each. Candidates will be evaluated based on academic performance, leadership and commitment to educational equity. To be eligible, applicants must be first-generation college students attending Snow College full-time in the fall 2025 semester. Membership with Mountain America Credit Union is not required to apply. Details are at macu.com/firstgen.