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AGRICULTURE
• CubicFarm Systems Corp., a chain agricultural technology company, has announced Mountainland Supply Co. as a new member of the HydroGreen Certified Dealer Network. Established in 1947 with 29 distribution branches and 699 employees, Mountainland has an agriculture division specializing in irrigation services for farmer and rancher customers in Utah, Wyoming and Idaho.
CONSTRUCTION
• HNTB Corp., an employee-owned infrastructure firm serving public and private owners and contractors, has named Becky Bradshaw as its office finance manager for the firm’s Salt Lake City and Denver offices. She will be based in Salt Lake City and will provide budget oversight to help HNTB achieve its project goals around improving transportation and mobility and economic development in the Denver and Salt Lake City communities. Bradshaw has more than 30 years of experience working for the Utah Department of Transportation, most recently working for 12 years as UDOT’s chief financial officer. She received her Bachelor of Science in accounting from the University of Phoenix and her Master of Science in accounting from Western Governors University.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
• Utah is ranked No. 6 on a list of “Best States for Working from Home,” compiled by WalletHub. It compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 12 key metrics. The top-ranked state is New Jersey. The bottom-ranked state is Alaska. Details are at https://wallethub.com/edu/best-states-for-working-from-home/72801.
• Utah is ranked No. 9 on a list of “2022’s Best States for Teachers,” compiled by scholarship website Scholaroo. It analyzed 42 metrics organized into five key indicators. Utah is ranked No. 2 for career accessibility, No. 13 for salary and compensation, No. 9 for work benefits, No. 47 for work environment and No. 12 for student performance. On breakout lists, Utah is ranked No. 46 for average pension (adjust to cost of living) and No. 49 for lowest annual per-pupil spending. The top-ranked overall state is Washington. The bottom-ranked state is Arizona. Details are at https://scholaroo.com/best-states-for-teachers/.
• Utah is ranked No. 31 on a list of “2022’s Best States for Camping,” compiled by Lawn Love. It considered high-quality campgrounds and easy access to state parks, national parks, and trails. Safety and affordability levels also influenced the ranking. The top-ranked state is California. The bottom-ranked state is Nevada. Details are at https://lawnlove.com/blog/best-states-camping/.
• Summit County is the top Utah county with the most purchasing power, according to SmartAsset. Its eighth annual study measured the places where average living expenses are most affordable for people living there by measuring the cost of living relative to local income in each county. Summit County was followed, in order, by Grand, Piute, Wasatch, Daggett, Salt Lake, Morgan, Wayne, Cache and Garfield counties. Details are at https://smartasset.com/mortgage/cost-of-living-calculator#Utah/purchasingPower-0.
ENERGY
• Wave, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ideanomics and developer of high-power, wireless inductive charging solutions for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles, has announced a facility expansion to accommodate the growing demand for its high-power wireless vehicle charging systems. Located across the street from the company’s current Salt Lake City headquarters, the 12,000-square-foot facility will support Wave’s expanding engineering, testing and production teams and provide more space for product line expansion. Wave said the proximity to the current headquarters will enable easier cross-functional communication and collaboration and allow for meetings and tours with Wave’s customers and partners. The new space will accommodate 42 additional team members, roughly doubling the company’s current headcount to a total of 90 on-site employees. Since Ideanomics’ acquisition in early 2021, Wave has expanded its workforce by 43 percent. Wave’s hands-free wireless charging systems are embedded in roadways, automatically charging vehicles during scheduled stops or while in a depot.
• Southwest Gas Holdings Inc. has announced that its Dominion Energy Questar Pipeline subsidiaries have been rebranded as MountainWest Pipelines. Dominion Energy Questar Pipeline LLC is now MountainWest Pipeline LLC. MountainWest’s subsidiaries and affiliates have also been renamed and rebranded as MountainWest Overthrust Pipeline LLC, MountainWest Field Services LLC, MountainWest Pipeline Services Inc., MountainWest Energy Holding Co. LLC, MountainWest Energy Services Inc., MountainWest Southern Trails Pipeline Co., and MountainWest White River Hub LLC (which owns a 50 percent interest in White River Hub LLC).
EVENTS
• RainFocus, a Lehi-based enterprise event marketing platform, has hired Brian Wilson as chief customer officer. Wilson most recently was chief customer officer at Experity. He has over 20 years of leadership experience and has scaled teams to deliver customer programs in multiple high-growth, global SaaS environments. Wilson lives in Minneapolis.
FINANCE
• MX, a Lehi-based company focused on open finance, has named Kimberly Cassady as chief people officer. Cassady has more than 25 years of experience, leading workforce transformation strategies through high-growth, global expansion, acquisitions and other key pivotal organizational changes. Most recently, she was chief talent officer at Cornerstone OnDemand for 10 years. Prior to Cornerstone, Cassady held human resources leadership roles at Galileo Processing and spent more than 10 years in human resources and manufacturing leadership at Valassis. Her education includes a bachelor of science in business management from the University of Utah.
HOSPITALITY
• Lodging Dynamics Hospitality Group, a Provo-based hotel management company, has been appointed to manage the Element by Westin San Jose Milpitas hotel. The newly constructed, five-story Element Milpitas has 194 extended-stay suites.
LAW
• Snell & Wilmer has hired Kenneth D. Brown and Michael C. Jensen for it Salt Lake City office. Brown’s practice focuses on municipal and insurance defense, as well as business litigation, property disputes, and land use issues representing both municipalities and developers. He previously was an associate at Smith Knowles. His education includes a B.A. in law and constitutional studies from Utah State University. Jensen joins the firm’s corporate and securities group. He previously worked as a guardian ad litem attorney in the Fourth District. He earned his J.D. from the Brigham Young University’s, J. Reuben Clark School of Law and his M.S. in exercise and sports science from the University of Utah.
• Foley & Lardner LLP has hired R. Whitney “Whit” Johnson as a partner in its Electronics Practice Group in Salt Lake City. Johnson has 15 years of high-tech experience, with a concentration in technology. Johnson counsels clients on patent-related services, including U.S. and foreign patent procurement, patent portfolio management and strategic counseling.
LOGISTICS
• The Utah Inland Port Authority, a multimodal logistics agency, has hired Dain Maher as a full-time analyst of geographic information systems and business. Previously serving as a GIS consultant since July 2020, Maher will continue to support UIPA’s database of geographic information as well as manage a growing portfolio of strategic projects. Maher has over five years of experience managing geospatial systems for governmental and private-sector organizations. He has supported projects for the Military Installation Development Authority, P3+, Savage Transportation, Valor Victoria, Blu Line Designs and Santaquin City. He earned a bachelor’s in geographic information systems from Brigham Young University.
NONPROFITS
• The Florence J. Gillmor Foundation has presented a $1.25 million dollar gift to “and Justice for all” for the construction of a new civil legal aid facility currently under construction. The lobby of the new facility will honor Gillmor and the building will be named in honor of the Gillmor Foundation’s late trustee, James B. Lee. The center, a remodeled building at 960 S. Main St., will be designed to serve the most vulnerable populations. The “and Justice for all” partners are the Legal Aid Society of Salt Lake, Utah Legal Services and the Disability Law Center.
PARTNERSHIPS
• Qolo, a Florida-based omnichannel payments platform for fintech, has announced a strategic partnership agreement with MX, a Lehi-based financial data platform company. Qolo and MX provide fast-track solutions to help businesses, particularly neobanks and fintechs, stand up a core mobile banking experience. Combining the aggregation services and user experience offered through the MX platform, Qolo will serve as the payment processor providing the necessary APIs to allow users to open and view accounts, make deposits, move their money, and more.
PHILANTHROPY
• Fifty employees of Ken Garff recently “took over” Liberty Elementary School in Salt Lake City for three hours to show appreciation for the teachers’ work during the pandemic. They taught the students in classes and helped with recess; fed the teachers meals from Café Rio; and raffled off spa packages, TVs, staycation packages, Hello Fresh subscriptions, $100 gift cards to teachers, administration and teacher’s aids; and provided 320 spring break bags for students that included scavenger hunts, snacks, pop-it toys, fidget spinners and a $10 gift card to Fat Cats. The event was part of Ken Garff’s “We’re ‘Hear’ for You” initiative.
REAL ESTATE
• CenterCal Properties LLC is adding 14 new restaurants, entertainment, health, beauty and apparel stores at Mountain View Village, an 85-acre mixed-use community in Riverton. That brings the total to 48, including Cinemark’s 14-screen theater. Starting with a soft opening of stores in late May, the grand opening celebrations of Phase II will kick off June 30 and run through Fourth of July weekend. The million-square-foot property also will welcome the first X-Golf to Utah, including simulators with indoor golf technology.
• Ember, a Salt Lake City-based real estate proptech company, has expanded into Newport Beach, California. Ember’s platform offers vacation home co-ownership in some of the West’s most popular destinations. As part of the California market expansion, Ember partnered with brokerage company The Agency. Ember’s anchor home is a four-bedroom, four-bathroom Newport Beach peninsula home near the oceanfront.
• Entrata, a Lehi-based company offering an operating system for multifamily communities, has expanded into the Canadian property management market. As part of its expansion, Entrata has partnered with student-housing operator Varsity Communities, based in Kingston, Ontario. Entrata will initially dedicate its focus to the Toronto area as it aims to expand its presence in Canada over the next year. Entrata serves more than 20,000 communities across the U.S. and processes more than $2 billion in rent payments each month.
RECOGNITIONS
• Terrence Moorehead, CEO of Lehi-based Nature’s Sunshine Products Inc., has received a 2022 CEO Today Global Award. The awards recognize strong and innovative leadership among the most inspiring CEOs and business leaders across the globe. The CEO Today research team draws on the views of thousands of shareholders, including investors, analysts, executives, employees, and media professionals worldwide, to determine winners. Moorehead’s experience includes serving as CEO of Carlisle Etcetera, CEO of Dana Beauty and numerous leadership positions over 20 years working globally for Avon in Italy, Canada, Japan and New York. In addition, he was a management consultant at Booz Allen & Hamilton Inc.
• Visit Salt Lake has presented Caryn Bradshaw with the inaugural Crystal Colleague Award. Bradshaw is director of sports services, promotions and athlete experience for Sport Salt Lake. The Crystal Colleague of the Year program recognizes exemplary performance by a Visit Salt Lake employee. In her role at Sports Salt Lake, Bradshaw closely collaborates with sports event planners to select venues, oversee volunteers, assist in marketing initiatives, and serve as Sports Salt Lake’s main liaison for incoming sporting events. Visit Salt Lake is a private, nonprofit corporation that promotes Salt Lake as a convention and travel destination.
• Sandy City recently presented One Sandy Awards to residents, organizations and businesses that have made an impact in the community. Recipients are nominated by members of the community and finalists are selected by the Sandy City administration. Recipients for 2022 are: Resiliency Award, Hale Centre Theatre; Corporate Citizenship Award, Mark Miller Subaru; Residents’ Choice Award, Sandy Music Academy; Small Business of the Year, The Printed Garden; Outstanding Sandy City Employee Award, Graham Tinius; Volunteer of the Year, Aaron Edwin Dekeyzer; Mentor of the Year, Mindy Wissler; Diversity & Inclusion Award, Susette Afu and Ariane Niumeitolu; Community Champion Award, Katie Johnson; and Mayor Zoltanski’s Trailblazer Award, Diana Rosenkrantz.
• The Ogden-Weber Chamber of Commerce has announced award recipients and finalists for its Annual Gala, taking place April 21, 7:30 p.m., at Peery’s Egyptian Theater in Ogden. The Wall of Fame inductees are Doug and Annette DeFries. The Athena Leadership Award recipient is Raquel Da Salvia. The Western Big Hat Award recipient is Steve Petersen. The Sue Westenskow Award recipient is the Weber-Morgan Health Department. Finalists for Small Business of the Year are Code Ninjas, Farr’s Jewelry and Performance Drive Marketing. Finalists for Large Business of the Year are Compass Minerals, Sam’s Club and Staker Parson. Finalists for Volunteer of the Year are Beth and Jeff Furton, Emily Oyler and Lucy Hinderliter. Finalists for Chairperson of the Year are Belinda Stanger, Jim Taggart and Melissa Kloz.
• TAB Bank, an Ogden-based online bank, has been named lists of Top 100 Banks Leading the U.S. and 20 Best Online Banks of 2022 by GOBankingRates and Best Online Banks of 2022 by Bankrate. The two companies identified the featured institutions by analyzing them across factors such as yields, minimum deposit requirements, fees, the variety of products offered, the number of ATMs and other data points.
• Several Utah healthcare facilities have earned the “LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader” designation by earning the top score in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2022 Healthcare Equality Index. They are Alta View Hospital, Sandy; American Fork Hospital; Craig H. Neilsen Rehabilitation Hospital, Salt Lake City; Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City; Huntsman Mental Health Institute, Salt Lake City; Intermountain Medical Center, Murray; Intermountain Spanish Fork Hospital; Layton Hospital; LDS Hospital, Salt Lake City; Orem Community Hospital; Park City Hospital; Primary Children’s Hospital, Salt Lake City; Riverton Hospital; St. George Regional Hospital; The Orthopedic Specialty Hospital, Murray; University of Utah Hospital, Salt Lake City; University Orthopaedic Center, Salt Lake City; and Utah Valley Hospital, Provo. The index is a benchmarking survey of healthcare facilities on policies and practices dedicated to the equitable treatment and inclusion of their LGBTQ+ patients, visitors and employees. Nationally, 906 healthcare facilities participated in the 2022 survey and 496 of those earned the “LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader” designation. Another 251 facilities earned the “Top Performer” designation with scores between 80 and 95 points.
• The University of Utah’s Entertainment Arts & Engineering (EAE) program has been ranked No. 5 on a list of top graduate game design schools in North America and No. 7 in undergraduate schools in the newest rankings from Princeton Review. Each is one slot higher than a year ago. The rankings are based on surveys from 150 top institutions in the U.S., Canada and some abroad with game design coursework and/or degrees. According to the rankings, the UofU’s graduate and undergraduate programs are each ranked No. 2 among the world’s public universities. Its program is part of the UofU’s College of Engineering.
RESTAURANTS
• The Crack Shack will have the grand opening of its second Utah location on April 21 at 1085 E. Main St., Lehi. The 3,100-square-foot location will be a counter service-style restaurant featuring SoCal/Baja-inspired fried chicken.