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ASSOCIATIONS
• Peggy Hunt, a partner in the Salt Lake City office of Dorsey & Whitney LLP, has been appointed as a member of the Task Force on Diversity for the Federal Bar Association (FBA). Hunt joins 15 other legal professionals from across the country to support the FBA’s mission of full and equal access to, and participation by, all individuals in the FBA, the legal profession and the justice system. Each member of the task force serves a one-year term. Hunt has worked in the area of bankruptcy and receivership law for more than 25 years. Throughout her career, she has participated in organizations that encourage diversity and inclusion.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
• Utah is ranked eighth-most-innovative overall among states in the list of “2018’s Most & Least Innovative States,” compiled by personal finance website WalletHub. Twenty-two metrics were used to compiled the rankings. Utah was fifth for “innovation environment” and 12th for human capital. With “1” being most innovative and 25 being average, Utah was fifth for venture capital funding per capita, sixth in eighth-grade math and science performance, 11th for both share of STEM professionals and share of technology companies, 13th for projected STEM-job demand by 2020, 14th for research and development spending per capita, and 29th for share of science and engineering graduates age 25-plus. The most innovative state is Massachusetts, followed by Maryland, Washington, the District of Columbia and California. The least innovative is Mississippi. The full report is at https://wallethub.com/edu/most-innovative-states/31890/.
LAW
• Durham Jones & Pinegar has hired Julia D. Kyte as a shareholder in the firm’s Litigation Section. Kyte’s practice focuses on health law, with significant additional experience in governmental entity defense.
OUTDOOR PRODUCTS/RECREATION/SPORTS
• Vail Resorts Inc. has begun offering a $99 Military Epic Pass, available to honor the service of the company’s founders from the 10th Mountain Division and men and women of the U.S. armed forces as well as Canadian and Australian military service members. The 2018-19 Military Epic Pass is for active and retired members of the U.S. Armed Forces, the Canadian Armed Forces, and the Australian Defence Force, and their dependents, and at $499 for all other veterans and their dependents ($269 for children of veterans), Also, for every 2018-19 Vail Resorts season pass sold, a $1 donation will be made to Wounded Warrior Project, a nonprofit organization that offers a variety of programs, services and events for wounded veterans of the military. Based on 2017-18 pass sales, the donation would exceed $750,000. Details are at epicpass.com/military. In addition to the company’s efforts, Rob Katz, chief executive officer of Vail Resorts, and his wife, Elana Amsterdam, will also honor the 10th Mountain Division by making a personal donation of $750,000 to Operation Homefront, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families so they can thrive in their communities. The company owns and/or operates 14 resorts, including Park City.
PHILANTHROPY
• Zions Bank is inviting the public to nominate qualified homes that can be improved with a fresh coat of exterior paint during its annual Paint-a-Thon service project in June. The Paint-a-Thon benefits low-income elderly, disabled and veteran residents in Idaho and Utah. Although Zions Bank receives referrals by city and state housing agencies, aging services, community organizations and local churches, it is also inviting the public to nominate qualified homeowners. Nominations are being accepted at zionsbank.com/paint through April 15. To be eligible for consideration, homeowners must meet federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) income guidelines, detailed on Zions Bank’s website (zionsbank.com/community), which includes the link to the nomination form. Details are at zionsbankevents@zionsbank.com.
• RE/MAX affiliates in the U.S. and Canada last year donated more than $10.8 million to 170 local Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) hospitals through the Miracle Home and Miracle Property programs. CMN is based in Salt Lake City. Since 1992, RE/MAX agents and brokers have raised more than $167 million for 170 member hospitals. Through the Miracle Home and Miracle Property programs, RE/MAX agents can market each residential or commercial listing as a Miracle Home or Miracle Property, and make a donation to CMN hospitals after each closed transaction on behalf of their client. In addition, RE/MAX offices and agents raise funds through golf tournaments, benefit dinners, auctions and other community fundraisers.
REAL ESTATE
• Seelos Family Trust/Semi Service Inc. has purchased a 28,800-square-foot industrial building at 4428 W. 1730 S., Salt Lake City, from ASC Profiles LLC. Financial terms were not disclosed. Semi Service Inc. is a family-owned business that started in the Salt Valley in 1972. It services the needs for over-the-road drivers and truck builds throughout the United States. Semi Service plans to occupy this location for business expansion, which is within close proximity to its company headquarters. Michael Jeppesen, principal broker of IPG Commercial, and Candace Keller, also of IPG Commercial, represented both the buyer and the seller.
RECOGNITIONS
• Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski has honored three community leaders with the Deedee Corradini Women’s Leadership Awards, which recognize female leaders who have helped other women and honors the legacy of Deedee Corradini, Salt Lake City’s 32nd mayor and the first woman mayor. Honorees are Natalie El-Deiry, recognized as the Opportunity Builder for 2018, Faeiza Javed as the Emerging Leader for 2018 and Anne Burkholder as the 2018 recipient of the Community Leader Award. El-Deiry is the co-founder of the Spice Kitchen, a culinary business incubator program that assists refugees, immigrants and low-income community members establish their own sustainable food businesses. Javed is the clinical director for South Valley Services and works with victims and perpetrators of domestic violence. She has helped refugees, military veterans and people dealing with substance abuse and anger management. Last year Javed launched the Emerald Project, a series of outreach events to challenge Islamophobia and help educate and empower Muslim women. Burkholder is the chief executive officer for the Salt Lake City YWCA and has led Utah’s first domestic violence crisis shelter since 2000. Under her leadership, the YWCA has added a Center for Families and two new residences, which added 181 beds for domestic violence victims.
• Engineering News-Record recently honored two Utah projects as “ENR’s Top Projects of 2017.” The “Best of the Best Health Care Project” was the University of Utah Health Care Farmington Health Center in Farmington. The general contractor was Layton Construction Co., Sandy. The “Best of the Best Green Project” was Arch | Nexus SAC in Sacramento, California. The contractor was Architectural Nexus, Salt Lake City.
TECHNOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCES
• Lucid Software has hired Kat Judd as vice president of people operations and Owen Fuller as general manager of Lucidpress. Judd has 10 years of experience as an employment law attorney focused on preventative advice and counsel, workplace issues and employment law training. She previously served as a director and shareholder at Clyde Snow & Sessions in Salt Lake City. Fuller has leadership experience at Utah-based startups, including founding Fit Marketing and serving as president of Qzzr.
• Workfront, a Lehi-based provider of cloud-based enterprise work management solutions, has hired Jon Pexton as chief financial officer. He will be responsible for all aspects of its financial operations, including corporate finance, investor relations, accounting, tax and treasury. Pexton has more than 25 years of experience in equity and debt offerings, mergers and acquisitions, international expansion, and strategic planning at high-growth companies. He previously worked as CFO at Progrexion and Interbank FX and held positions at Callidus Software, Vitria Technology and Remedy Corp., and spent eight years with Ernst & Young working in its audit, tax, and transaction advisory practices.
• Pluralsight, a Farmington-based enterprise technology learning company, has appointed Matthew Forkner as general counsel. Forkner has experience in mergers, acquisitions and public offering. He previously was vice president deputy general counsel at GoDaddy and also worked at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati and Fenwick & West.