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ASSOCIATIONS
- The Utah Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Initiative has named Scott Stephenson as senior advisor. He will provide technical support for the UAMMI EDA Tech Hub grant, which is focused on growing Utah and Idaho’s critical materials ecosystem. Stephenson has extensive experience in the industry, particularly in research and development of advanced composites and specialty coatings. He previously was the director of strategic initiatives and events at CompositesWorld from March 2007 to April 2023 and the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE) president and interim CEO in 2023. Before that, he worked as the vice president at Intertech from March 1994 to March 2007. He is the North American immediate past president of SAMPE, a subsidiary that serves Canada, Mexico and the United States.
BANKING
- Sunwest Bank, a privately held commercial bank based in Sandy, has hired Darrell Daniel III as senior vice president, director of commercial real estate lending. He is responsible for leading the Investor CRE and Construction platform across the company’s entire western footprint. He also will manage the division’s client relationships and ensure the performance of the existing portfolio. Daniel most recently was the head of commercial banking and CREF at Unify Financial Credit Union. Previously, he was the senior vice president, director of commercial banking at Pacific Premier Bank and held other positions in banking, including regional president, chief banking officer, managing director and senior account executive.
CONSTRUCTION
- Big-D Cos., a Salt Lake City-based contractor, has promoted Laura Shivers as vice president of marketing and business development. She will work to further align marketing and business strategies to foster a culture of creativity and collaboration across teams and departments. Shivers joined the company’s Southwest office in 2020, leading the office in developing new opportunities in Arizona and improved follow-through to enhance relationships that resulted in tangible outcomes.
CONTESTS
- Visit Salt Lake, a private, nonprofit corporation promoting Salt Lake as a convention and travel destination, is accepting nominations through May 17 for the third annual SALT Awards, honoring hospitality workers. The awards celebrate hospitality workers that exemplify service, accomplishment, leadership and tenacity (SALT). The categories are Restaurant Front and Center, Restaurant Behind the Scenes, Lodging Front and Center, Lodging Behind the Scenes, Scene Maker (for those involved with attractions, venues, caterers and transportation services), Spirit of Service for overall excellence, Best Boss, and Facility Operations (a new category this year). Award recipients will be honored at a ceremony June 25 at the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre. Each recipient will receive an engraved SALT crystal award and $2,000 check (except for the Best Boss awardee, who will have the opportunity to have $2,000 donated in their business’ name to the charity of their choice. Nominations may be made at https://www.visitsaltlake.com/salt-award/nomination-form/.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
- Utah is ranked No. 6 on a list of “best states for women-owned small businesses,” compiled by Lendio. It analyzed seven metrics, including factors such as share of employer businesses owned by women, percentage of female-owned businesses that earn a revenue of $1 million or more, percentage of patents filed by women, and growth in the number of women-owned small businesses. Data was collected from multiple sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics. The top-ranked state is Washington. The bottom-ranked state is West Virginia. Details are at https://www.lendio.com/blog/best-states-for-women-small-business-owners/.
- Half of surveyed Utahns agree that banning cars in cities across the state on specific days could enhance urban air quality, according to a study by Gunther Volvo Delray Beach. That 50-percent level puts Utah No. 33 among states. The national figure is 54 percent. Iowa is the top-ranked state, at 85 percent. Rhode Island is the bottom-ranked state, at 20 percent. Nationally, 52 percent of drivers are open to the idea of carpooling with a complete stranger if it means contributing to the betterment of their city’s air quality. Half of the respondents confessed they would willingly embrace life in one of the top 10 most polluted cities for a chance to double their paycheck. Twenty-six percent of drivers have steered clear of certain cities marred by pollution, while 56 percent believe that owners of large, fuel-thirsty vehicles should shoulder an additional tax for their heavier environmental footprint. Details are at https://www.gunthervolvo.com/clearer-comunities.htm.
- Wildlife photographer is the “most envied career” in Utah, according to a survey by HostingAdvice. It polled people across the nation about what they consider to be their dream career. Wildlife photographer also was the top dream job nationally. Other dream careers in Utah are, in order, craft brewer, chocolatier, adventure tour guide, vineyard, manager/winemaker, luxury real estate agent, social media influencer, environmental scientist, video game developer, and cheese artisan. Details are at https://www.hostingadvice.com/blog/americas-most-envied-jobs/.
- Morgan County residents are the most generous in Utah, according to a study by SmartAsset. It analyzed IRS data to determine the places where residents were donating the most money. The study calculated how much people donate as a percentage of their net income and the proportion of people in each county who make charitable donations. Morgan County was followed, in order, by Wasatch, Summit, Utah, Davis, Washington, Cache, Salt Lake, Juab and Rich counties. Details are at https://smartasset.com/retirement/financial-advisor#Utah.
HEALTHCARE
- CHG Healthcare, Salt Lake City, has launched an advisory services branch. Advisory Services from CHG Healthcare will provide consulting services to help hospitals and healthcare organizations deal with provider shortages, rising costs, shrinking revenues, lack of visibility and slow adoption of technology. Austin Chatlin is director of Advisory Services. Scott Polenz is principal consultant. He has more than two decades of experience in managed care, system administration and physician management and relationships. He is a former CAO with Marshfield Clinic Health System.
INVESTMENTS
- Leash Biosciences, a Salt Lake City-based artificial intelligence and machine learning-native biotechnology company focused on medicinal chemistry, has completed a $9.3 million seed financing round. The oversubscribed round was led by Springtide Ventures, with participation from MetaPlanet, Top Harvest Capital, Mitsui Global Investment, MFV Partners, Recursion CEO and co-founder Chris Gibson, and Recursion co-founder Blake Borgeson. To advance its machine learning engine, Leash said it will use the funding to scale its data collection and computational capabilities.
PHILANTHROPY
- KeyBank has awarded a grant of $300,000 to Utah Community Action in support of the expansion of its workforce development program, which offers training and credentials to help low-income individuals increase wages, benefits, job retention and further their career opportunities. Founded in 1965, UCA is one of over 1,100 community action agencies across the country providing low- and moderate-income families with comprehensive services to lift people out of poverty. One of UCA’s programs is Workforce Development, designed to increase skills and employability for lower-income community members. The grant from KeyBank will help to expand the current program to include innovative workforce solutions that may include custodial work and various trades, such as HVAC technicians, electricians, plumbers and other contracted expertise that remains in short supply in Utah. Through the administration of six programs, UCA provided services to approximately 50,000 Utahns in 2023.
- Young Automotive Group’s Audi Layton location recently collaborated with the Young Caring for Our Young Foundation to host the second annual Hope Squad support event, aiding suicide prevention efforts in the community. The event featured photo booths, yard games, face painters, prize giveaways and a coloring contest. The foundation, Audi Layton and Young Volkswagen collected funds for the participating Hope Squad chapters that were donated during the event.
REAL ESTATE
- C.W. Group, a Centerville-based real estate development company, has closed a construction loan with Celtic Bank for the completion of theYARD, a 157-unit build-to-rent community located next to Salt Lake City’s recently designated “Power District.” With early-stage construction efforts at theYARD nearly complete at 125 S. Navajo St., including excavation, earthwork, utilities and foundations, this construction loan clears the way for crews to focus on vertical construction of the site. Construction of theYARD is among the first developments underway adjacent to the Power District, part of a major revitalization effort slated to feature significant development, including additional residences, businesses, shopping, green spaces and a potential Major League Baseball stadium. The first units at theYARD are expected to be available for rent in spring 2025. When completed, theYARD will feature a mix of two- and three-bedroom, three-story townhomes with an attached garage. C.W. Urban has partnered with Argosy Real Estate Partners on the equity for the deal. C.W. Urban is serving as the developer, with C.W. Design, a C.W. Urban affiliate, serving as the lead architect on the project. C.W. Build, another affiliate, serves as the general contractor on the project.
RECOGNITIONS
- Visit Salt Lake, a private, nonprofit corporation promoting Salt Lake as a convention and travel destination, has announced Bill Krause as the recipient of the third annual Crystal Colleague Award. Krause is VSL’s director of visitor services and brand activations. The Crystal Colleague of the Year program recognizes exemplary performance by a VSL employee. Award criteria include service, achievement, leadership and tenacity (SALT). Krause’s responsibilities include overseeing the visitor services team and Visit Salt Lake Info Center, activating at events using VSL’s Airstream or Mobile Salt Cave, producing community and industry events, and operations and logistics for VSL.
- The Utah Worksite Wellness Council has announced the winners of awards to be presented at the Utah Worksite Wellness Conference taking place April 25 at the Viridian Event Center in West Jordan. The conference takes place April 24-25. The Healthy Worksite Awards are presented to Utah employers for their exemplary work in worksite wellness and those committed to improving employee health and well-being. In the Platinum category are Access Development, Adobe, American Express, BD Medical, Box Elder County, Cambia Health Solutions, G&A Partners, Intermountain Power Service Corp., Lucid Software, Mountain America Credit Union, Nu Skin, Orriant, Salt Lake Community College, Salt Lake County, SeekWell, Uintah County, USANA Health Sciences, Utah Valley University and Weber State University. In the Gold category are Associated Food Stores, Cadence Innovation Group, Shared Services for Alpha Warranty Services, Davis County, Davis School District (Davis Moves), Duchesne County, Ensign Engineering Land Surveying Inc., Harmons Grocery, HealthEquity Inc., Nightingale Education Group, O.C. Tanner, Sacred Circle Health Care, The Synergy Co., Utah County Government, Utah Retirement System/PEHP and Utah State University. In the Silver category are Big-D Construction, Nicholas & Co., Squire & Co. and Zions Bancorporation. Recipients of the Innovation Awards, recognizing employes who have developed and successfully implemented an innovative approach to some aspect of worksite wellness, are Organizational, Uintah County; Physical, Nu Skin; Emotional, Big-D Construction; Social, Harmons Grocery; Financial, Access Development; and Community, The Synergy Co.
- Teleperformance, Salt Lake City, is No. 95 on a list of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” in the U.S., compiled by Fortune magazine and Great Place To Work. It is the second consecutive year for the company to be in the top 100. The company was selected based on an analysis of survey responses from Teleperformance employees across the U.S. and North America, including employees for Teleperformance, AllianceOne, Health Advocate, LanguageLine Solutions, PSG Global Solutions and Senture. The group of companies serving the U.S. were assessed on how well they create a strong employee experience through programs and practices that supported employee well-being, inclusion, purpose, listening and care.
- Several Utah companies are on included in rankings of “Top Workplaces 2024,” compiled by USA Today. In the category of companies with more than 2,500 employees, Mountain America Credit Union, Salt Lake City, is No. 5; Health Equity, Draper, is No. 17; and Savage, Midvale, is No. 56. In the category of companies with 1,000 to 2,499 employees, Health Catalyst, South Jordan, is No. 11; BambooHR, Lindon, is No. 29; Select Health, Murray, is No. 38; Young Automotive Group, Layton, is No. 46; and Security National, Murray, is No. 73. In the category of companies with 500 to 999 workers, Brighton Hospice, Sandy, is No. 46; and Big-D Construction, Salt Lake City, is No. 73. In the 150-to-499-employees category, Crucial Learning, Provo, is No. 25; and BZI, Kanarraville, is No. 37. A total of 1,531 employers received recognition. Companies were selected based on employee feedback collected through the Energage employee engagement survey. Energage ranked the top 100 employers in each of the four categories and then listed the remaining winners in alphabetical order.
- Young Living Essential Oils, based in Lehi, has earned a Direct Selling Association Award in the Sales and Marketing Campaign category for its Make a Shift campaign, which focuses on inspiring people to make small shifts in daily routines to achieve a more balanced and environmentally conscious lifestyle. The company also sees the campaign as a promise to the community that Young Living will support shifts away from harmful chemicals in cleaning, home fragrance, whole-body health and wellness routines.
RETAIL
- Furniture Row has reopened a newly renovated Furniture Row and Denver Mattress store at 54 W. Ikea Way, Draper. The store’s layout has changed, with the Denver Mattress part of the store being moved to its own side of the building, and the Furniture Row living, bedroom and dining departments all placed together in a row.
- Furniture store brand Ashley has opened a retail store at 4060 Riverdale Road, Riverdale. It is the company’s sixth store in Utah and features a 44,163-square-foot showroom. The store will employ approximately 18 people. Ashley has 1,125 locations in 67 countries. As part of the company’s “Beyond Home Promise,” the Riverdale store has donated 40 beds to children in need within the community. The philanthropic effort was made possible through Ashley’s partnership with nonprofit organizations Hope to Dream and Sleep in Heavenly Peace.
SERVICES
- Onset Financial Inc., a Draper-based company in the equipment lease and finance industry, has unveiled its Red Rock Division in St. George. It is a 55,000-square-foot campus. Founded in 2008, Onset Financial has funded over $3.5 billion for companies.
TECHNOLOGY
- DigiCert, a Lehi-based company focused on digital trust, has appointed Atri Chatterjee as chief marketing officer. Chatterjee will lead the global marketing organization to promote the DigiCert brand, including the development and execution of the company’s digital trust initiatives and campaigns, while partnering closely with the sales and product organizations to drive revenue. Chatterjee most recently spent five years as CMO at ForgeRock, until the acquisition by Thoma Bravo and subsequent merger with Ping Identity. Before ForgeRock, he held CMO roles with Zscaler and Act-On Software. He has also served in senior marketing roles at global B2B security technology companies, including Symantec, VeriSign, McAfee and CipherTrust.