Company news information may be sent to brice.w@thecityjournals.com.
ASSOCIATIONS
• Brook Gotberg, law professor at Brigham Young University, is among seven people recently elected to their first terms on the board of directors of the American Bankruptcy Institute. Gotberg joined the BYU faculty in 2020. She teaches bankruptcy, contracts, secured transactions and other commercial law subjects. Gotberg’s scholarship focuses primarily on debtor and creditor relations, both in and out of bankruptcy. Prior to BYU, she was a tenured professor for the University of Missouri Law School and practiced commercial law with Sullivan & Cromwell in Los Angeles. Her education includes graduating from BYU with a BA in political science. The ABI board includes 60 members.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
• Utah ranks No. 2 nationally for real median household income growth, with inflation-adjusted incomes up 49 percent over the past 40 years, according to a study by MoneyLion. It analyzed median household incomes in all 50 states from 1984 to 2024, adjusting for inflation using federal minimum wage data, Bureau of Labor Statistics inflation calculations and Federal Reserve income data, then calculated 40-year dollar and percentage changes to rank states by the biggest real gains. In Utah, typical households now earn about $110,000 a year in today’s dollars. Median household income rose from $73,605 in 1984 to $109,677 in 2024 (in 2024 dollars), pushing Utah into the six-figure tier for typical households. On an original, non-inflation-adjusted basis, Utah’s median income is up 351 percent, placing it among just 15 states where household incomes have more than tripled since 1984 and one of only seven states with 40 percent-plus real income growth. Details are at https://www.moneylion.com/trending/money/how-median-household-income-has-changed-since-1980s-in-every-state.
• The Salt Lake City market added five more coworking spaces by the end of the first quarter this year, reaching 94 and representing a 6 percent increase quarter-over-quarter, according to a quarterly report from CoworkingCafe. It tracked coworking space stock availability across the nation’s 50 largest markets, along with their size and distribution, subscription prices and top coworking operators. The Salt Lake City market saw a drop in coworking square footage to 1.87 thousand square feet, down 4 percent quarter over quarter. The number represents 2.6 percent of Salt Lake City’s total office space. Average square footage dropped by 10 percent, from 21,954 square feet in the 2025 fourth quarter to 19,860 square feet in the 2026 first quarter. Salt Lake City generally saw a stabilization in prices. Virtual offices remained $159 per month, meeting rooms gained $3 and stood at $33 per hour, day passes remained at $30 per day, and memberships kept a median of $169 per month. The top operators in the Salt Lake City market are Regus (20 spaces), Kiln (six spaces), PowerBx (six spaces), Apt CoWork (four spaces), and Spaces and Work Hive with three spaces each. Details are at https://www.coworkingcafe.com/blog/national-coworking-report/.
• Utah is tied with Florida for the second-most entries in the top 50 on a list of most expensive growing suburbs in the nation, compiled by MoneyLion. They are No. 11 Saratoga Springs, No. 12 Eagle Mountain, No. 16 West Haven, No. 23 Herriman, No. 29 Bluffdale, No. 43 Lehi and No. 47 Hurricane. MoneyLion analyzed U.S. Census data for suburbs that grew 20 percent or more from 2019 to 2024, pairing it with average home values from Zillow and cost-of-living estimates from national expenditure and mortgage data to calculate what residents need to earn to live comfortably in each community. Saratoga Springs and Eagle Mountain have each grown by roughly two-thirds in five years, with Saratoga Sprints at 66.1 percent (29,161 to 48,425 residents) and Eagle Mountain at 64.4 percent (32,412 to 53,290), while they have median household incomes of $128,802 and $113,648 and estimated annual costs of living of $63,532 and $59,768, respectively. Bluffdale and Herriman report median household incomes of $129,531 and $122,650, average home values around $675,143 and $639,615, and annual costs of living of $70,116 and $67,976, respectively. Details are at https://www.moneylion.com/trending/money/americas-fastest-growing-suburbs-and-the-salaries-needed-to-afford-them.
• Utah workers are taking shorter lunch breaks, working longer hours and feeling pressure to “look busy” because of concerns about artificial intelligence, according to a survey by Resume.io. The study found that 81 percent of workers admit they are actively making an effort to demonstrate their value at work, either to compete with AI tools or simply to stand out should layoffs ever occur. Respondents say they are working 149 more hours per year (or 2 hours 53 minutes per week on average) and 67 percent are feeling pressure due to AI concerns. More than half of Utah respondents (55 percent) said their lunch breaks have shortened over the past year due to work pressure or concerns about staying productive. The most common ways employees say they are trying to prove their worth include learning new skills or training outside work hours (14 percent), working longer hours than usual (13 percent), taking on responsibilities outside their job description (12 percent), and volunteering for additional projects (11 percent). Thirty-four percent are worried that AI will replace their entire job, while 30 percent are worried that AI is replacing part of their job, 22 percent are being expected to produce more work because of AI tools, and 14 percent worry about being behind colleagues who use AI more effectively. Details are at https://resume.io/blog/work-pressure-ai-replacement.
• Three Utah locations are on a list of the nation’s top “burnout belts.” A Mission for Michael surveyed drivers to identify the commutes most associated with burnout, factoring in congestion, roadwork and sheer time spent getting to and from work. The Utah locations are Lehi, ranked No. 71 nationally; No. 98 Saratoga Springs; and No. 120 Farr West. The top location nationwide is Palmdale, California. Details are at https://amfmtreatment.com/blog/americas-burnout-belts-how-commuting-impacts-burnout/.
• The Delta Center in Salt Lake City is the top sports location where sports fans would want to have their ashes scattered in, according to a survey by SportsbookReview.com, a sports review site. It is followed by No. 2 Marriott Center in Provo, No. 3 Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City and No. 4 LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo. Details are at https://www.sportsbookreview.com/picks/novelty/americas-most-sacred-stadiums/.
• The Interstate 15 Exit 339 to Riverdale Road/Ogden is Utah’s most stressful off-ramp, according to a survey of drivers by personal injury law firm Regan Zambri Long. It is followed by No. 2 I-15 Exit 295 to 9000 South in Sandy and No. 3 I-215 Exit 8 to State Street in Murray. Details are at https://rhllaw.com/worst-off-ramps-survey-2026/.
EDUCATION
• Three University of Utah professors have been elected by the Council of the American Association for the Advancement of Science as AAAS Fellows. The lifetime honor recognizes scientists who have advanced their fields through research, leadership or mentorship. Hilary Coon, David Grunwald and Chris Hill are among nearly 500 scientists, engineers and innovators who were elected 2025 Fellows. Coon is the Benning Endowed Presidential Professor of psychiatry and researcher at Huntsman Mental Health Institute and studies the complex genetic and environmental factors that contribute to psychiatric conditions. Coon was elected as an AAAS Fellow “for distinguished contributions to psychiatric genetics, in particular the development and leadership of an unprecedented population-based, genetically informed comprehensive resource for the study of risks leading to suicide mortality.” Grunwald, professor of human genetics, was one of the first researchers to make a career out of studying zebrafish, tiny freshwater fish that have helped reveal countless facets of human biology. He was elected as an AAAS Fellow “for distinguished contributions in understanding the development of zebrafish.” Hill, a research mentor and the vice dean of research for the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine at the UofU, focuses on finding better ways to support other scientists. His scientific career has spanned topics from the biology of HIV to current work exploring how insulin molecules bind their receptor. Hill was elected as an AAAS Fellow “for distinguished contributions to the field of structural biology and exemplary leadership within the scientific community.”
EVENTS
• Silicon Slopes has announced that its annual Summit event will take place next year March 18-19 at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City. Eleven years in, the tech event attracts thousands of founders, executives, investors and builders. The speaker lineup will be announced in the coming weeks. Cost of the event is $195.
INFRASTRUCTURE
• Weber County leaders, project partners and regional stakeholders gathered recently to celebrate a major milestone in western Weber County’s long-term infrastructure strategy with a ribbon-cutting for a new regional wastewater lift station and conveyance line. The station is designed to accommodate up to 6 million gallons of wastewater per day and aims to provide infrastructure capacity needed to support long-term residential, commercial and industrial growth. The project began as an effort to address aging sewer lagoons within the Little Mountain Service Area through a state legislative appropriation. As planning efforts progressed, Weber County identified an opportunity to create a larger regional wastewater solution capable of supporting future development throughout western Weber County. That vision has since evolved into a broader regional wastewater conveyance strategy that will ultimately serve the 9,000-acre West Weber Inland Port project area; more than 14,000 entitled residential units identified in the Western Weber General Plan; and future commercial, industrial and employment growth throughout the region.
INVESTMENTS
• Pmtbox, an Orem-based company offering an enterprise commerce platform (ECP) built to unify payments, risk and data for merchants, has announced $15 million in seed funding, led by Tandem Ventures, with participation from Element Ventures, Cynosure Investment Partners and Aaron Skonnard (founder and CEO of Pluralsight). The ECP gives merchants — including the approximately 1,300 customers Pmtbox already serves — total control over their data, reducing the true cost of payments. Supplemental to expanding the company’s commerce architecture, the funding will be used to expand Pmtbox’s engineering, risk and enterprise teams while accelerating enterprise go-to-market efforts across verticals where commerce complexity is highest. In addition to the capital milestone, Alex Bean, founding partner at Tandem Ventures, joins the company’s board of directors, and Nick Thomas, founder of Finicity, also joins as an independent director.
OUTDOOR RECREATION
• Utah Olympic Park’s summer activities begin May 22, with tickets already available. Its adventures include Extreme Tubing, Alpine Slide and the Summer Bobsled Experience. The Flying Ace All-Stars Freestyle Shows will also return this summer. The Alf Engen Ski Museum and Eccles Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games Museum also will be open during the summer season, offering the opportunity to learn more about the athletes, history and lasting impact of Utah’s Olympic and Paralympic movement. New this summer is that Gold Passes will be offered as full-day sessions, allowing guests to enjoy activities throughout the day rather than in separate time blocks. Utah Olympic Park will also continue its dynamic pricing model, encouraging guests to purchase early for the best available rates. Single activity tickets are now $35, and guests who purchase a Gold Pass may add on a Summer Bobsled ride for $75, available in person only. Utah residents will be eligible for a new walk-up locals discount with a valid Utah ID. This discount is available in person only and varies by date. Details are at utaholympiclegacy.org.
PARTNERSHIPS
• Ripe, a Salt Lake City-based company enabling retention of local tourism value through its In-Market Travel Agency (ITA) Platform, and GuideGeek, the AI travel company created by San Francisco-based Matador Network, have announced a strategic partnership and integration. For destinations using both providers, the collaboration integrates Ripe’s real-time lodging and destination knowledge into GuideGeeks’s custom AI travel tools.
• Instructure, a Cottonwood Heights-based company focused on education technology, has been named an “Eminence Partner” by Brandon Hall Group, an independent human capital management (HCM) research and analyst firm. The partnership focuses on advancing independent research and executive dialogue on the future of work, the growing importance of lifelong learning, and the critical role of workforce learning in connecting education to employment. Instructure is collaborating with Brandon Hall Group to examine how a new generation of learners engages with continuous, flexible and career-connected learning experiences that extend beyond traditional academic pathways. As part of the collaboration, Instructure and Brandon Hall Group will co-develop a Bellwether Research Report examining emerging trends and challenges in how organizations build and sustain workforce capability. The research will explore changing learner expectations, the rise of lifelong learning and the need for organizations to better align learning experiences with measurable, real-world outcomes.
RECOGNITIONS
• Several Utahns are finalists for the Entrepreneur of the Year 2026 Mountain West Award, presented by Ernst & Young LLP. In its 41st year, the award program celebrates the bold leaders who disrupt markets through the world’s most ground-breaking companies, revolutionizing industries and uplifting communities. The Mountain West program celebrates entrepreneurs from Utah, Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming. Utah finalists are Brian Beutler, Alianza, Pleasant Grove; Steve Richards, Becklar, Ogden; Allyse Jackson, Beehive Meals, Layton; Ryan Anderson, Filevine, Salt Lake City; Kyle Freebairn, Frazil, Salt Lake City; Hayden Wadsworth and Jake Wadsworth, HydroJug, Ogden; Parker Ence, Jump, Draper; Brett Hopkins, Ken Garff Automotive Group, Salt Lake City; Arian Lewis, Kiln, Lehi; Clark T. Bell, Warren Bell and Mike Bullock, Nano-Yield, Sandy; Curtis Anderson, Nursa, Murray; Jeff Reynolds, Sensapure Flavors, Salt Lake City; Mike Linton, VLCM, Salt Lake City; and Clint Reid, Zonos, St George. Regional award winners will be announced on June 18. The winners will then be considered by the national independent panel of judges for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards, which will be presented in November at the annual Strategic Growth Forum.
• Shurugwi Prime Breeders, from Ensign College student Liya Ngabola, recently won the $20,000 grand prize at the 2026 Tim Draper Utah Entrepreneur Challenge, a statewide student business competition hosted by the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute at the University of Utah. Shurugwi Prime Breeders raises chickens and provides jobs in Zimbabwe. The competition featured collegiate entrepreneurs in Utah vying for more than $75,000 in cash and prizes. ReVroom, from a team from Brigham Young University, won second place ant $10,000. The third-place $7,500 winner is Minor Inconvenience, from a team from the Salt Lake Community College. Other award recipients are Josh Hadley E-commerce Award ($5,000), Stormin (University of Utah); Actium Bootstrap Award ($2,000), S.C.O.R.E. (Snow College); Judge Awards ($16,000 total), Forge Metrics (UofU), Minor Inconveniences (SLCC), Altruvia (BYU), Shurugwi Prime Breeders, ReVroom, Stormin, Signal Smith (Utah State University), XtractSol (UofU), Airvata Bioengineering (UofU), Clear Paycheck (Westminster University), Thesis (Utah Tech University), Apex Monitoring Systems (UofU), Alpha-RAG (Southern Utah University), Redwaste Solutions (Utah Valley University), Scry Technologies (UofU) and Uinta Life (Ensign College); People’s Choice Award Speed Pitch ($1,000), Stormin; People’s Choice Online Vote ($1,000), S.C.O.R.E.; Top 20 Team Awards, ($500), all the top 20 teams; and Master of Business Creation Scholarships ($1,000), all the top 20 teams.
• Loyal Perch Media, publishers of The City Journals, recently honored some of its writers for excellence in journalism. Winners included: Shaun Delliskave for headlines; Mimi Darley Dutton, Jet Burnham, and Delliskave for photography; and Delliskave, Alexandra Straumann, Giovanni Radtke, Katherine Weinstein, Gail Newbold, Darrell Kirby, Kelly Angelbuer and Julie Slama for writing. Winners were honored at a dinner held April 16 at Cottonwood City Hall and catered by Texas Roadhouse in Taylorsville.
TRANSPORTATION
• Direct Connect Logistix, an Indianapolis-based company that specializes in cold chain shipping within food, produce, beverage and related markets, has announced that its Draper office and its Indianapolis office are expected to see employment growth of 15 percent this year. The announcement came as DCL, founded in 2009, moved its headquarters to a new location in downtown Indianapolis, where the company said it will grow by up to 50 jobs over the next 18 months. The company also has an office in Medellín, Colombia.