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BANKING
• Mountain America Credit Union has opened its new Daybreak branch in South Jordan. Amanda Morton is the branch manager. She has spent the past five years working in the financial services industry. Before her career in finance, she spent nine years as a general manager for a multi-location international salon brand before opening her own salon. Mountain America has more than 90 branches in five states.
CONTESTS
• Nominations are open until May 31 for 2019 Women Tech Awards, a program of the Women Tech Council. The awards will recognize technology-focused women driving innovation, creating new technologies, impacting tech companies and inspiring the technology community. During the awards program’s 12 years, awards have been presented to more than 190 women and 25 university students. Nominations can be submitted at www.womentechcouncil.com. The awards event will be Oct. 9 at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City.
• MountainWest Capital Network is accepting applications for its 2019 MWCN Utah 100 Awards. The awards program is in its 25th year and has three categories: Fastest-Growing, Top Revenue Growth and Emerging Elite. To qualify, companies must be Utah-based, for-profit entities. An awards luncheon takes place Oct. 30 at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City. Details are at www.mwcn.org/Utah-100.
CONVENTIONS
• Visit Salt Lake booked 54 meetings, athletic events and conventions during the first quarter of 2019. The events are expected to attract more than 210,000 attendees who will spend nearly $196 million during their visit. Among the bookings are the Society of Gastroenterology Nurses and Associates, the United Nations’ Civil Society Conference, the USA Fencing Association, the Society of Women Engineers, Solution Tree, FitCon, the National Archery in the Schools Program, Sports Turf Managers Association, Western Governors University, Masters Weightlifting, the Society of Freshwater Science, Young Living Essential Oils and Salt Lake Comic Con.
DIRECT SALES
• USANA, Salt Lake City, has promoted Brent Neidig as chief officer and managing director for China. As the executive vice president of China since February 2017, Neidig oversaw USANA’s Chinese subsidiary, BabyCare, and the expansion of USANA’s presence in China. His new role will see him continue his efforts to grow and manage USANA’s Chinese market. Neidig led the organization’s ethics and education team before transitioning into his roles of vice president of China strategic development and, most recently, executive vice president of China. Neidig graduated from the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business with his MBA in 2013.
• DoTerra, a Pleasant Grove-based essential oils company, has appointed Dell Brown as the chief operating officer for Prime Meridian Health Clinics, the company’s healthcare initiative announced in 2018. Brown has more than 20 years of experience in the healthcare consulting industry, including as a senior consultant for CSC Healthcare. He co-founded Global Health Consulting. Prime Meridian Health Clinics is an integrative medicine group with a subscription-based model. DoTerra will open its doors to a 41,000-square-foot health clinic next to its headquarters later this year.
• LifeVantage, a Salt Lake City-based dietary supplement and skin and hair care products company, has launched its third European market in the past eight months, adding Ireland recently. Select LifeVantage products have been offered in Ireland for approximately a year as part of the company’s Global Customer Acquisition Program. LifeVantage has operated in the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland, since 2016 and also has a European presence in Germany, Netherlands, Austria and Spain, in addition to Ireland. The company anticipates further expansion in Europe, including Belgium, where select products are currently available on a not-for-resale basis as part of the same customer program. With the addition of Ireland, LifeVantage now serves 14 markets in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
• West Valley City is No. 15 and Salt Lake City is No. 55 in a ranking of “2019’s Best Cities for Hispanic Entrepreneurs,” compiled by personal finance website WalletHub. It compared more than 180 U.S. cities across 24 key metrics. The data set ranges from Hispanic entrepreneurship rate to Hispanic income growth to share of Hispanic-owned businesses. The top city was Laredo, Texas. Texas had 10 of the top 20 cities in the rankings. The report is available at https://wallethub.com/edu/best-and-worst-cities-for-hispanic-entrepreneurs/6491/.
EDUCATION/TRAINING
• Weber State University’s Goddard School of Business & Economics has announced it will offer select business courses in Spanish. Álvaro La Parra-Perez, assistant professor of economics and a native of Gandia, Spain, will teach “Economics 1010: Economics as a Social Science” in Spanish during the summer semester 2019. The course will introduce students to economics and showcase how economics intersects with other disciplines such as history. Details are available by contacting La Parra-Perez at (801) 626-6687 or laparraperez@weber.edu.
• The Medical Innovations Pathways (MIP) Class of 2019 featured 52 high school seniors from Canyons, Davis, Granite, Jordan and Tooele school districts who were awarded the Medical Innovations Certificate during a recent graduation ceremony at the Utah State Capitol, attended by representatives of BioUtah and several life sciences companies. Life sciences companies participating in the MIP program include BD, BioFire, Biomerics, Edwards Lifesciences, Fresenius, GE Healthcare, Merit Medical, Nelson Laboratories, Sorenson Forensics, Stryker, TEVA Pharmaceuticals and Varex Imaging. The MIP program, launched as a pilot program with the Governor’s Office of Economic Development in 2016, provides students with guaranteed job interviews right after high school. Students who enroll in the MIP program choose a medical device or laboratory concentration. In addition, students must do on-site job shadows with experienced industry professionals.
FINANCE
• Mountain West Small Business Finance, Salt Lake City, has announced several leadership changes. Danny Mangum has been promoted to chief operating officer and will oversee human resources and administration, budget and finance, and loan closing. He will continue with his current loan officer duties until MWSBF’s CEO, Scott Davis, retires in the spring of spring of 2020, when Mangum will then transition more fully to additional responsibilities in loan review and business development. Vice President Spencer Davis has been promoted to senior lending officer for the company. In addition to continuing with his current loan officer duties, all loan officers will report to Davis. He will also be responsible for training and take the lead as Mountain West’s policy expert. Spencer has been with Mountain West for more than 20 years. Vice President Judd Blakesley has been promoted to manager of marketing and government relations. He also will continue with his current loan officer duties and will have oversight for Mountain West’s internal and external marketing, business development, public policy and outreach efforts. MWSBF is a private, nonprofit corporation licensed and regulated by the U.S. Small Business Administration to administer the SBA’s 504 Development Company Loan Program in Utah, Wyoming and surrounding mountain states.
GOVERNMENT
• The Murray City Council is considering a ban on single-use plastic bags and will have a discussion about the proposed ordinance at 6:30 p.m. May 14 at Murray City Center, 5025 S. State St., Murray.
INVESTMENT
• Divvy, Lehi, has raised $200 million in venture capital, with the latest round being led by NEA and including money from existing investors Pelion Venture Group and Insight Venture Partners. Founded in 2016, Divvy offers an automated expense reporting system. It raised $10.5 million in May 2018 and $35 two months later. Divvy has 200 employees, up from 70 last summer. The new funding will allow it to continue product development while also pursuing new customers.
LAW
• Holland & Hart has hired partner Greg Saylin and of counsel Tyson Horrocks for its labor and employment practice in its Salt Lake City office. Saylin, who began his career as a litigation associate at Latham & Watkins in California, has more than 20 years of employment and commercial litigation experience, specializing in counseling clients how to avoid or efficiently handle employment related challenges and liabilities. Horrocks leverages his litigation experience to counsel employers how to proactively avoid disputes on matters such as restrictive covenants, wrongful termination, sexual harassment and discrimination, and retaliation. Before joining Holland & Hart, Saylin and Horrocks were shareholders at a large Utah-based firm where Saylin chaired the employment practice group. When Saylin was elected to the firm’s board of directors, Horrocks became chair of the employment practice group.
MEDIA/MARKETING
• Reagan Outdoor Advertising, a Salt Lake City-based privately held operator of outdoor advertising displays, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire certain Fairway Outdoor Advertising billboard assets in three markets from GTCR LLC. Financial terms were not disclosed. Reagan will acquire nearly 5,300 displays across Indianapolis; Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Rochester, Minnesota. The acquired assets will nearly double the size of Reagan’s footprint. Reagan’s existing markets are Salt Lake City; Las Vegas; and Austin, Texas. The transaction is subject to regulatory review and other customary closing conditions and is expected to close within the second quarter of 2019. Reagan has agreed to terms on a new multi-million-dollar debt financing, which, along with cash on hand, will fund the Fairway acquisition and also provide capital for future deals. Citigroup Global Markets Inc. served as financial advisor to Reagan, while Barclays provided committed financing to Reagan. Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP and White & Case LLP served as legal advisors to Reagan.
PHILANTHROPY
• Walmart, Sam’s Club, Feeding America and Utah Food Bank have kicked off the sixth annual nationwide “Fight Hunger, Spark change” campaign, which will run to May 20. In partnership with Utah Food Bank, Walmart and Sam’s Club are inviting Utah shoppers to help fight hunger in their local communities. Ways to participate include purchasing a participating item in-store or online, donating in-store or donating on Feeding America’s website. Walmart kickstarted the campaign with a $3 million donation to Feeding America and member food banks, including Utah Food Bank. A purchase of one of the 267 participating items helps secure the equivalent of one meal. Last year, Utah Food Bank received more than $300,000 — the equivalent of approximately 1 million meals — from Walmart and Sam’s Club’s commitment to fight hunger through this campaign.
REAL ESTATE
• Century Communities Inc. has had the grand opening of its single-family Bayside Shore community at 2998 S. Yellow Bill Drive, Saratoga Springs. The shore-side community has homes ranging from 1,610 to 5,077 square feet and 13 floor plans in rambler and two-story options.
RECOGNITIONS
• Nu Skin, a Provo-based beauty and wellness products company, has been ranked the world’s No. 1 at-home beauty device system brand for 2017 and 2018 by Euromonitor International Ltd., which publishes market research on the skin care industry. Nu Skin’s portfolio of beauty devices includes Galvanic Spa, Body Spa, Facial Spa, ageLOC Me, LumiSpa and LumiSpa Accent.
RETAIL
• U-Haul Company of Utah Inc. has announced that Millcreek Pharmacy, 1260 E. Vine St., Murray, is now offering U-Haul products and services. It will offer U-Haul trucks, trailers, towing equipment and moving supplies.
SERVICES
• Cicero Group, a Salt Lake City-based management consulting firm, has hired Morgan Chung as a partner. Chung, who will be based in New York City, will help the company transform the performance of client organizations through data-driven strategies. She previously was founder and managing partner of Eton Bray Group, a specialty marketing and strategy consulting firm. She also served as a strategic advisor to the C-suite of Fortune 1000 corporations; serving as partner at Arthur D. Little, where she built the firm’s sales and marketing strategy practice; and began her consulting career at Oliver Wyman.
TECHNOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCES
• Nav, a Salt Lake City-based fintech company, has hired Jo-Ann Yuen as vice president of financial planning and analysis. Yuen comes to Nav from Nelson Laboratories, where she held the position of vice president of finance for the past two years. Prior to that, she held multiple worldwide roles with Rio Tinto, the latest being chief financial officer of technology and innovation.
• Ivanti, a Salt Lake City-based company that unifies information technology to manage and security the digital workplace, has named Daniel Wilbricht as vice president of the Americas for public-sector sales. Wilbricht has been selling to public-sector government customers for more than 15 years. He joins Ivanti from LogRhythm, where he was senior director of federal sales with responsibility for the growth and management of the company’s partner, direct customer and channel development. Prior to LogRhythm, Wilbricht held federal and public sector sales leadership positions with Dell, Red Hat, Appistry, Autonomy, Stellent and Eprise.
• Medici Ventures, a Salt Lake City-based blockchain accelerator and subsidiary of Overstock.com Inc., has appointed Jeremy Smith as chief technology officer. He previously was a development manager for Medici Ventures. Smith over two decades of experience building enterprise software solutions and development teams. He co-founded an insurance data consulting company, Castle Inspection Service, and served as the vice president of information systems. He joined Medici Ventures in 2018. Earlier in his career, Smith helped found the University Venture Fund (“UVF”), the country’s largest university student-managed venture capital fund. Smith has a B.S. in economics from the University of Utah.