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ASSOCIATIONS
- The South Valley Chamber of Commerce has hired Braden Morris as director of business development. Morris previously worked in sales and marketing with brands including Nike, Avant8 and Lifetime Products. He earned a degree in business administration and marketing at Weber State University.
BANKING
- TAB Bank, Ogden, has provided an unidentified geoscience company in Alaska with a $2 million asset-based credit facility. The new facility is extended through a multi-year agreement and will provide for the company’s ongoing working capital needs. The company is an environmental testing, sampling and pre-remediation services company that specializes in soil sampling, groundwater sampling, membrane interface probing, gas chromatography, augur drilling, well monitoring and bioremediation services.
CONSTRUCTION
- ARW Engineers, an Ogden-based structural consulting firm, has promoted Josh Blazzard, McKay Parrish and Steve Ericksen to principal. All three earned master’s degrees from Utah State University and have a combined 58 years of structural consulting experience with ARW, where they are shareholders. They have been involved with many significant structural engineering projects in Utah and elsewhere.
CORPORATE
- Snap One has opened a new five-story, 94,983-square-foot co-headquarters on the Innovation Pointe Campus, 1355 W. Innovation Way, Suite 125, Lehi. It features an Innovation Center with an expanded number of laboratories, test areas and training facilities that enables the company to accelerate the development of hardware and software products and services that can be envisioned, designed, prototyped, tested and delivered faster than ever before. The company’s original location was established in 2005 in Draper. One co-headquarters will serve as the collaboration hub for some 500 Snap One area employees, one that complements the company’s other tech centers in Charlotte, North Carolina; and Serbia. Based in Charlotte, Snap One is a manufacturer and source of A/V, security, control, networking and remote management products for professional integrators. Control4 is Snap One’s premier brand for automation and control.
DIRECT SALES
- LifeVantage Corp., a Salt Lake City-based health and wellness products company, has appointed Michael Allen as president and director of LifeVantage Japan. Allen has over 30 years of experience in the Asia-Pacific region, serving in executive, sales, marketing, finance and operational roles for multiple direct selling companies, including Forever Living, Avon and Amway. Most recently, Allen was CEO at CMA-Interactive, a company he co-founded to specialize in business transformations.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
- Salt Lake City households spend 35 percent of their income on household bills, according to a new tool from Doxo called doxoInsights Explorer. The average Salt Lake City household spends $1,198 per month on rent, $1,560 on mortgages, $503 on auto loans, $274 on utilities, $106 on health insurance, $143 on auto insurance, $98 on cable and Internet, $116 on mobile service, $86 on alarms and security, and $82 on life insurance. It is the No. 24 most expensive city in Utah for household expenses.
- Salt Lake City, Ogden and Provo are among the nation’s “Best Cities for Recent Grads to Start a Career,” compiled by CoworkingCafe. It considered financial, employment and lifestyle scores in its analysis. Salt Lake City is No. 9 among midsized cities. Ogden is No. 43 and Provo is No. 57 among small cities. Details are at https://www.coworkingcafe.com/blog/the-best-cities-for-the-class-of-23/.
- Utah is ranked No. 1 on a list of states with the highest nursing shortage in the U.S., compiled by financial research firm and scholarship website engine Scholaroo. It found that Utah has 6.75 nurses available per capita. South Dakota has the most, at 15.78. The study indicates that 46 percent of nurses nationwide are planning to change careers as a result of the negative effect on their health, and the excessive working hours due to the lack of staff. Also, about 31 percent of them report that their financial condition is even worse than it was last year. Details are at https://scholaroo.com/report/overview-of-working-conditions-for-nurses-in-the-usa/.
- Salt Lake City is ranked No. 13 and West Valley City is No. 28 on a list of “Best Cities for Tackling Home Improvements,” compiled by Lawn Love. It considered the average age of homes, access to designers and contractors and average costs, among 32 total metrics. The No. 1 city is Miami. The No. 200 city is Detroit. Details are at https://lawnlove.com/blog/best-cities-home-improvement/.
- Salt Lake City is No. 104 and West Valley City is No. 200 (last) on a list of “Best Cities for Paranormal Activity,” compiled by Lawn Love. It compared the 200 biggest U.S. cities based on 14 metrics, including paranormal sightings, Bigfoot sightings, haunted sites, and paranormal conventions and events. The top-ranked city is Los Angeles. Details are at https://lawnlove.com/blog/best-cities-paranormal-activity/.
EDUCATION
- The Partners for Innovation, Ventures, Outreach & Technology (PIVOT) Center at the University of Utah has named Bruce Hunter as interim chief innovation and economic engagement officer. Hunter joined the University of Utah in January with a background in entrepreneurship, academia and technology transfer. He founded a computer imaging company at the University of Iowa’s incubator, ran it for over 10 years, and sold it to a publicly traded company. He also launched a business lifestyle magazine in Denver, served on the business faculty at Lone Star College in Houston, and consulted with companies on business innovation and creativity. Hunter’s administrative experience includes serving as the executive director of intellectual property, technology transfer and new ventures at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, and as executive director of innovation transfer and entrepreneurship at the University of California’s Office of the President. At the UofU, Hunter succeeds Keith Marmer, who served as a leader for the university’s technology and innovation engine since 2016. Marmer recently announced his transition from the university to accept a new position in the private sector.
FINANCIAL
- LoanPro, a Farmington-based company offering a loan management platform, has announced that Carl Pascarella has joined its board of directors. Pascarella is a financial industry veteran who served as president and CEO of Visa USA from 1993-2005. Pascarella also serves as executive advisor at TPG Capital, a global private equity firm, and sits on the board of several corporations.
GOVERNMENT
- Gov. Spencer Cox has named John Harvey as a member of the Utah Public Service Commission. Harvey has more than 30 years of experience in utility regulation, with the bulk of that time working as an economist/utility technical consultant for the Utah PSC. His duties focused on analyzing industry conditions, modeling utility systems and exploring scenarios to meet public policy objectives. He also worked at Xenergy Inc. and the Utah Department of Commerce and as a professor at the University of Phoenix. Harvey’s education includes a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s of science in economics-history from Utah State University.
- The Central Wasatch Commission, an inter-governmental entity that seeks to engage the public, build consensus and coordinate action in the Central Wasatch Mountains, has approved funding for eight project proposals that resulted from the call for ideas opened to the public in March. The goal of the call was to identify projects for possible funding that implement transportation and transit solutions, protect the ecosystems and watershed that originate in the Central Wasatch, steward recreational access, and sustain the economic viability of the Cottonwood Canyons. The commission will partner on projects focused on the maintenance of United States Forest Service bathrooms at trailheads located in the tri-canyons, the Cottonwood Canyons Foundation’s 2023 Tri-Canyon Trail Deferred Maintenance and Invasive Weed Control Project, the Bonanza Flat Trailhead Transit program, maintenance of aging fixed anchor hardware on climbing routes across the Central Wasatch, help fund free Saturday backcountry ski shuttle service in Little and Big Cottonwood Canyons, support the Friends of Alta Junior Ranger Activity Book, and partially support Save Our Canyons’ Wilderness Stewardship Project.
HEALTHCARE
- Diathrive Health, a Salt Lake City-based diabetes and chronic disease management company, has hired Jeffrey Hogan as an advisor. Hogan is president of Upside Health Advisors, a national consultancy providing advisory services to payers, providers, health systems, employers and health-tech point solutions. He also serves as an advisor to private equity, family offices, and directly to health startups. Prior to Upside, he served as the Northeast regional manager for Rogers Benefit Group. He retired from Rogers Benefit Group in 2021 after 30 years with the company.
- Uintah Basin Healthcare, a Roosevelt-based healthcare system, announced that it has learned of a data security incident that may have involved the personal and protected health information of certain people who received its care services. On Nov. 7, 2022, UBH became aware of unusual activity within its network environment and took subsequent steps to secure its systems. In early April, it learned that the personal and protected health information belonging to certain patients, specifically, those that received care with UBH between March 2012 and November 2022, may have been accessed or acquired without authorization during the course of the incident. UBH then worked to evaluate potentially impacted information, confirm identities of potentially impacted individuals, and set up complimentary services being provided. That process was completed April 10. UBH said it has no evidence that any of the information has been misused and it contacted potentially impacted individuals.
LAW
- Strong & Hanni, Salt Lake City, has hired John H. Rees as a shareholder for its Intellectual Property and Business group. His practice focuses on matters involving software and database licensings, SaaS agreements, terms of use, and counseling clients doing business in an online environment. Rees has worked with several clients as corporate counsel. Rees’ education includes an MBA, his law degree and a bachelor’s degree of university studies, all from the University of Utah.
- Holland & Hart has hired Sydney Sell as an associate. Sell helps clients in the energy and natural resources industries navigate environmental regulatory and litigation issues. Sell previously worked for several years as an associate at a boutique litigation firm in Salt Lake City. Her education includes earning her J.D. in 2019 from the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law.
PARTNERSHIPS
- Intermountain Health and NewWest Community Capital have partnered to address affordable housing and community development in the Intermountain region. NewWest Community Capital is a Boise, Idaho-based nonprofit community development financial institution serving the eight states of the Intermountain West. The partnership will provide capital to projects that target the social determinants of health in underserved communities, in order to achieve health equity. Loan partners will include health and human service organizations, homeless services agencies, healthcare providers, charter schools, early childhood education organizations, fresh food suppliers and affordable housing developers.
- Jewel360, a Provo-based company offering software for jewelry retailers, has partnered with Jewelers Mutural Group to enable jewelry retailers to offer care plans and facilitate the submission of items’ descriptions for insurance quotes directly from Jewelers Mutual through the Jewel360 POS at the time of purchase, through an integration with the Zingby Jewelers Mutual Group platform. The integration empowers jewelry retailers with new service offerings for customers to insure their new jewelry purchase.
PHILANTHROPY
- Letter carriers on May 13 collected food statewide to help the 289,000 Utahns facing hunger. Utah Food Bank asked residents across the state to help “Stamp Out Hunger” by filling the blue reminder bag with non-perishable food and leaving it near their mailboxes that day. Local letter carriers collected and delivered the food donations to Utah Food Bank and its statewide network of 216 partner agencies. It was part of the 31st annual “Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive,” sponsored nationally by the National Association of Letter Carriers in conjunction with the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association and United States Postal Service.
RECOGNITIONS
- Pam Sitterud of Dentacor won first place in the recent One Utah Summit Startup Pitch Competition, held at the Davis Conference Center in Layton. Sitterud also won the People’s Choice, for a total cash winning of $35,000. D.J. Potter of Sawtooth took second place ($20,000) and Greg Scott of SRT Labs won third place ($15,000). The competition was presented by Kinect Capital, a nonprofit that creates connections through an education, mentor and pitch program for all entrepreneurs.
- Professional Recruiters, based in Sandy, recently won awards at this year’s Global NPA conference, presented by NPAworldwide, a network of independent recruiters. Professional Recruiters took the Top Revenue Achievement Award for 2022, and Lora Lea Mock was named Top Revenue Achievement Recruiter worldwide for NPAworldwide. Winners are selected based on their revenue generation and overall contribution to the network. Professional Recruiters has been a member of NPAworldwide for several decades. NPAworldwide’s network includes over 50 countries. Mock has more than 40 years of experience in the industry. She also won the Largest Job Board Fee for 2022.
RESTAURANTS
- Mo’ Bettahs Hawaiian Style Food, a Lehi-based fast-casual restaurant concept, recently signed Tony Finau, six-time PGA Tour winner and star of Netflix docuseries “Full Swing,” to an endorsement deal. Mo’ Bettahs was founded in 2008 in Bountiful by Kimo and Kalani Mack, two brothers from Hawaii. The company has 42 stores in six states, with 14 more locations in development. Mo’ Bettahs said it will work with the Tony Finau Foundation to align with its initiatives and purpose of supporting youth, inspiring learning and “spreading aloha.”
RETAIL
- The Outlets at Traverse Mountain, Lehi, has signed several retailers along with a couple of smaller local businesses. Bath and Body Works, Holy Grounds Gourmet Coffee, M&C Local Makers Marker and Spyder have opened for business. The Cosmetics Co. Store and The North Face will open this summer. Bath and Body Works offers lotions, soaps and candles. Holy Grounds Gourmet Coffee is a coffee kiosk featuring edible glitter drinks and specialty coffees. M&C Local Makers Market is an year-round maker’s market concept featuring a curated selection of local small businesses offering items including clothing, jewelry, baby, kids, treats, home goods, and more. Spyder specializes in outdoor sportswear. The Cosmetics Co. Store, opening June 10, carries department-store brand makeup. The North Face, best known for clothing for outdoor adventures, will open in July.
- Kizik, a Lindon-based company producing hands-free footwear, will open its first-ever brick-and-mortar store May 19 at Fashion Place Mall in Murray. The store will occupy 1,293 square feet and offer shoes, Kizik-branded shirts, shoe care kits and no-slip socks.