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AGRICULTURE
• The Downtown Farmers Market has begun its 28th season. It has more than 200 food vendors and 100 arts and crafts vendors at Pioneer Park, 350 W. 300 S., Salt Lake City. It is open Saturdays at 8 a.m. Details are at slcfarmersmarket.org.
• Eric Hutchings has joined the board of advisors at HempWave, a Phoenix-based company that partners with farmers across the country to grow, cultivate and harvest commercial-grade hemp plants and seeds to produce medicinal grade cannabidiol (CBD oils) and other hemp byproducts. The company said Hutchings’ experience will enable him to advise HempWave on both regulatory compliance and government relations. Hutchings has significant experience in the financial industry and has held several securities licenses in both the U.S. and Australia. He also serves in the Utah House of Representatives, serving as speaker pro tempore, and serves on several legislative committees. He also serves as the co-chair for the National Conference of State Legislatures, Law and Criminal Justice Committee.
BANKING
• Zions Bancorporation NA, Salt Lake City, has announced that Aaron B. Skonnard has been elected to its board of directors. Skonnard is the co-founder, chairman and CEO of Pluralsight Inc., a Farmington-based publicly traded enterprise software-as-a-service company focused on teaching technology skills.
• Cyprus Credit Union has opened a branch in Draper, its 19th branch. Instead of the traditional teller line, the Draper branch features In Lobby Teller (ILT) machines where members can choose to self-serve their banking needs or have assistance from a live remote teller.
CONSTRUCTION
• Calder Richards Structural Engineers, Salt Lake City, has hired Nick Markosian for its team of structural designers. Markosian graduated from Utah State University and earned an engineering masters’ degree from USU.
CORPORATE
• Global Unicorn Holdings Inc., a Lindon-based company formerly known as Zyto Corp., has announced it has become a privately held company. The only stockholder of the company following a 1-for-12.5 million reverse stock split is Vaughn R Cook, who had owned about 25.8 million, or 40.5 percent, of the 63.8 million shares outstanding. The company provides bio-communication hardware and software applications that include obtaining and analyzing galvanic skin response data from the human body.
DIRECT SALES
• Nu Skin Enterprises, Provo, has hired Vince Perfetti as chief transformation officer and senior vice president of technology. Most recently, Perfetti worked at Amazon Web Services as a principal consultant on the cloud advisory team, advising enterprise executives on program development to maximize cloud adoption and transformation. He also has senior leadership experience from GE Digital and Dow Jones and Co., where he led the transformation of technology teams and culture.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
• Utah residents spend $1,292.18 per capita annually on prescription drugs, according to a new study by TheSeniorList. That amount ranks Utah No. 40 among states. The study analyzed the most recent data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, GoodRx and the National Conference on State Legislatures. In total, Utah residents spend more than $4 billion annually. Texans spend the most in total, with a combined $42.6 million spent annually.
• Utah ranks No. 29 among states, with 172 reported victims in 2018 of catfishing, when someone fakes an online identity to scam victims for money, romance or physical harm, according to SocialCatfish.com, a resource to verify online identities. SocialCatfish.com used FBI data for its study, which indicates that nationally the number of catfishing victims increased by 50 percent in 2018 compared to three years earlier. Vermont had the fewest victims, 25, which California had the most, at 2,105.
EXPANSIONS
• Listen Technologies, a Bluffdale-based provider of assistive listening systems, will open an office in Denmark on July 1 to grow business throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Flemming Bjerke has been named managing director of Listen Technologies Europe. The office in Denmark will stock products, demo units and rental units; provide in-market technology and customer service; and support regional distributors, resellers and end-users. Bjerke has 30 years of experience as a distributor.
• LifeVantage, a Salt Lake City-based nutrigenomics company, has opened for business in Belgium, the company’s third European market launch this spring. Select LifeVantage products have been offered in Belgium on a not-for-resale basis for approximately a year as part of the company’s Global Customer Acquisition Program. With the addition of Belgium, LifeVantage serves 15 markets in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia.
FINANCING
• Holliday Fenoglio Fowler LP (HFF), based in Los Angeles, recently announced it has arranged a $96.9 million refinancing of The Gateway in Salt Lake City. The 651,778-square-foot complex offers upscale retail, office and entertainment. HFF said it worked on behalf of the borrower, a partnership between Vestar and funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management LP, to place the floating-rate loan with a bridge lender. Loan proceeds will be used to retire existing debt and fund future improvements.
FOOD
• JMH Premium, a Salt Lake City-based food development company, has hired Kelley Andrus Postma as a senior account executive serving industrial, institutional and food service customers in North America. Kelley has over 30 years of experience in the food industry, including in product and solution development and consultancy for clients in both ingredients and national chain channels.
INTERNATIONAL
• The deadline has been extended to June 14 for companies wanting to participate in the state of Utah’s trade mission to Hong Kong and Japan. The trip takes place Sept. 13-21 and is being undertaken by Gov. Gary Herbert, World Trade Center Utah and the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. During the trade mission, participants will have the opportunity to receive market specific business briefings by in-country experts and the U.S. Commercial Service, attend VIP receptions for business and government leaders, participate in company visits and take part in pre-arranged and customized B2B meetings. Details are at https://wtcutah.com/trade-missions/hong-kong-japan-trade-mission-2019/.
INVESTMENTS
• CoinZoom, a Salt Lake City-based cryptocurrency exchange, has received an investment from OKWAVE, a Japan-based Q&A website. As part of the companies’ alliance, OKWAVE will purchase Series AA preferred stock from CoinZoom. OKWAVE also will conduct joint marketing and other collaborations when CoinZoom expands into Asia, including Japan. CoinZoom is preparing for the global launch of its cryptocurrency exchange offering core services of buying, selling and spending digital currencies.
LAW
• Stoel Rives LLP has named Matthew Moscon as the office managing partner for its Salt Lake City office. He will continue to practice in the firm’s Litigation group. Moscon replaces Scott Young, who led the Salt Lake City office for more than five years and is joining the firm’s executive committee. Moscon is past practice group leader of the firmwide Litigation group and past chair of the Products Liability and Toxic Torts section in that group. He has a general litigation practice, with a particular focus in energy, regulatory and land use disputes. He earned bachelor’s degrees in political science and English from the University of Utah and a law degree from the University of Utah College of Law.
MILESTONES
• Cookie Cutters Haircuts for Kids, a Salt Lake City-based children's haircutting franchise, recently opened its 100th salon, in Highland Ranch, Colorado. It has salons in 23 states and Canada and has more than 200 additional stores in various stages of development, with 30 salons estimated to open in 2019.
PHILANTHROPY
• Chartway Federal Credit Union’s We Promise Foundation recently raised $82,680 at its fourth annual Putting 4 Promises Golf Tournament. The funds will be used ot help children facing medical hardship or illness. The foundation invited supporters to participate in the golf tournament in Lehi. Golfers and guests were joined by several We Promise heroes. The We Promise Foundation has provided more than $1.76 million in support of Utah-based organizations.
RECOGNITIONS
• The Utah Valley Home Builders Association has been named a recipient of an Award of Excellence from the Executive Officers Council (EOC) of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) for having the best “Parade of Homes” event in the U.S. The Utah Valley Parade of Homes has taken place for 44 years. This year’s event takes place through June 22 at more than 40 homes. Last year, over 25,000 people attended. The Association Excellence Awards is an annual program designed to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of state and local home builders’ associations and executive officers in the field of association management.
• Brian Hayes, a partner at Salt Lake City-based NOW CFO, has been accepted into Forbes Financial Council, an invitation-only community for executives in accounting, financial planning, wealth and asset management, and investment firms. NOW CFO is a consulting firm with a focus on outsourced, fractional and temporary CFO, controller and accounting services. Criteria for acceptance in the council includes a track record of successfully impacting business growth metrics, as well as personal and professional achievements and honors. Hayes will be invited to work with an editorial team to share his expert insights in original business articles on Forbes.com, and to contribute to published Q&A panels alongside other experts.
RESTAURANTS
• Campos Coffee, an Australian specialty coffee brand, has opened a location at the base of Park City Mountain in Park City. Campos crafts and roasts coffee in the United States at its flagship roastery and kitchen in Salt Lake City.
RETAIL
• Natural Grocers will open its relocated, 18,000-square-foot St. George store at 712 Telegraph St., Washington, on June 13. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Inc., based in Colorado, is a specialty retailer of organic and natural groceries, body care products and dietary supplements. It has 152 stores in 19 states.
SENIOR LIVING
• A new senior living community will open this month in North Ogden. The Lodge at North Ogden, 204 E. 1700 North, recently had an open house. The Lodge at North Ogden is operated by Watermark Retirement Communities Inc. and will provide 22 independent living, 78 assisted living and 30 memory care rental residences.
TECHNOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCES
• Robert Cardillo has been appointed to the Guidance Council of Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory in North Logan. Cardillo most recently serving as director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the nation’s primary source of geospatial intelligence, or GEOINT, for the Department of Defense and the U.S. intelligence community. Prior to that, he served as the deputy director of national intelligence for intelligence integration and as the deputy director for the Defense Intelligence Agency. The Guidance Council helps guide the organization strategically and tactically, support customer relationships, and provide industry insight and networking.
• Penumbra Brands, a North Salt Lake-based mobile device accessories and technology company, has appointed Anne “Petey” McKnight as vice president of marketing. She will direct the company’s marketing efforts and dotcom initiatives for the Gadget Guard, Black Ice and Alara brands. Most recently, McKnight served as vice president of marketing for Xfinity Mobile, where she led the brand development and launch at Comcast. She also has worked at Samsung Telecommunications America and Sprint PCS.
• Nav, a Salt Lake City-based fintech company, has announced that Steve Platt has been appointed to its board of directors. Platt is group president of global business information at Experian. Platt previously held operating and new product creation roles in Experian’s Decision Analytics business, driving innovation and growth in identity verification, fraud detection, credit risk and collections management.
• SpotX, a Denver-based video advertising and monetization platform company that is part of RTL Group, has appointed Neal Richter as chief scientist. Richter will lead the company’s new Salt Lake City office, which will serve as a hub for research and development teams. Richter will invest in SpotX data science and machine learning efforts as well as the greater RTL Group’s work in artificial intelligence. Richter has 20 years of experience in software development and data science. Most recently, he was chief technology officer at Rakuten Marketing.
VENTURE CAPITAL
• VentureCapital.Org, a venture accelerator, is seeking applicants for participation in its upcoming Deal Forum events in Utah and Idaho, as well as WeROC (Women Entrepreneurs Realizing Opportunities for Capital) in October. There is no fee to apply or present. Selected companies will receive free mentoring leading up to the pitch event. Applications may be submitted at https://gust.com/organizations/investors-choice.