Company news information may be sent to brice.w@thecityjournals.com.
ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT
• The Gateway in Salt Lake City has announced a set of free events for this summer. They include the weekly Sunset Yoga series and markets such as Outdoor Urban Flea Market, The Maker’s Hive Market, Bohemian Bum Farmer’s Market, and Market & Craft Fair. Juneteenth took place June 19 and the Fafa Fest on June 21. Upcoming events include SLC Pride, June 28-29; the 4th of July Celebration, July 4; the Utah Beer Festival, Aug. 16-17; the Urban Arts Festival, Aug. 30; and Festa Italiana, Sept. 13-14. Details are at https://atthegateway.com/.
• Angel, a Provo-based film and TV platform, has announced that its Angel Original Series “Dry Bar Comedy” has reached a milestone of over 6 billion views across all platforms. Dry Bar has also found an audience on YouTube, with over 1.2 billion views on that site. Founded in 2017, “Dry Bar Comedy” has an average of 50 million monthly views across the brand’s social and app platforms.
CONTESTS
• Nominations are being accepted until June 30 for the MountainWest Capital Network’s Utah 100 awards program, which recognizes Utah’s 15 largest revenue companies, 100 fastest-growing, and a select list of newer “Emerging Elite” companies. The top 15 annual revenue companies are ranked according to the highest total dollar growth from last year. The Utah 100 companies are ranked according to a weighted average calculation of percentage and dollar growth during the most recent five-year period. Details are at https://www.mwcn.org/mwcn-100-awards/.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
• Utah’s top three AI careers “expected to boom locally” are AI-driven software engineer for tech startups, health care AI solutions architect and renewable energy systems optimization specialist, according to a survey by Snowfire, an adaptive decision intelligence AI platform for decision-makers and executive leaders. It identified the top three AI jobs in each state. Details are at https://www.snowfire.ai/research/role-revolution-ai-integrated-careers-on-the-rise.
• Quail Creek Reservoir near Hurricane, at No. 72 nationally, is the top-ranked “hidden-gem” beach in Utah, according to a survey by Frugal Flyer. The top-ranked location in the U.S. is Awahua Beach, Hawaii. Details are at
https://frugalflyer.ca/blog/95-best-secret-beaches-in-america/.
• Two Utah locations are on a list of “top hotbeds for alternative spirituality,” compiled by TarotCards.io and based on a survey. They are Sugar House, No. 63 nationally, and No. 75 9th & 9th, both in Salt Lake City. The top location overall is Cassadaga, Florida. Details are at https://tarotcards.io/blog/top-183-most-spiritual-places-in-the-us.
EDUCATION/TRAINING
• Utah is ranked No. 9 among states (with a B-minus grade) in the 2025 Parent Power Index released by the Center for Education Reform. Its 2025 index analyzes educational opportunities state-by-state and highlights the success and failure of laws to ensure the availability of education that meets the needs of every child and family. Among the assessments for Utah are charter schools: B, No. 9 nationally; transformational learning, B, No. 8; and choice programs (scholarships, vouchers, tax credits, etc.) B, No. 9. Using a fuel tank model ranging from “empty” (zero) to “full,” the assessments for Utah included “empty” for teacher quality and 3 out of 4 for leadership, transparency and constitutional issues. The top-ranked state overall is Florida. Details are at https://parentpowerindex.edreform.com/.
ENVIRONMENT
• Weber State University’s Sustainability Practices and Research Center has received a $2.4 million sub-award through Utah’s Beehive Emission Reduction Plan. Part of a $74 million federal grant from the Environmental Protection Agency, the funding will help expand SPARC’s local and statewide efforts to assist residents and the community at large in reducing energy costs and carbon emissions. SPARC’s approach will include education, resources and hands-on support that focuses on empowering community members with the tools and knowledge to make meaningful energy upgrades, especially in rural and underserved areas. WSU has hired four staff members to handle outreach and energy navigation. Another part of the effort is the introduction of the SPARC Home for Sustainable Living, a demonstration house that will showcase sustainability tools and practices for the public, including heat pumps, solar energy, electrification and more. SPARC also plans to offer free workshops and kits that allow residents to implement changes through DIY options to improve efficiency in their homes and to lower utility costs.
GOVERNMENT
• The Utah Department of Transportation and its partnership with SVN Auction Services have announced an online auction for state-owned surplus real property. The auctioned properties range in size from under an acre to over 36 acres. Among the properties is over 36 acres within the Gordon Avenue/Highway 89 Town Center Master Plan in Layton, with an opening bid of $16,750,000. Other properties up for auction include a 9,964-square-foot retail strip center in West Jordan and vacant parcels in Farmington, Syracuse, Riverton and Taylorsville. Online bidding for nine properties begins July 8 and ends July 15 at www.UDOTauctions.Utah.gov.
INVESTMENTS
• Nexus IT, a Salt Lake City-based managed services and cybersecurity provider, in partnership with Miami-based Diatonic Healthcare LLC, has announced a $60 million capital commitment from Metropolitan Partners Group. Nexus said the investment will accelerate its IT nationwide growth strategy, fueling its acquisition of culturally aligned managed service providers that share its vision of exceptional client service and operational excellence, specifically in highly regulated industries such as health care, finance and legal.
• Rebel Medicine Inc., a Salt Lake City-based clinical-stage biotechnology company, has closed its $6 million Series A financing. It was led by Crocker Ventures, with participation from Central Texas Angel Network, Prosperity Solutions Capital, Utah Innovation Fund, SK Hart, the Joan & Tim Fenton Fund, Cantina Angels, and a syndicate of life-science angel investors. The proceeds will fund a first-in-human, randomized, dose-escalation, active-controlled Phase 2 clinical trial in bunionectomy patients to assess the safety and efficacy of Alevatrix, the company’s lead non-opioid pain drug candidate.
PHILANTHROPY
• Mountain America Credit Union, based in Sandy, through the Mountain America Foundation, has donated $250,000 to the Fullmer Legacy Foundation. This contribution, made in partnership with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines, supports the opening and programming of the new Fullmer Legacy Center in South Jordan, which is dedicated to youth development, fitness and community empowerment.
• DoTerra Healing Hands, part of Pleasant Grove-based aromatherapy and essential oils company doTerra International, has announced that its 15 years of impact includes donating over $55 million to empower communities worldwide. The nonprofit organization offers resources and tools to global sourcing communities and charitable organizations supporting self-reliance, health care, education, clean water and more. Among the projects, Healing Hands has funded a mobile blood donation clinic in Bulgaria to address a critical shortage. This clinic serves the Rose Valley community, where doTerra sources and distills its Rose essential oil.
SCHOLARSHIPS
• Nature’s Sunshine Products Inc., a Lehi-based manufacturer of herbal and nutritional products, has announced the renewal of its scholarship in partnership with the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah to support economically disadvantaged students in their education. The company has pledged $200,000 over four years. Nature’s Sunshine will partner with the Opportunity Scholars program, which provides scholarships to students who will be the first in their family to achieve a college degree. The Eccles School will manage the scholarship application and award process. The Nature’s Sunshine Scholarship is an aspect of the Impact Foundation, the company’s charitable organization. Nature’s Sunshine and the Eccles School have committed funds for this scholarship through the 2027-2028 academic year.