Industry Briefs are provided as a free service to our readers. Company news information may be sent to brice@slenterprise.com. The submission deadline is one week before publication.
CONSTRUCTION
- Jacobsen Construction Co., Salt Lake City, has named Heather Soderquist as its first-ever vice president of construction innovation. Soderquist has been with Jacobsen for 18 years, most recently as director of operations training and development. She also previously worked as a project manager. Soderquist also has helped in pioneering Jacobsen’s companywide use of essential jobsite technologies such as building information modeling (BIM), laser scanning, Viewpoint, Bluebeam, Autodesk Build and more. In her new role, Soderquist has launched a new tech training initiative at Jacobsen: the addition of a comprehensive technology fair to the company’s quarterly operations workforce training sessions.
COWORKING
- Workbox, a Chicago-based coworking operator dedicated to providing resources to early and growth-stage companies, has opened a location at 123 S. State St., Salt Lake City. The space in the Orpheum Theater was previously managed by CommonGrounds Workplace. It is the company’s sixth location and first outside of the Midwest. The location includes over 50 office spaces, with private offices ranging from one to nine desks.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
- Utah is ranked No. 5 among states with the highest percentage of workers in creative jobs, compiled by BetMassachusetts.com by analyzing Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Utah has 24,090 total creative jobs, or 70.4 per 10,000 residents. New York has the most, with 214,960 jobs and 110.3 such jobs per 10,000 residents. Utah has 2,800 people who are graphic designer; 2,630 who are coaches and scouts; 1,700 who are audio and video technicians; 1,590 who are public relations specialists; and 1,530 who are merchandise displayers and window trimmers. Details are at https://www.betmassachusetts.com/info/most-creative-states.
- Utah is ranked No. 24 on a list of states with the highest value per capita of fireworks imports in 2022, compiled by Scholaroo using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Utah had $2.62 million value of imported fireworks, or 78 cents per capita. Missouri was first, with $125.8 million value of imported fireworks, or $20.40 per capita. The lowest amount was in Massachusetts, with $48,879, or 3 cents per capita. Tennessee had the highest value of fireworks exports in 2022, at $3.2 million. Total U.S. fireworks exports was $8 million. Details are at https://scholaroo.com/report/4th-of-july-fireworks-in-the-u-s/.
- Utah leads the nation for the highest birth rates nine months after several national holidays, according to research by Betway. They include nine months after Independence Day, the Super Bowl, Thanksgiving and Christmas. For example, in 2021, Utah had 3,899 babies conceived around July 4, or 1.168 birth rate per 1,000 people. The rate was 1.1 births per 1,000 people in November, nine months after the Super Bowl. The rate nine months after Thanksgiving was 1.252 and it was 1.211 nine months after Christmas. Details are at https://usblog.betway.com/nfl/super-bowl/the-super-bowl-baby-boom-states-nfl/.
ENERGY
- Lumio, a Lehi-based personalized renewable energy company, has appointed Brendan Smithas chief operations officer. Smith has extensive experience growing home services and green energy companies, most recently serving as COO for WeLink. He also has served as senior vice president of operations at Sunrun, senior vice president of field operations for Vivint Solar, and vice president of field operations at Brite Energy.
EXPANSIONS
- Recursion, a Salt Lake City-based clinical-stage techbio company focused on drug discovery, has opened a 28,000-square-foot location in Toronto that will serve as headquarters for Recursion Canada. The company employs approximately 100 people in Canada, and the Toronto site is Recursion’s largest site outside of Salt Lake City. The opening of Recursion’s Toronto site closely follows the company’s recent acquisitions of Toronto-based Cyclica and Montreal-based Valence. The building’s architecture and design were overseen by Baldwin & Franklin and Bennett Design, respectively, and construction was completed by Cubecom Project Management and Convex Construction.
GOVERNMENT
- The U.S. Department of Commerce has announced that Utah will receive more than $317 million in a Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program grant. The program, created as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, is designed to help expand high-speed Internet access to rural and underserved communities. The grant will be used by the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity’s broadband division for dispersing. The IIJA included $65 billion to improve access to broadband nationwide.
- The Bureau of Land Management Utah State Office has issued the sale notice for a competitive oil and gas lease sale offering 15 parcels covering 28,116.87 acres in Utah scheduled for Sept. 27. The sale will be held online at www.energynet.com and the parcels will be available to view on the EnergyNet website. The notice incorporates recommendations from the Department of the Interior’s “Report on the Federal Oil and Gas Leasing Program,” as well as other reports issued by the Government Accountability Office and Congressional Budget Office. As authorized under the Inflation Reduction Act, BLM will apply a 16.67 percent royalty rate for any new leases from this sale. All parcels leased as part of an oil and gas lease sale include appropriate stipulations to protect important natural resources.
HOUSING
- Larry H. Miller Senior Health has opened Aspen Ridge Residences of Lehi, an assisted living facility. The company acquired it in December and led renovations. Residents will begin moving into the facility in July. Residents will have access to 24-hour nursing care, medication management, assistance with activities of daily living, on-site physical and occupational therapy, dining options, personalized patient care for every guest, and other amenities.
LAW
- Parsons Behle & Latimer, Salt Lake City, has hired Nicole G. Farrell as chief people officer. Farrell will be responsible for onboarding and regular training of lawyers and professional staff, employee recognition, benefits, culture and core values, DE&I, retention and enforcement of attorney and professional staff policies. Farrell previously was with the firm for about nine years as an associate and then shareholder attorney. Farrell most recently was vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion and Nobel Academy and corporate counsel, senior human resources director and integrated business planning for Dyno Nobel.
- Ogletree Deakins, a labor and employment law firm, has hired Tim Keegan for the firm’s Salt Lake City office as a shareholder. Keegan has more than 15 years of experience defending employers against claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, and wage and hour violations. Keegan was previously a partner in the Labor & Employment group of the Lewis Brisbois, and he also owned and practiced as a partner at Ceartas Legal LLP.
NONPROFITS
- Liberty Sanctuary, a newly formed nonprofit equine sanctuary outside of Park City, has completed its inaugural rescue efforts to save horses from slaughter. Over the past two months, it welcomed equines from Bowie, Texas, and Eaton, Colorado. Liberty Sanctuary also is accepting donations and applications for volunteers. Details are at www.libertysanctuary.org.
PARTNERSHIPS
- The Utah Clean Air Partnership (UCAIR) and Magnum Bikes are partnering to provide an e-bike incentive program for Salt Lake County residents. The program will offer up to $800 off the purchase of select Magnum e-bikes and up to $1,200 off select Magnum cargo e-bikes. For eligible income-qualified residents, the voucher amounts go up to $1,000 and $1,400, respectively. This program is a collective effort to improve Utah’s air quality. Salt Lake County residents must submit an application to receive a Magnum e-bike voucher code. The vouchers are made available on a first-come, first-served basis to the first 1,000 eligible applicants. There are two levels of vouchers available: standard and income-qualified. For the standard voucher, all Salt Lake County residents age 18 and over can save up to $600 on select commuter e-bikes, $800 on select cruiser e-bikes and $1,200 on select cargo e-bikes. For the income-qualified voucher, Salt Lake County residents who meet income requirements can save up to $800, $1,000 and $1,400, respectively.
PHILANTHROPY
- TAB Bank, Ogden, in collaboration with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines, is offering $166,183 to six Utah nonprofit organizations for their affordable housing and community development initiatives. They administer a Member Impact Fund, providing nearly $15 million in grants to hundreds of nonprofit or government agencies. The Utah funds include $46,000 from TAB Bank and $120,183 from the Member Impact Fund. Recipients are EnableUtah Inc., ($7,000 from TAB Bank and $18,289 FHLB grant for a total of $25,289); United Way of Northern Utah ($9,000 and $23,514 for a total of $32,514); Utah Center for Neighborhood Stabilization ($5,000 and $13,063 for a total $18,063); Utah Association of Family Support Centers ( $10,000 and $26,127 for a total $36,127), YCC Family Crisis Center ($5,000 and $13,063 for a total $18,063); and Habitat for Humanity of Weber and Davis Counties ($10,000 and $26,127,for a total of $36,127). FHLB Des Moines received more than 500 applications from 85 members in four U.S. states and three U.S. territories.
- Ivory Homes, a Utah-based homebuilder, has donated $75,000 to Southern Utah University in support of the Ivory Women Student Success Initiative. It is a new program that provides scholarships to 10 business students to complete a Women Business Leadership Certificate. Ten students will be selected as “Ivory Scholars,” and along with receiving a half-tuition scholarship and a $1,000 stipend per semester, students will take six credits of women leadership classes, attend conferences and events centered around women in business, participate in the Ivory Hack-a-House competition, and work closely with SUU’s Women in Business club.
- Bloomberg Philanthropies has announced that Salt Lake City has been selected as one of 17 finalist cities in the running to receive up to $1 million as part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge. The grant program supports temporary public art projects that address important local civic issues in cities across the country. The Salt Lake City Arts Council’s proposed project, “Wake the Great Salt Lake,” aims to address the shrinking of the Great Salt Lake by curating and installing several temporary public artworks that speak to this environmental crisis. The goal of the project is to educate and inspire both residents and visitors to identify possible solutions and take action on a local and national level. Salt Lake City was selected as a finalist from more than 150 project proposals received from cities in 40 states. This fall, Bloomberg Philanthropies will select up to 10 winning cities to execute their projects over the next two years.
REAL ESTATE
- The True Life Cos., a Denver-based real estate company, has opened an office in Salt Lake City. Nick Mason, managing director, will lead the office. Mason has more than two decades of real estate experience in the Salt Lake City market. He previously served as vice president and managed the full cycle of property acquisition, from research through due diligence, at LGI Homes. He also was vice president of land at Bach Homes while holding a simultaneous role as president of Pivot Excavation. His work included managing the marketing and sales process of apartment complexes for the company with an estimated value of $60 million.
- Pivotal Group, the developer of Promontory Club, has announced $2 million in capital improvements and upgrades at Beach Club. A grand re-opening was held recently, while a third golf course and clubhouse, The Hills, is set to open this fall. Groundbreaking for the Lavender Spa expansion is scheduled for this year. The Beach Club changes include increased seating capacity both on-beach and on-patio, a new walk-up Beach Bar and Shave Ice window, and an adult-only terrace; an expanded kitchen. The Hills, conceived by golf course architect Forrest Richardson and design partner Jeff Danner, will offer 18 par-3 holes, a clubhouse with Sage Italian Restaurant, four outdoor golf simulation bays, an 18-hole putting course, a practice facility and on-range Golf Academy. The Lavender Spa expansion will include men’s and women’s hydrotherapy areas and new locker spaces, six additional treatment rooms, and an upscale relaxation lounge with oxygen therapy stations.
SPORTS
- The Salt Lake City Criterium will return for a fourth year. The professional bike racing circuit race is a two-day event taking place July 15-16. The Saturday race is the sixth of 10 stops on the 2023 National Criterium Series Calendar, known as “The American Crit Cup.” Professionals will earn points in the series and a share of the over $22,000 prize purse. The first day begins in the Granary District and Industry SLC. This year, the event will cover a larger area and feature an expanded vendor street fair that celebrates local businesses and artisans. The second day begins at Sugarhouse Park, with racing featuring additional junior and master categories throughout the day, culminating in the pro men and women’s showdown.