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AGRICULTURE
• The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food has launched the Utah Pollinator Habitat Program as part of a statewide effort to boost Utah pollinator populations by helping to establish and enhance pollinator habitats. Many pollinator populations have experienced drastic declines in recent years. Over the next three years, the department will work with partners and grant recipients to increase habitat across the state by putting approximately 90,000 resource plants in the ground. Native seed mixes will also be distributed to ensure local pollinators thrive. Ready-to-plant habitat kits and seed mixes will be available for qualified projects through its application process; both will be awarded based on regional needs and potential for project success. Applications will be accepted through July 31 at https://www.ag.utah.gov/farmers/conservation-division/pollinator-program/.
ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT
• The Salt Lake City Arts Council has granted 10 local artists and 12 Salt Lake City nonprofit arts organizations over $225,000 as part of the $500,000 American Rescue Plan grant awarded to the Arts Council from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to aid the arts and cultural sector recovery from the COVID-19 global pandemic. In May 2021, the local council’s board of directors reviewed 70 grant applications and recommended funding to the selected artists and organizations. Ten artists were awarded $15,000Artist Career Empowerment Grants to produce large-scale art projects in Salt Lake City. Twelve nonprofits received Racial Equity and Inclusion Grants. They are leading the region in programming that promotes and shares the stories of historically marginalized communities.
BANKING
• Western Alliance Bank has launched banking services in Utah. It specializes in serving businesses by providing customized loans, deposits and treasury management. Seth Brinkerhoff, a 20-year veteran in Utah’s banking sector, will serve as senior director of commercial banking. Brinkerhoff is responsible for expanding Western Alliance Bank operations in Utah while focusing on the commercial and industrial sectors. His experience includes assisting clients with real estate financing, construction and equipment loans, lines of credit, working capital and a full spectrum of deposit and treasury management capabilities. Brinkerhoff received his Bachelor of Science degree in finance from the University of Utah and his Master’s degree in business administration from Brigham Young University. Utah native Marshall Saunders will serve as vice president of commercial banking. Saunders has experience in real estate financing, commercial and industrial lending, SBA loans, cash flow management and lines of credit. He previously was senior business relationship manager for two national banking institutions and oversaw high-value client accounts and loan underwriting and review. Saunders received his Bachelor of Science degree in business management from Western Governors University in Salt Lake City. Western Alliance Bancorporation has more than $60 billion in assets. Western Alliance Bank is its primary subsidiary.
CONTESTS
• Nominations are being accepted for the Davis Chamber of Commerce 2022 Annual Business Awards. Award categories are Business of the Year Award, Innovation Award, Employer of the Year Award and Small Business of the Year Award. The awards banquet takes place Sept. 29 at the Davis Conference Center in Layton. Details are at https://davischamberofcommerce.com/annual-nomination-form/.
• VentureCapital.Org is looking for startups to pitch at the WeROC (Women Entrepreneurs Realizing Opportunities for Capital) Conference, as well as startups for its upcoming Deal Forum pitch events. Applications can be submitted at Gust.com. VentureCapital.Org is looking for seed to series A/B startups and are industry-agnostic. Program participants will be matched with a team of mentors to perfect their presentation and prepare for raising capital, leading up to the actual pitch event. WeROC takes places Oct. 7 at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City. The August Deal Forum, a virtual event, takes place Aug. 2.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
• The Economic Development Corporation of Utah has hired Greta Hepworth as events manager, a role that supports EDCUtah’s investor events, trade shows and partner activities. Hepworth’s professional experience ranges from events to producing photo shoots. She succeeds Elizabeth Johnson, who is moving on to a new opportunity at the American Water Works Association. Also, Michael O’Malley, who has served as EDCUtah’s marketing director since January 2019, is transitioning to a contractor role, undertaking limited writing assignments, special projects, and support for in-state and out-of-state events and initiatives as needed.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
• Residents of Daggett County live in “the most paycheck-friendly place” in Utah, according to a study by SmartAsset study. It compared counties across four criteria: income taxes, purchasing power, unemployment rate and income growth. Daggett County is followed, in order, by Wasatch, Summit, Morgan, Davis, Utah, Salt Lake, Tooele, Millard and Weber counties. Details are at https://smartasset.com/taxes/paycheck-calculator#Utah.
• Salt Lake City is ranked No. 81 on a list of “2022’s Best BBQ Cities in America,” compiled by LawnStarter. It compared 200 of the biggest U.S. cities based on 18 criteria, including the number of award-winning barbecue restaurants, barbecue festivals, experience hosting a “master-level” competition blessed by KCBS, and highly rated BBQ joints. The top-ranked city is St. Louis, Missouri. Seven cities tied for No. 194. Details are at https://www.lawnstarter.com/blog/studies/best-bbq-cities/.
GOVERNMENT
• Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson has announced that her office has, for the second time, been awarded a grant from Bank of America to fund its summer youth internship program. The grant allows the office to hire 10 interns for the summer. The Salt Lake County Summer Intern Program employs students who need to earn income while attending college or university, are considered low-to-moderate income, and embody the vast diversity represented by Salt Lake County’s population. The interns will support the work of departments, including Criminal Justice Initiatives, Internal Communications, Diversity and Inclusion, Contracts and Procurement, Programs and Partnerships, Animal Services, and the Office of New Americans.
HEALTHCARE
• Elevar Therapeutics Inc., a Salt Lake City-based biopharmaceutical company dedicated to elevating treatment experiences and outcomes for patients who have limited or inadequate therapeutic options, has named Dr. Jan M. Van Tornout as chief medical officer and Gordon Schooley as chief regulatory officer. A hematologist-oncologist, genetic epidemiologist and pharma-biotech executive, Van Tornout joins Elevar after serving as acting chief medical officer of Tyme Technologies Inc. since March 2021. He has more than 25 years’ experience in the medical industry and related academia, including over 15 years developing drugs across the full spectrum of hematological, oncological and immuno-oncological indications. Van Tornout’s clinical management and development experience includes work for several companies. Schooley has more than 30 years of drug development experience, most recently spending nine years as chief regulatory officer for BeyondSpring Pharmaceuticals Inc. Prior to BeyondSpring, Schooley spent seven years as a consultant for drug development activities related to clinical development, biostatistics and regulatory affairs. He previously worked at SkyePharma PLC/Pacira Pharma, Alliance Pharmaceuticals and Allergan/Herbert Labs. His education includes a Master of Science in statistics and Bachelor of Science in business management from Brigham Young University.
• Northern Utah Rehabilitation Hospital, South Ogden, recently sponsored a Neuro Day event to showcase the latest advances in neurorehabilitation. The event featured four companies and their innovations in neurorehabilitation: Penumbra Inc., which designs, develops, manufactures and markets novel products and supports healthcare providers, hospitals and clinics in more than 100 countries; Torque3, a startup developing a neurorehabilitation platform for stroke survivors with therapy and advanced robotics; Restorative Therapies, helping more than 100,000 patients in more than 1,000 clinics and 5,000 homes; and Bioness, which develops medical technologies including neuromodulation systems, robotic systems and software-based therapy programs.
INSURANCE
• PCF Insurance Services, a Lehi-based insurance brokerage firm, has acquired Provo-based property and casualty managing general agent United Underwriters. Financial terms were not disclosed. Founded in 1998, United Underwriters is affiliated with over 150 Utah-based insurance agencies as a provider of personal and commercial insurance. Sherman & Co. advised United Underwriters on the transaction.
INTERNATIONAL
• Utah life sciences companies are being sought to represent the state during the Medica Trade Fair, the world’s largest international medical sector tradeshow, taking place Nov. 14-17 in Dusseldorf, Germany. Eligible companies can apply for grant funding to help cover travel costs. World Trade Center Utah, in partnership with the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, BioUtah, BioHive and the U.S. Small Business Administration, will lead the delegation. In 2021, attracted over 3,000 exhibitors from 70 countries.
INVESTMENT
• Peterson Ventures, a pre-Series A venture firm based in Salt Lake City and the Bay Area that invests across SaaS and digital commerce, has raised over $140 million in new capital for its Fund IV and Opportunity Fund I. Like its prior core funds, Peterson Ventures’ Fund IV will invest up to about $2.5 million into seed- and pre-seed-stage startups. The Opportunity Fund I will enable the firm to invest follow-on checks at the growth stage in breakout portfolio companies from its core funds. With the launch of the two new funds, Peterson Ventures now has over $550 million in assets under management.
MILESTONES
• Blackrock Neurotech, a Salt Lake City-based company focused on brain-computer interface technology, has announced a record-breaking milestone of 30,000 days of in-patient BCI research, roughly 20 times longer than any other implantable BCI technology reported to date. Blackrock said it plans to submit MoveAgain, its first commercial BCI device, to the FDA in 2022.
NONPROFITS
• The Utah Health Policy Project, a nonprofit organization advancing sustainable healthcare solutions for underserved Utahns through better access, education and public policy, has announced Dr. Ryan Jackson as its new “Take Care Utah” director. Jackson trained as a physician and then focused on disaster management, humanitarian projects and medical education overseas for most of his career. After working in Haiti, Central America, South America and the Caribbean, he returned to his hometown in Wyoming in 2019 to help his family. During his time in Wyoming, he was an active advocate for improving access to healthcare as a member of the Governor’s Healthcare Task Force, CEO of a nonprofit, and a board member of several other organizations.
PHILANTHROPY
• Nomi Health, an Orem-based healthcare company, has donated more than 2,200 care packages to more than 35 assisted living centers across Utah. The packages feature drawstring totes containing a maze puzzle pen, a crossword puzzle book, a word search puzzle, Chapstick and playing cards. This comes on the heels of broader community support across Utah, including donations to RIP Medical Debt, Junior League of Salt Lake and Comunidades Unidas. During the pandemic in Utah to date, Nomi Health also served more than 1 million Utahns with COVID-19 testing, vaccination and treatment, including those in long-term care facilities.
REAL ESTATE
• Mountain View Village, an 85-acre mixed-use destination lifestyle center in Riverton, recently held a grand opening celebration for the second phase of the development. It announced 13 restaurants and stores, to bring the total to 61, including Cinemark, which opened June 30. One of the latest to sign on is Free People, offering its own collection as a specialty clothing brand. Bath and Body Works, Lululemon, Zumiez, Nike Live and Evereve are also opening soon, with Cotton on Body to join sister brands Cotton On and Cotton On Kids, which have opened. Other already announced stores are Athleta, Journeys and Janela Bay. Among food options are Green District, Toastique, Panera, Sweet Rolled Tacos, Root’d Café, Kona Grill and Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream. Mountain View Village also offers 177,641 square feet of Class A office space. CenterCal Properties is the developer. AO served as the design architect, architect of record, and landscape and interior architect.
• New Western, a national private source of distressed residential investment properties, has opened its 45th office location in Salt Lake City. The company helps real estate investors acquire fixer-upper properties. Colin Barnes is the general manager leading the Salt Lake City office, alongside regional director Mike Lam. Barnes is responsible for recruiting, hiring, training and leading his team to revitalize $885 million in residential properties in the Salt Lake City area over the next five years. He began his career with New Western in 2019 in its Denver Central office as a sales agent. Since 2008, New Western has bought and sold nearly $12 billion in residential real estate.
• Concord Summit Capital LLC has arranged a $50 million loan to develop Wohali, a 1,800-acre master-planned resort community near Park City in the Wasatch Mountains, located near Park City, Utah. The loan, provided by Washington-based Builders Capital, will be used to build out infrastructure, lot development and vertical construction for the first 100 resort residences. In total, the developer is planning 434 homesites for a variety of product types, an 18-hole golf course, and access to 3,400 acres of backcountry. Concord Summit Director Tyler Beauregard (Denver office), Senior Analyst Mason Bender (Denver office) and Senior Analyst Daniel Rojo (Miami office) sourced the loan on behalf of the borrower/developer, Wohali Partners.
RECOGNITIONS
• Several companies have earned 2022 Utah Business Innovation Awards, a program of Utah Business in partnership with law firm Stoel Rives. Nominees were evaluated by leaders within Utah’s business and academic communities, who voted to select the finalists and award winners. The awards pay tribute to the innovative spirit permeating Utah companies and the talented people working to alleviate complex problems with elegant solutions. Intergalactic won the Advanced Manufacturing, Construction, & Design category. Northrop Grumman was the runner-up. Fluid Power Training Institute received an honorable mention. In the Commercial Software category, the winner was Converus, with Coreform LLC being the runner-up and Emmersion.ai receiving an honorable mention. In the Consumer Products & Services category, the winner was Listen Technologies Corp., with Brandless being runner-up and Ivy City Co. receiving an honorable mention. In the Consumer Software category, OCAVU was the winner, with V School being runner-up and CoinZoom receiving an honorable mention. In the Fintech category, Assure was the winner, with MX being runner-up and Finicity, A Mastercard Company, receiving an honorable mention. In the Hardware & Electronics category, the winner was Elphel Inc. Spark XR Inc. was runner-up and Skullcandy received an honorable mention. In the Medical & Health/MedTech category, Ioniq Sciences was the winner, with Matia Robotics being runner-up and Merit Medical receiving an honorable mention. In the Professional Services category, DevPipeline was the winner, with AlignOrg Solutions being runner-up and World Trade Center Utah receiving an honorable mention. In the Sustainability category, the winner was GlycoSurf Inc., with IntelliReefs being runner-up and Smart Rain receiving an honorable mention.
• The Mill at Salt Lake Community College has announced the recipients of the Everyday Entrepreneur Venture Fund. They are EmilieAn Kemper, A Million Clicks LLC ($5,000); Shamika Woodruff, Shamika Woodruff LLC ($2,000); and Judy McCarthy, Jnos Designs LLC ($1,000). Participants were required to pitch their businesses before a selection committee and submit applications including financial projections and specific plans for funding usage. All applicants were also required to complete the Everyday Entrepreneur Program before submitting their business for funding.
• Weave, a Lehi-based company offering a customer communication platform for small business, has been named one of North America’s top 50 inspiring workplaces by Inspiring Workplaces. The award recognizes organizations of all sizes that seek to provide the most inclusive cultures, inspiring leaders and overall positive employee experiences.
• Pluralsight, a Draper-based technology workforce development company, has received the 2021 Google Cloud Social Impact Partner of the Year - Education award. Pluralsight was recognized as a result of its partnership with both Google Cloud and Andela, a global job placement network for software developers with a mission to train 100,000 software engineers across Africa in 10 years. The organizations are enabling aspiring developers across Africa to grow skills through the Google Africa Developer Scholarship program powered by Pluralsight Skills. So far, Google, Pluralsight and Andela have provided access to more than 61,000 learners across 53 African countries.
• Aspen Laser Systems LLC, a Lindon-based medical device company focused on photomedicine, has ben named among the “Top 10 Healthcare Companies of the Year 2022” by The CEO Views, a print and digital magazine. Aspen Laser was recognized for its efforts in pain management technology that provide an alternative to drugs by using non-invasive photomedicine.
• The TheraLight 360 product made by TheraLight LLC, a Lindon-based medical device company focused on photomedicine technology, has been named a recipient of a BrightStar Award from LEDs Magazine. The awards program is focused on recognizing five key factors — performance, reliability, efficiency, ease of integration/use, and innovation — in the design of LED-based lighting products and components, materials, systems and applications. The judges included people from the LED and lighting design and manufacturing community.
• SecurityMetrics, Orem, has earned three awards from Cyber Defense Magazine: “Most Innovative Cybersecurity Book” for the SecurityMetrics Guide to PCI DSS Compliance, “Editor’s Choice Penetration Testing” for its penetration testing team, and “Top Women in Cybersecurity” awarded to Jen Stone, who serves as a women-in-technology mentor for Security Metrics. Stone is podcast host for the SecurityMetrics podcast and has authored dozens of posts for the company’s blog.
• Impartner, a Salt Lake City-based channel management platform and partner relationship management provider, has earned from software marketplace G2 No. 1 rankings in four categories in its Summer 2022 Report: No.1 on the Mid-Market Partner Management Grid; No. 1 on the Mid-Market Results Index; No. 1 on the Mid-Market Relationship Index; and as a Leader on the TCMA Grid. Also, Impartner PX PartnerExperience has received a Gold Globee Award in the Technology Software category in the 14th annual 2022 Golden Bridge Business and Innovation Awards. The awards program recognizes and honors the world’s best in products and services, innovations, case studies and successful deployments, customer satisfaction programs and more.
RESTAURANTS
• Spilled Milk Ice Cream & Cereal Bar recently opened its second brick-and-mortar location at 1480 S. River Road., St. George. During its grand opening and training, Spilled Milk raised funds for the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind. The company last year opened its first brick-and-mortar location in Salt Lake City.
RETAIL
• Ross Dress for Less will open a new store at The Crossing @ Saratoga Springs, a shopping center at Redwood Road and Pioneer Crossing. With the new 22,000-square-foot store, Ross will operate 26 stores in Utah among a total of 1,658 locations.
SCIENCE
• During its inaugural women’s event in June, BioHive announced a $10,000 seed grant to accelerate a “Women in Science and Technology Seminar Series” within industry. The grant is to expand existing programs, create an industrywide series, incorporate startups and mentor young women in the life sciences and healthcare innovation sectors.
SMALL BUSINESS
• Seventy small-business owners from Utah will participate in the Goldman Sachs’ 2022 10,000 Small Businesses Summit, a gathering in Washington, D.C., of more than 2,500 small businesses owners from across the U.S. The July 19-20 event will feature Goldman Sachs hosting over 400 meetings with lawmakers as small businesses call on Congress to reauthorize the Small Business Administration for the first time in over 20 years. The summit will bring together policymakers to share solutions to accelerate growth and create jobs to power an economic recovery. Over the past decade, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses has deployed $750 million to support small businesses across the country – reaching more than 12,800 small-business owners across all 50 states. Goldman Sachs and The Goldman Sachs Foundation launched the 10,000 Small Businesses initiative to help small businesses in the U.S. create jobs and economic growth by providing entrepreneurs with a practical business education, business support services, and access to capital. In Utah, the program partners with Salt Lake Community College to deliver the program. Nearly 700 Utah business owners have completed the program.
TECHNOLOGY
• Fortem Technologies Inc., a Pleasant Grove-based company focused on airspace security and defense for detecting and defeating dangerous drones, has appointed David Spirk to its Government Advisory Board. Spirk has 27 years of federal defense experience and currently works in an advisory and board member capacity with a portfolio of companies who focus on providing technology to the national security sector of the United States and its allies. Spirk most recently served as the U.S. Department of Defense’s first chief data officer. Formed in 2020, Fortem’s Government Advisory Board is composed of former military, intelligence and federal government executives across civilian, defense and intelligence sectors. It provides insights to help the company further advance the work and goals of the U.S. government and its allies.
• Reltio, a Park City-based data management SaaS company, has hired Vincent Harmsen as senior vice president, head of Europe. He will be responsible for the overall leadership of Reltio’s field sales organization in Europe and will expand Reltio’s network of strategic partners. Harmsen has more than 25 years of experience building, growing and leading field teams across the European regions. He was previously with Informatica for nearly nine years, recently as vice president of the EMEA North West & DACH region. Prior to Informatica, Harmsen held leadership positions at Exact, Infor, BMC, Hyperion and Siemens.