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AGRICULTURE
• The Urban Greens Market in Salt Lake City’s Glendale and Poplar Grove areas, has returned for its second year. The project is a collaboration among the city’s Sustainability Department, the Green Urban Lunchbox, Utah Community Action Program’s Real Food Rising and Utahns Against Hunger. Like last year, the market will rotate through several locations, selling locally grown and harvested produce. The market is hosted by Sorenson Unity Center, Glendale-Mountain View Community Learning Center, Neighborhood House, and Sherwood Park from now until October 31. Last year, more than 6,832 pounds of produce was sold. Details are at http://www.SLCgreen.com/urbangreens.
ASSOCIATIONS
• The Association of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (APTAC) has announced that Chuck Spence, program director of the Utah PTAC, has been elected as Region 9 director of the association. Region 9 encompasses the states of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming. He will serve until April 2019. Spence began with the Utah PTAC in 2005, serving as deputy director for 11 years prior to assuming the position of program director. He previously served as APTAC Region 9 director from 2011-14, at which time he was elected president-elect, proceeding from there to serve one-year terms as president and immediate past president. Spence was also the president of the Utah Supplier Development Council for four years (2008-2011). APTAC is the professional organization of and for the 98 PTACs awarded under the Department of Defense’s Procurement Technical Assistance Program. The PTACs help local businesses become capable government contractors.
• Pete LaBore has joined Ski Utah’s 2017 board of directors. He will serve a three-year term. LeBore is chief operating officer of Backcountry, Park City. As COO, LaBore manages Backcountry’s domestic and international operations, customer service, marketing and merchandising teams.
CONTESTS
• The Economic Development Corporation of Utah (EDCUTah) is accepting nominations for a pair of honors to be presented Sept. 12. Two individuals and one organization will be honored for making a significant impact on the state’s economic landscape. The Nick Rose Award for Leadership in Economic Development is presented to an individual from the private sector that has demonstrated exceptional dedication to EDCUtah and economic development throughout the state. The Thayne Robson Award for Leadership in Economic Development is given to an individual from the public sector that has demonstrated exceptional dedication to EDCUtah and economic development throughout the state. The Cornerstone in Economic Development Award is presented to associations, organizations or developments that “have merit far beyond their own boundaries and have had profound and long-term positive impact on the state’s economy,” the organization says. Nominations may be made at www.edcutah.org/event/edcutah-annual-meeting.
EDUCATION/TRAINING
• Western Governors University (WGU), Salt Lake City, has appointed Marni Baker Stein as provost and chief academic officer. Stein has more than 20 years of experience in developing, implementing and scaling programs to improve access, affordability, and student success in higher education. She joins WGU after serving as chief innovation officer for the University of Texas System’s Institute for Transformational Learning. Prior to that, she was senior associate dean of Columbia University’s School of Continuing Education. Before that, she led the development of graduate, undergraduate and non-degree programming for several educational institutions in the U.S. and abroad.
GOVERNMENT
• Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski has selected Danny Walz as chief operating officer of the Redevelopment Agency (RDA) of Salt Lake City. Walz has been the director of the Redevelopment Agency of Midvale City for the past 13 years, and was previously a senior project manager and project coordinator for Salt Lake City’s RDA. He also is president of the Utah Redevelopment Association. He has a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Utah.
• The Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing (DOPL) recently completed a two-week sting investigation targeting fraudulent construction activity. The result was 45 administrative citations and $23,000 in fines for unlicensed activity or activity beyond the scope of a license involving contractors in St. George and northern Utah. The investigation was part of a national effort by members of the National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies (NASCLA). DOPL investigators used Craigslist, online classifieds, field checks and proactive investigations to snare those selling services that require a professional license. Investigators contacted the companies and individuals to request bids for business projects using a decoy commercial building as bait. In 2015, a sting resulted in 32 citations and a total of $20,000 in administrative fines issued for unlawful activity.
HEALTHCARE
• A new Gateway Emerging Technologies Medical Clinic has opened at The Gateway, Salt Lake City. The Gateway Aesthetic Institute and Laser Center is a cosmetic laser center specializing in cosmetic and laser skin treatments. Center founder Dr. Mark B. Taylor has opened the new clinic, expanding into new wellness, integrative medicine and stem cell medicine. Margaret (Maggie) Jahries, who has had a wellness and integrative medicine practice in Park City, has moved her practice to the clinic. She specializes in physical and emotional wellness, particularly at a cellular level.
• Recursion Pharmaceuticals, Salt Lake City, has hired Dr. Chand Sishta as senior director of regulatory affairs. Chand has 25 years of regulatory sciences experience, most recently at Bristol-Myers Squibb as the director of global regulatory sciences for mature products.
• Stonehaven Dental recently had a ribbon-cutting event at its new location at 7681 S. 700 E., Midvale. The new location is the company’s eighth office.
NONPROFITS
• Salt Lake City attorneys Alexandra Sandvik and Sean M. Mosman have been nominated to the Project Reality board of directors. Both are attorneys at Snell & Wilmer. Project Reality is a nonprofit, CARF-accredited agency founded in 1970 that offers a variety of services designed to provide comprehensive, therapeutic treatment to patients with substance abuse problems. At Snell & Wilmer, Sandvik focuses her practice in commercial litigation and employment law. She received a B.A. from Brigham Young University and a J.D. from BYU’s J. Reuben Clark Law School. Mosman focuses his practice on business litigation in state and federal courts. Mosman’s education includes graduating with a B.A. from BYU.
• The American Foundation of Suicide Prevention (AFSP) has hired Taryn Aiken Hiatt as area director for Utah and Nevada. She is the founding chair of the Utah chapter, organized the Salt Lake City walk for many years and has conducted hundreds of trainings in Utah and elsewhere. Taryn is also a spokesperson for AFSP’s “Lived Experience” programs.
OUTDOOR PRODUCTS/RECREATION/SPORTS
• Vista Outdoor, Farmington, has announced the Mark DeYoung, chairman and chief executive officer, has retired from the company and the board of directors. Michael Callahan, the company’s lead independent director, has been named interim chairman and CEO. The board is conducting a search for a permanent CEO and has retained a leading executive search firm to assist in the process. The board intends to consider both internal and external candidates for the position. Callahan has more than 40 years of experience in the sporting goods industry and has served as lead independent director of since the company spun off from ATK in February 2015. He has been the president and chief executive officer of Aspen Partners, a Utah-based consultant to the outdoor sporting industry, since 2008. From 1990 until his retirement in 2008, Callahan served in various merchandising, marketing, management and senior executive positions with Cabela’s Inc., most recently as senior vice president of business development and international operations. Callahan is a member of the board of the Midway USA Foundation and formerly served as a member of the board of Bushnell Outdoor Products, chairman of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation and vice chairman of the Outdoor Business Council of the US Sportsmen’s Alliance.
• Utah ski advocate George Jedenoff skied at Snowbird Resort on his 100th birthday, July 5. While not open to the public for winter activities July 5, Snowbird groomed a patch of snow for the occasion. Jedenoff has been skiing Alta and Snowbird in Little Cottonwood Canyon every year since 1960. He learned to ski at Alta at age 43.
REAL ESTATE
• The Salt Lake City office of Cushman & Wakefield Commerce has hired Jake Bowman as operations director and promoted Matt Liapis to director of research and GIS. As operations director, Bowman will collaborate to lead the operations of four Utah offices. Cushman & Wakefield Commerce operates the Cushman & Wakefield business in Utah, Washington and Nevada. Bowman has a decade of leadership experience in both the public and private sectors, including nine years as a healthcare administrator for the Veterans Health Administration and seven years managing a private real estate and business portfolio. His education includes a bachelor’s degree in the arts, healthcare administration, and a Master’s of Business Administration from the University of Utah. Liapis, the firm’s GIS leader since 2000, will now lead both the research and GIS functions for the Utah offices. His teams are responsible for delivering in-depth market trends and reporting to the firm’s 65 Utah brokers and providing geographic information, including the design of all maps; management of all server-based GIS and leadership of the team of five.
• Coldwell Banker Commercial Advisors, Salt Lake City, has hired Camron Wright as vice president of its office brokerage division. Wright has been involved in the technology and entrepreneurial sectors for more than 20 years. He previously was chief executive officer of OnlineImage and president of PC Innovation Computers.
• Summit Vista has started construction on the first phase of its Life Plan Community in Taylorsville. Summit Vista seeks to change the way seniors view retirement by emphasizing healthy, successful aging that promotes an independent lifestyle. The community will be on a 105-acre campus featuring a 62,000-square-foot clubhouse offering amenities and services that promote active living, including a 25-yard lap pool, a fitness center, clubs and activity studios, and three restaurants. Summit Vista also is working with Intermountain Healthcare to provide a variety of onsite services.
RECOGNITIONS
• Utah Associated Food stores have been honored by Rocky Mountain Power as the 2017 “wattsmart” Business Utah Partner of the Year. The eight stores are saving more than $270,000 on their annual electricity bills after making major changes in the way they light and cool their buildings. Rocky Mountain Power provided $352,377 in incentives to add LED lighting, lighting controls and refrigeration upgrades to stores in Salt Lake City, South Ogden, Park City, West Valley City, American Fork, Ogden and Taylorsville. Those efforts resulted in reducing energy use by nearly 3.9 million kilowatt-hours last year, which is enough electricity to power 437 typical Utah homes for a year.
• Park City tops the rankings of “Best Places to Retire” in Utah, according to a third annual study by financial technology company SmartAsset. The study rated cities by their tax friendliness, recreational and social opportunities for seniors, and availability of medical care. The remainder of the top 10 includes, in order, Price, Nephi, Salt Lake City, Bountiful, Ivins, Providence, Hurricane, Roosevelt and Washington. Details are available at https://smartasset.com/retirement/retirement-calculator#Utah.
• Utah maintained its grades for manufacturing and logistics in a report from Ball State University. The “2017 Manufacturing and Logistics Report Card,” prepared by Ball State’s Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) for Conexus Indiana, the state’s advanced manufacturing initiative, shows how each state ranks among its peers in several areas of the economy that underlie the success of manufacturing and logistics. Utah maintained grades in manufacturing (C), logistics (C-minus), tax climate (A), diversification (B) and expected fiscal liability gap (A). Utah’s grades decreased in human capital (B-plus to B). The grades improved in benefits costs (B to B-plus), global position (C to B), productivity and innovation (C to C-plus).
• Utah is ranked No. 2 among “Best States to Start a Business,” according to a list compiled by online publication FitSmallBusiness.com. The publication also said Salt Lake City is the “Best City to Start a Business” in Utah. Topping the state list is North Carolina. Rankings were based on access to capital, startup activity, taxes, cost of living, labor market, quality of life and cost of starting a business. Utah had a first-place ranking in access to capital. Details are at http://fitsmallbusiness.com/best-states-to-start-a-business/.
• Utah finished above-average in several lists that are part of “2017’s Best & Worst States to Start a Business,” compiled by WalletHub. Its analysts compared the 50 U.S. states across 20 key indicators of startup success. The data set ranges from financing accessibility to availability of human capital to office-space affordability. With a figure of 1 being “best” and 25 “average,” Utah was third in average growth in the number of small businesses, 15th for both industry variety and percentage of population age 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher, 17th for cost of living and 25th for office space affordability. The full report is at https://wallethub.com/edu/best-states-to-start-a-business/36934/.
RETAIL
• Todd Miceli has opened a PIRTEK franchise in Salt Lake City. The hydraulic hose replacement sales and services company will serve various industries in Utah. PIRTEK has 70 franchises and a fleet of mobile service vehicles in the U.S. Globally, it has more than 400 locations and 2,000 vehicles in 23 countries. Miceli’s experience includes owning a construction equipment rental franchise and serving as chief financial officer for several companies.
TECHNOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCES
• Utah Science, Technology and Research (USTAR) has awarded seven Technology Acceleration Program (TAP) grants and seven University Technology Acceleration Grants (UTAG) in its latest round of funding. TAP grants support private-sector technology development by assisting technology entrepreneurs to grow ideas into revenue producing companies. The UTAG program supports research and development of specific technologies with significant commercial potential that need additional refinement before they can be spun out from a university setting. Award amounts will be released pending final contract negotiations. TAP awardees are Adranos Aerospace, Payson; Ceramatec, Salt Lake City; DPI-IPG, Salt Lake City; Emissions Based Maintenance, Lehi; Life-E, Sandy; Niivatech, Provo; and Wovyn, Heber City. UTAG awardees are Z. Zak Fang, Kai Kuck and Jan Miller, University of Utah; Dah-Jye Lee and Matthew Memmott, Brigham Young University; Irina Polejaeva, Utah State University; and Christopher Trampell, Weber State University.
• Teem, a Salt Lake City-based developer of cloud-based meeting tools and workplace analytics, has hired Derek Newbold as chief technology officer. He will manage Teem’s product infrastructure and will contribute to the company’s overall vision and day-to-day operations. Newbold has more than 20 years of enterprise software management, architecture and development experience, most recently as chief technology officer at InMoment. He received a bachelor’s degree in computer science and software development at the University of Utah.
• Converus, Lehi, has announced that Jayson Ahern has joined its advisory board. Ahern has 33 years of law enforcement experience, including serving as acting head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the Department of Homeland Security. He is a principal and head of security services at The Chertoff Group, based in Washington, D.C.
TRANSPORTATION
• Skyworks, a Salt Lake City-based gyronautics company, has announced that U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Otto J. Guenther (Retired) has joined its strategic board of advisors. Guenther served in the Army for 34 years, including as commanding general of Communications Electronics Command (CECOM) and led the research and development, acquisition and logistics support for all command, control, computers and communications. His final Army assignment was as the first Army chief information officer and director of information systems, command, control, communications and computers. Most recently, Guenther was sector vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman’s Tactical Systems Division. Prior to that, he was vice president and general manager for Computer Associates International’s Federal Systems Group.