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ASSOCIATIONS
• Skyworks Global Inc., a Salt Lake City-gyronautics company, has announced that its executive director, retired Air Force Brig. Gen. John Michel, has been selected to join the Council on Competitiveness, a think tank that shapes policy and runs programs to jump-start productivity and grow America's economy. In addition to his role at Skyworks, Michel is chairman of the board at Demandtrans, a software company that specializes in transformational ground transit solutions, and is the managing partner at Switch Mobility, the provider of the first dynamic mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) application that integrates real-time, on-demand transit capabilities into a mobility platform for consumers.
BANKING
• Utah Community Credit Union has announced plans to begin construction on a new branch office at approximately 1535 N. Freedom Blvd. The branch will feature three drive-up lanes, a 24-hour ATM and Saturday hours. Construction will begin this summer and is expected to be finished by the fall of 2019. When it is completed, day-to-day operations will transfer to the Provo Freedom Branch from the credit union’s current Provo Stadium Branch office, located just north of LaVell Edwards Stadium.
CONSTRUCTION
• Ron Hadley has retired after working 44 years at Jack B. Parson Ready Mix Concrete. Hadley initially worked at Sunset Sports Center and then worked in dispatch for the South Weber Gravel pit. After seven years, he moved to ready mix sales. Hadley also served on the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) board for 20 years, as a lifetime board member with Northern Wasatch Home Builders Association, for 10 years with the Wildcat Club, as well as serving several other charitable causes.
EDUCATION/TRAINING
• Studies Weekly, an Orem-based K-6 standards-based curriculum company, has added a Diversity Board to its product development team. The board was organized to integrate and maintain cultural competence within Studies Weekly’s curriculum materials. It consists of educators and advocates who have served in various capacities working with nonprofit organizations, school district diversity and equity departments and the White House. The board will aim to maintain diversity and equity in terms of race, people with disabilities, age groups, sexual and gender identities, family structures, religious and political views and socio-economic status. Board members are Katrina Rouse, Duaa Alwan, LaVora “Gayle” Gadison, Toni Herr, Rhodes Perry, Timothy E. Pytell, DeeAnn Slade, Jackie Thompson, Nancy Vanessa Vicente, Brian Yazzie, Loki Mullholland and Kim Mogilevsky.
ENVIRONMENT
• Salt Lake City International Airport has installed 24 electric vehicle (EV) charging ports for public and employee use. The available-for-free stations are dual-port, Level 2, with standard connectors to accommodate all models of electric vehicles. Each port supplies up to 7.2 kilowatts of power. The charging stations include an instruction video that shows users how to operate the station — including phone support available at all times. A mobile application is also available for EV owners to download in order to locate an available airport charging station. Rocky Mountain Power covered half of the current project costs, which totaled $306,000. The airport’s redevelopment program in 2020 will incorporate 50 EV charging stations in a new parking structure.
GOVERNMENT
• The Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City (RDA) has announced the availability of $10 million to fund housing projects as part of a city-wide effort to increase the number of affordable housing in Salt Lake City. The Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) provides low-cost financial assistance to stimulate the construction and preservation of affordable multi-family developments within city boundaries. The RDS is inviting qualified housing developers to submit proposals for affordable residential projects. Set aside by the RDA board of directors last year, the $10 million will be allocated through a competitive and transparent public process administered by the RDA. Any developer or community group may apply with a project that meets the city’s affordable housing goals. Funding awarded through NOFA will be added to other sources of public and private investment to maximize the impact on the community. Prospective applicants can get more information at an RDA meeting July 11 at 4 p.m. at the Leonardo Museum, 209 E. 500 S.
• Chance Thompson was recently named senior manager of sustainability and public relations, a new position, at the Salt Lake Convention Center. He has been with the convention center since October 2016 when he was hired as the guest relations manager in charge of the host program, social media and event donations. He is serving a two-year term as a member of the Events Industry Council Sustainability Committee, which strives to be the authoritative resource on green-friendly event planning. In addition, he is a committee chair for the APEX/ASTM Sustainable Event Standards Relaunch effort. On the local level, Thompson is a member of the Utah Recycling Alliance board of directors.
INVESTMENTS
• Overstock.com’s blockchain subsidiary, tZERO, has signed a letter of intent with GSR Capital for the purchase of $160 million in tZERO security tokens at a price of $10 per token. To accommodate the investment from GSR, tZERO’s security token offering (STO) has been extended until Aug. 6.
• SimpleNexus, a Lehi-based digital mortgage platform company, has raised $20 million in growth capital from Insight Venture Partners to accelerate continued growth and expansion. SimpleNexus now has 15 of the top 25 retail mortgage lenders in the U.S. using its enterprise digital mortgage platform. Over $100 billion in transactions have flowed through the platform, and over 450,000 borrowers have used the SimpleNexus app.
• Clarus Corp., a Salt Lake City-based company focused on the outdoor and consumer industries, has signed a new $75 million credit facility agreement, plus an uncommitted accordion feature providing for an additional $75 million, for a total of up to $150 million, with J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, NA, providing greater international capabilities. The agreement replaces the Clarus’ $40 million revolving credit line at more favorable rates, it said. Clarus said it will use the proceeds to fully pay down the company’s previously existing revolving credit facility, as well as for working capital and general corporate purposes. Clarus products primarily are sold under the Black Diamond, Sierra and PIEPS brand names.
LAW
• FisherBroyles LLP has hired Gregory R. Lunt as a partner in the firm’s Intellectual Property Practice Group. He is based in the firm’s Salt Lake City office. Lunt focuses on patent preparation and prosecution, specifically in the fields of software, computing and electrical devices. He has more than a decade of experience assisting clients in strategic patent planning, IP portfolio valuation, infringement opinions, licensing and appeals. Also a member of the FisherBroyles Technology Practice Group, Lunt helps organizations grow and develop their national and international patent portfolios. Specifically, he has served as an IP consultant with a New York City-based startup incubator. Most recently, Lunt was a shareholder and patent attorney at Workman Nydegger in Salt Lake City. Previously, he worked as a software engineer at Novell Inc. His education includes a bachelor of science in electrical engineering technology degree from Brigham Young University.
REAL ESTATE
• 29th Street Capital (29SC), a privately held real estate investment and advisory firm, has acquired Twin Trees Apartments, a 43-unit multifamily community in Layton. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. 29SC plans to invest approximately $10,000 per unit in capital improvements, including upgraded countertops, cabinets, floors, appliances, lighting and fixtures. Exterior projects will include better landscaping, new heating and air conditioning units and curb appeal enhancements. Twin Trees is the company’s first project in the Salt Lake area. The company has offices in San Francisco and Chicago.
RECOGNITIONS
• A pair of Utah companies have made the list of “2018 Best Workplaces for Millennials,” compiled by Great Place to Work and Fortune. Castle & Cooke Mortgage, Draper, was ranked No. 68. BambooHR, Lindon, was ranked No. 89. The ranking considered input from more than 434,000 employees from Great Place to Work-certified companies. Great Place to Work, a research and consulting firm, evaluated more than 50 elements of team members’ experience on the job, including employee pride in the organization's community impact, belief that their work makes a difference and a feeling that their work has special meaning. Rankings are based on employees’ experiences, regardless of their role.
• A pair of Utah CEOs are among the “Best CEOs for Women” in 2018, a ranking by employer data company Comparably.com. In the small-and-medium-size-company category, Gavan Thorpe of Boostability was ranked No. 2. In the large-company category, Alex Shootman of Workfront was ranked No. 8. The rankings were compiled through employee-generated surveys, with criteria including compensation, healthy challenge, receiving valuable feedback, mentorship, career advancement and work/life balance.
• Impartner, a Salt Lake City-based partner relationship management solution company, has been named a 2018 Red Herring Top 100 North America winner. Winners are chosen from thousands of entrants and recognize the continent’s most exciting and innovative private technology companies. Winners were judged by industry experts, insiders and journalists on criteria that included financial performance, innovation, business strategy and market penetration.
• Ivanti, Salt Lake City, has received an “SDCE 100” award for 2018 from Supply & Demand Chain Executive, an executive’s user manual for successful supply and demand chain transformation. The list is an annual compilation of 100 great supply chain projects, and Ivanti was chosen for enabling TaylorMade, a golf equipment manufacturer, to improve warehouse productivity and voice-enabled picking with Ivanti Speakeasy, powered by Wavelink.
SPORTS
• Utah Iron, which is described by its owners as Utah County’s first strength-specific gym, has opened at 2591 W. 700 S., Unit 8, Springville. The gym focused on providing free weights, barbells, and weight racks that can accommodate the strongest lifters. It also has coaching available through classes and personal training for people of all ages and abilities.
TECHNOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCES
• Tracking First, an enterprise data governance platform, has appointed Matt Nelson as vice president of marketing. Nelson previously worked as a marketing official at Qualtrics and has prior experience at Globespan Capital Partners, McKinsey and Co. and Hewlett Packard.