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.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
• Alan D. Rindlisbacher, director of community strategy for the Economic Development Corporation of Utah, has retired, ending a 40-year private-sector business and economic development career. Rindlisbacher joined EDCUtah in 2019 after serving for 22 years as the director of corporate communications for Layton Construction Co. His community development experience included roles at the Salt Lake Area Chamber of Commerce and the Utah Division of Business and Economic Development. He also was one of the founding employees of EDCUtah, helping form and grow the organization from 1987 to 1993.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
• Salt Lake County leads all Utah counties on a list of places with the most prominent small-business presences, compiled by SmartAsset. It used IRS data to measure the percentage of residents in each county that depend on small-business income. Salt Lake County is followed, in order, by Tooele, Weber, Washington, Piute, Millard, Rich, Wayne, Grand and Iron counties. Details are at https://smartasset.com/checking-account/savings-calculator#Utah/smallBusinessReturns-2.
• Salt Lake City is ranked No. 18 on a “2022 Scoring Tech Talent” report, compiled by CBRE. It ranked the top 50 North American tech markets by analyzing 13 measures of their ability to attract and develop tech talent, including tech graduation rates, tech-job concentration, tech labor pool size, and labor and real estate costs. Salt Lake City’s ranking is the same as in 2021. Its tech workforce of 55,930 grew by 29 percent and computer engineering talent grew by 51 percent from over the past five years. It stood out in the report for its growing tech degree graduate pipeline, millennial population uptick, relative affordability, among other factors. Salt Lake City offers affordable living for tech-talent workers, with the average annual apartment rent amounting to 19.7 percent of the average tech-talent wage, ranking it 19th. The metro area is an educational market with 26,036 tech degree completions and only 12,570 tech jobs added over the past five years. The average one-year cost for operating a 500-employee tech company occupying 75,000 square feet in in Salt Lake City amounts to $42.3 million, ranking 36th.
• Salt Lake City is ranked No. 8 on a list of “Top 100 Best Places to Live in the U.S.” (population between 20,000 and 500,000), compiled by Livability.com. It considered relocation trends, economic variables and factors that influence the quality of life. The 2022 ranking categories were influenced by a study conducted by Livability.com in partnership with Ipsos. Adults nationwide were surveyed to determine the characteristics of livability they would value in a prospective home community, with an emphasis on how rising costs are affecting their relocation decisions. This year, Livability partnered with eXp Realty, a real estate brokerage, on the annual community ranking. The top-ranked city is Madison, Wisconsin. Details are at https://livability.com/best-places/2022-top-100-best-places-to-live-in-the-us/.
• Utah is ranked No. 44 on a list of “2022’s Best States for Pioneer Women,” compiled by Lawn Love. It compared states based on their suitability to a “Little House on the Prairie” lifestyle using eight factors indicating a state’s friendliness toward farming (especially for women) and surviving off the grid. The top-ranked state is Texas. The bottom-ranked state is Pennsylvania. Details are at https://lawnlove.com/blog/best-states-for-pioneer-women/.
• Highland is the “most tax-friendly place in Utah for retirees,” according to a study by SmartAsset. It analyzed tax data in towns and cities across the U.S., including sales, property, income, fuel and Social Security tax categories. Highland was followed, in order, by Enoch, Summit Park, Cedar Hills, Snyderville, St. George, Bluffdale, Nibley, Heber and Plain City. Details are at https://smartasset.com/retirement/utah-retirement-taxes#utah/mostTaxFriendlyPlacesForRetirees-3.
• Utah is ranked No. 3, behind top-ranked Idaho and No. 2 Wyoming, on a list of states best prepared for a major emergency and have the most self-sufficient residents, compiled by portable generator retailer EpicGenerators.com. It analyzed data from Google Search and Google Trends over the past year, looking at activity in each state around the most popular survivalist and "prepper" search terms and products, including freeze-dried foods, survival kits, power stations and panels, water filtration systems, emergency food supplies and generators. The bottom-ranked state is Hawaii. Details are at https://epicgenerators.com/blogs/guides/top-emergency-prep-states.
GOVERNMENT
• The Salt Lake City Department of Airports has appointed Melyssa Trnavskis as director of airport design and construction management. She succeeds Kevin Robins, director of engineering, who recently retired. Trnavskis will be responsible for the implementation of the capital improvement program for Salt Lake City International Airport, South Valley Regional Airport and Tooele Valley Airport. Trnavskis most recently was an aviation project manager at T-O Engineers. Prior to that, Trnavskis worked for the Calgary Airport Authority as director of engineering and project manager for airfield development. She also worked in various engineering and planning roles for CH2M Hill and Isbill Associates. Also, Al Stuart has retired after more than four decades at the Salt Lake City Department of Airports. Stuart started there in 1980 as an airport operations officer and eventually served in at least seven positions. He has been recognized nationally in the aviation industry as an expert on FAR 139, low-visibility operations, runway safety, construction safety, airport drivers training and snow removal programs.
• Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson has joined the inaugural cohort of the National Association of Counties’ Familiar Faces Leadership Network. The organization is committed to improving life outcomes for high-needs residents with complex behavioral health conditions. It was launched in May to support and empower communities to share data between health and justice systems and coordinate care options for individuals with complex health and behavioral health conditions who frequently cycle through jails, homeless shelters, emergency departments and other crisis services.
INTERNATIONAL
• World Trade Center Utah is accepting applications through Aug. 5 from Utah outdoor gear and apparel companies interested in representing Utah at ISPO Munich, an outdoor sports and recreation tradeshow taking place Nov. 28-30 in Germany. World Trade Center Utah, in partnership with the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity and the U.S. Small Business Administration, will lead the Utah delegation at the event, expected to attract over 85,000 attendees. Eligible companies can apple for grant funding to help cover travel costs. The participation fee is $500. Interested companies may email mbauer@wtcutah.com.
INVESTMENTS
• Tower Arch Capital, a Salt Lake City-based lower-middle market private equity fund, has announced a partnership with Intelligent Technical Solutions, an IT managed services provider. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The investment completes a recapitalization with the company’s founding management team, including CEO Tom Andrulis, Chief Revenue Officer Dan Izydorek and Chief Experience Officer Rob Schenk. Founded in 2003, ITS provides managed IT, cloud, cybersecurity, VoIP phone and fiber Internet services to small and medium-sized businesses in several cities throughout the United States. The current ITS entity formed as a merger of three historical entities to strengthen its service offerings, increase geographical diversification, and capitalize on synergies. Financing for the transaction was provided by Deerpath Capital. Advisors for Tower Arch Capital included Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP and BDO USA LLP. Advisors for ITS included Holland & Hart LLP and Focus Investment Banking’s MSP team.
• Kizik, a Lindon -based hands-free shoe company, and its parent, HandsFree Labs Inc., have completed a $20 million Series B funding round, led by The Newcastle Network. Kizik said it will use the funds to launch a Kizik Kids line and create a retail footprint with Kizik stores.
• Velosimo, a Herriman-based company providing government technology integration solutions, has secured an $11 million Series A investment, led by Macquarie Capital Principal Finance, with participation from Valor Equity Partners. The company said the funding will enable it to accelerate sales and expand its integration platform.
• Iris Technologies has raised an oversubscribed $3.2 million seed round and is launching what it says is the world’s first communication hub built for construction project managers and project engineers. The seed round was led by Resolute Ventures, with participation by Animo Ventures, Long Journey Ventures and Grix Venture Capital.
NONPROFITS
• Utah Health Policy Project, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization advancing sustainable healthcare solutions for underserved Utahns, is the recipient of new funding for “Connecting Kids to Coverage” outreach and enrollment from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. With this funding, UHPP will be able to continue the work of enrolling eligible children on Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. UHPP is one of 36 organizations throughout the country to receive this funding and the only organization in Utah. Utah has the highest number of eligible but unenrolled children in the nation, with only 79.4 percent of eligible children covered.
• Visit Salt Lake, a private, nonprofit corporation that promotes Salt Lake as a convention and travel destination, has named Suzanne Bajek as national sales manager for the Northeast Region. Based in Connecticut, Bajek has more than 30 years of experience in hospitality sales, most recently with Mohegan Sun Resort. Karen Staples, the managing director of sales for the East Coast, will remain on strategic accounts in the region and work with Bajek. Staples continues serving as president of New York Chapter of PCMA until 2023.
PARTNERSHIPS
• Electric Power Systems Inc., Logan, and Supernal have announced a partnership to accelerate development and production of safe, lighter-weight and certifiable eVTOL vehicle batteries. The agreement was formalized at the Farnborough International Airshow. It is the first vehicle partnership for Supernal, part of the Hyundai Motor Group. The partnership aim is to enable the introduction of commercial eVTOL vehicle flights and support increasing enhancements to vehicle performance as the advanced air mobility market matures.
REAL ESTATE
• The East Bay Shopping Center, a 172,000 square-foot retail center at 979 S. University Ave., Provo, has been sold by Woodside to War Chest Real Estate. Financial terms were not disclosed. The sale announcement was made by Colliers. Brokers Brandon Goodman and Nate Monson represented War Chest, while Stuart Thain and McCall Alder representing Woodside.
RECOGNITIONS
• TCN Inc., a St. George-based provider of a cloud-based call center platform for enterprises, contact centers, BPOs and collection agencies, has announced its TCN Operator platform has been named as a finalist for the second year in a row in the 2022 SaaS Awards in the Best SaaS Product for Customer Service/CRM category. Launched just over a year ago, TCN Operator offers advanced call center tools for driving operational efficiency and productivity. In its seventh year, the SaaS Awards program receives entries from around the world and recognizes excellence in innovation in software solutions.
RESTAURANTS
• R&R BBQ will have the grand opening on Labor Day weekend for a new location at 4489 W. Partridge Hill Lane, Suite 1000, Riverton. The company began in 2013 with a storefront in downtown Salt Lake City. The 3,988-square-foot Riverton location is in the Mountain View Village shopping center. It will feature a patio and catering to homes and businesses. It will be the 10th R&R location in the Salt Lake City area and the 12th overall in Utah and Idaho.
SERVICES
• Calibre One, a global executive search boutique specializing in building leadership teams for innovators, entrepreneurs and companies undergoing technology or digital transformation, has appointed Betsy Patterson as partner. Based in Salt Lake City, Patterson has 30 years’ experience within the life sciences and healthcare industries, most recently holding a leadership role at a retained search firm where she worked on executive placements for medical device, pharmaceutical, biotech and CDMO clients while overseeing day-to-day operations, staffing and marketing. She also served in communications and investor relations leadership roles both in-house and as a consultant. Her education includes an MBA from Western Governors University.
• N-Hance, a Logan-based franchisor of innovative, upscale wood refinishing services, has added Katy Oldham as a trainer in its technical department. Oldham is working one-on-one with new franchisees as they learn the basics of floor and cabinet refinishing. Oldham’s woodworking experience includes working as a contractor building houses, from laying the foundation to doing concrete work, installing doors, cabinets and flooring. Oldham graduated from Utah State University. N-Hance has more than 400 locations across North America.
TECHNOLOGY
• Podium, a Lehi-based company focused on a communication and payments platform for businesses, has hired Pauline Reader as chief marketing officer. She will be responsible for all aspects of marketing, including brand, revenue, growth, product, content, communications and more. Reader has two decades of experience in marketing, e-commerce and finance, most recently leading brand and integrated marketing, creative, customer acquisition, customer retention and marketing technology at Stitch Fix. Prior to that, she was senior vice president of ecommerce and marketing at Minted, vice president of growth at Kabbage, and director of global search engine marketing at eBay.
• Filevine, a Salt Lake City-based legal work platform company, has named Alison Holmlund as chief customer officer and promoted Erin Grosso to vice president of people. Holmlund will lead the company’s “Customers For Life” program, which encompasses training, customer success, implementations, support and strategic partnerships. Holmlund has more than 20 years of experience in B2B tech, most recently serving as chief operating officer of Lookback. Earlier in her career, she served on the executive teams of Mixpanel, Planful (formerly Host Analytics) and Proofpoint. In addition to working with Filevine, Holmlund will continue to serve on the strategic advisory board of Riverside Acceleration Capital. Grosso most recently served as Filevine’s vice president of talent acquisition. She has over six years of full-life cycle recruiting experience in the SaaS and corporate hiring spaces. She held a vice president position at Goldman Sachs, recruited for the School of Business at George Washington University, and served as an advisor for the embassy of Kuwait.
• Inside Real Estate, a Murray-based real estate software company, has hired Jack Markham as executive vice president of home ownership. He will lead the company’s home ownership division, focused on helping agents and teams create stronger relationships with their customers, increasing repeat and referral business, and increasing brokerage profitability by getting affiliated services directly to the consumer. Markham has over 20 years of real estate experience, most recently as senior vice president of strategic growth for Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate at Realogy. He also has held executive positions at Constellation Realty Group, Equator, Trulia and Market Leader.
• Wooly, a Lehi-based company offering brand ambassador software, has rebranded as Roster and raised a $6 million seed round to modernize traditional influencer marketing for e-commerce companies. The round was led by Grix VC, with participation from Peterson Ventures and Album VC.
• Entrata, a Lehi-based multifamily industry operation system company, has hired Chris Finken as senior vice president of revenue marketing. He will be responsible for building out the demand generation, lead generation and full funnel marketing initiatives for the company. Finken has over a decade of experience leading marketing teams and driving revenue growth, including service as vice president of marketing at Podium and chief marketing officer at Lightspeed Commerce after the company acquired Ecwid.