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ASSOCIATIONS
• The Associated Builders and Contractors Utah Chapter has appointed JuliAne Burton as executive administrator. She will oversee member development, marketing and communications. Burton has over 28 years of combined experience in marketing, communications and business development. She has been the recipient of numerous marketing/photojournalism awards involving projects under her direction, both national and international. ABC nationally has 69 chapters.
BANKING
• Celtic Bank, a Salt Lake City-based industrial bank, has expanded its commercial loan offerings to technology companies that are not well suited for traditional loan products, given the nature of their business models. Its recurring revenue loans are designed for growth-stage software and technology companies providing “mission critical” technology platforms to their customer bases and have recurring (contractual or subscription) revenue models. Because their primary assets are typically intangible, owners and founders have a difficult time securing commercial financing through conventional means. Instead, they usually raise capital by exchanging equity in their company.
CONSTRUCTION
• DataBank, a Dallas-based provider of enterprise-class colocation, connectivity and managed services, has begun construction of its latest Salt Lake City-area data center, SLC6, increasing capacity to meet demand for IT infrastructure in Utah and the Salt Lake City market. The center in Bluffdale resides on DataBank’s 23-acre Granite Point Campus, which offers network connectivity to more than a dozen carriers and cloud providers. DataBank has more than 60 data centers and 20 interconnection hubs in 29 markets.
• The West Quarter, a multi-use development in Salt Lake City, recently had the ceremonial placement of the final steel beam for its first hotel and a main residential tower. Located near Vivint Arena, the first phase of the 737,000-square-foot project is expected to be completed in 2022. The developers are The Ritchie Group and Garn Development. The project is being built by Jacobsen Construction. The West Quarter’s residential tower will add 230 housing units to Salt Lake City. Its dual-branded hotel tower will have 270 rooms. The project also will feature Quarter Row, a curb-less, pedestrian-focused street running through the development that will feature high-end restaurants, bars and retailers.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
• Utah’s grades have slipped in the 2021 Small Business Friendliness Survey, compiled by Thumbtack, a home management platform. Utah received a C for overall friendliness, down from an A-plus in 2019. Utah had received an overall grade of A-plus all eight times the grades were issued since 2012. Thumbtack graded 43 states and 44 metro areas based on results of a survey of more than 3,600 small-business owners in the home maintenance and construction industries. In the 2021 analysis, Utah received a B for employment, labor and hiring; a B-minus for licensing; a C for the ease of starting a business; a C-minus for regulations; a D-plus for ease of hiring; a D for training and networking programs; and an F for tax code. On a city level, Salt Lake City and Jacksonville, Florida, both received an A-plus grade for small-business friendliness. Details are at https://www.thumbtack.com/survey.
• Utah companies pay an average of $40,500 to workers without a college degree, according to an analysis by Upgraded Points. It collected the average annual mean wage across the top 25 job positions that do not require a degree, using the most current Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The national average is $43,202. The top pay was in Washington, at $53,090. The lowest was in Mississippi, at $33,834. The highest-paying Utah jobs that do not require a degree are police and sheriff’s patrol officers. Details are at https://upgradedpoints.com/finance/best-states-for-workers-without-college-degrees/.
• Salt Lake City is ranked No. 34 among the largest U.S. cities for outdoor grilling, a list compiled by Lawn Love. It ranked over 180 cities and considered several factors, including the number of butcher shops, affordable meat, nice weather and community interest based on Google search trends. The top-ranked city is Pomona, California. The bottom-ranked city is Yonkers, New York. Details are at https://lawnlove.com/blog/best-cities-outdoor-grilling/.
EDUCATION/TRAINING
• VitalSmarts, a Provo-based corporate training company, has launched newly revamped courses and a company rebrand, including a new name: Crucial Learning. The company said the change “aligns with a shift in the company’s strategy to offer its courses in communication, performance and leadership to broader audiences.” The company was founded in 1989.
• Graduation Alliance, a Salt Lake City-based organization that develops alternative education and workforce training programs, has earned its third consecutive five-year accreditation from Cognia, an accreditor of K-12 public and private schools in the country. Graduation Alliance first earned accreditation by the Northwest Accreditation Commission (NWAC), now a division of Cognia, in 2007. Graduation Alliance said the continuation of Cognia accreditation means students who earn a diploma or take individual courses through Graduation Alliance can be assured their achievements will be recognized by employers, post-secondary institutions and the US military.
• Nova Space Inc., the subsidiary of Salt Lake City-based Pure Capital Solutions, has announced the release of its first Space Professional Development product. The initial course is designed for a broad range of experience levels, from novice to expert. Novices can learn and understand the full range of space operations topics. For the experienced professional, the course will expand on their current knowledge and industry experience. The course offerings are asynchronous, scalable, and can be completed on the customer’s timeframe, while also being aligned closely with industry and government requirements.
HEALTHCARE
• Renalytix Plc, with a testing lab in Salt Lake City, has appointed Daniel J. Levangie to its board of directors and as a member of the company’s remuneration committee. He is co-founder and manager of ATON Partners and president and CEO of CereVasc LLC.. He has served on the board of directors of Exact Sciences Corp. since 2010. His previous experience includes serving as president of Insulet Drug Delivery Systems, serving as a lead director of Insulet Corp.; serving as CEO of Dune Medical Devices Inc.; serving as co-founder and managing partner of Constitution Medical Investors Inc.; and holding held executive management positions with Cytyc Corp., including executive vice president and chief operating officer, chief executive officer and president until the acquisition of Cytyc by Hologic in 2007. He served on the board of Hologic from 2007 to 2009.
• PhotoPharmics, an American Fork-based privately held, clinical-stage medical device company developing treatments for treating neurodegenerative disorders through the eyes, has appointed Dr. Karl Kieburtz as chief medical officer. He will oversee the company’s clinical strategy and activities, including direct supervision of scientific development, clinical operations, data science, and interactions with the FDA. Kieburtz has experience executing clinical trials for Parkinson’s disease programs across all stages of development. He is currently president of Clintrex Research Corp. His role as CMO is part of an ongoing collaboration between PhotoPharmics and Clintrex. He also continues as professor of neurology at the University of Rochester, where he was founding director of the Center for Health & Technology (CHeT).
• Health Catalyst Inc., a Salt Lake City-based provider of data and analytics technology and services to healthcare organizations, has added Matt Revis to its leadership team. Revis will continue to lead the Twistle business, where he has served as president and chief operating officer prior to the acquisition of the patient engagement technology company by Health Catalyst in July. Prior to joining Twistle in 2019, Revis served as a head of product at Jibo. He also served in leadership roles at Nuance Communications.
INVESTMENTS
• Clicklease, a West Valley Lake City-based fintech company providing payment solutions in the commercial equipment space, has closed $63 million in Series A funding, led by Sandlot Partners. Focused on helping undeserved businesses get the equipment they need to succeed, Clicklease operates in the micro-ticket space, instantly decisioning and funding capital investments that produce a direct and immediate impact on revenue for small-business owners.
• Mountain Pacific Partners, a Salt Lake City-based life sciences investment firm, has announced a $2 million investment in Alterra Medical, a Salt Lake City-based specialty healthcare distributor and commercialization company.
NONPROFITS
• The Economic Development Corporation of Utah has announced a restructuring. Jill Kirsling, in addition to serving as chief financial officer, will act as director of internal business operations. Her responsibilities will include finance, budgeting, facilities and human resources. Stephanie Frohman will serve as senior vice president of strategy and partnerships. Her new role will expand on her existing work with EDCUtah’s private-sector investors and strategic initiatives. She also will oversee the work of Ze Min Xiao and the EDCUtah Center of Economic Opportunity and Belonging. Two other existing vice presidents will continue in their current roles: Matt Hilburn as vice president of research and marketing and Colby Cooley as vice president of business development.
• The Walton Family Foundation, the Jacquelyn and Gregory Zehner Foundation and the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation have announced their support for the Economic Development Corporation of Utah’s Center for Economic Opportunity and Belonging (CEOB). The center serves as the private-sector commitment to work alongside government and communities of color to advance the principles outlined in the Utah Compact on Racial Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. It focuses on advancing economic equity and strengthening community cohesiveness by fostering an environment of belonging for all Utahns. The center is housed under the recently-formed nonprofit EDCUtah Foundation. The Economic Development Corporation of Utah is a private, nonprofit organization that is a statewide economic development organization specializing in corporate recruitment, economic research, site selector marketing and community development. It serves as a partner of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development for corporate recruitment and is supported by state government, local governments, and organizations from the private sector.
PHILANTHROPY
• Tyson Foods recently donated a total of 40,000 pounds of protein to local food pantries and organizations. It included 5,000 pounds each to Tabitha’s Way local food pantry locations in American Fork and Spanish Fork. Tabitha’s Way helped to distribute 2,000 pounds of protein to Community Action Food Bank in Provo and 11,000 pounds to the Utah County Jail in Spanish Fork. The bulk of the frozen products, packed into boxes, went to families and community members in need. A portion of the protein was also presented as a thank you to Tyson team members at the conclusion of the Eagle Mountain plant’s first week of operations, with each team member receiving a box of the product. The plant has hired 300 team members to begin operations in the new Eagle Mountain facility and plans to hire an additional 300 by year-end. When fully operational, the facility plans to employ 1,200 people.
• Thirty-four companies adopted service projects during the “Day of Caring,” organized by United Way of Salt Lake. Across Salt Lake, Summit, Tooele, and Davis counties, corporate partners, and the United Way connected 12 schools and 18 nonprofits across the valley with 934 volunteers who completed annual beautification work and encouraged students with STEM, literacy, and college- and career-readiness projects.
• Meadow Gold Dairy, with six manufacturing facilities in Utah and four other Mountain West states, has begun a “Fuel Their Drive” promotion, which will award up to $10,000 to high school athletic departments in Salt Lake City; Denver; and Boise and Billings, Montana. Meadow Gold will award 22 grants, ranging from $1,000 to $10,000, to high schools in those communities, part of a campaign to provide Meadow Gold shoppers a chance at a portion of $1 million that will be awarded to high school athletic programs nationwide. To participate in the campaign through Oct. 15, shoppers will buy Meadow Gold milk, upload a photo of their receipt and vote for their high school. Schools with the most votes will win $10,000, and some winners will be chosen at random for $2,000. Community members and high schoolers can also engage in local-market social media challenges for a chance to win an additional $1,000. Details are at https://fueltheirdrive.com/meadowgold.
REAL ESTATE
• Lake Pointe Corporate Centre, West Valley City, has been sold by Felton Properties, based Portland, Oregon, to a partnership between Advanced Medical Properties and George Urban Properties, both based in Orange County, California. Financial terms were not disclosed. The property is a two-building, Class A suburban office campus at 2850 and 2875 S. Decker Lake Drive. It was developed in the late 1990s within the Decker Lake Business Park. It comprises 182,121 square feet, and the property is currently 97 percent leased. The sale was arranged by Newmark Knight Frank. Newmark’s co-head of U.S. capital markets, Kevin Shannon, Executive Managing Director Ken White and Senior Managing Director Rick Stumm, in cooperation with Executive Managing Director Bryce Blanchard and Senior Investment Advisor Steve Walton, represented Felton. Newmark’s vice chairman, David Milestone, and Senior Managing Director Brett Green secured the acquisition financing on behalf of the buyer.
• Tradestar Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Dyno Nobel Americas, will continue to occupy 104,989 square feet of office space on Gladiola Street in Salt Lake City after signing a lease renewal. Tradestar manufactures custom equipment used to deliver bulk commercial explosives. Collier’s announced the five-year lease renewal. Travis Yates, vice president, and Vic Galanis, executive vice president, represented Tradestar in the transaction.
• Century Communities Inc., based in Colorado, is selling at the Copper Rim planned development in West Jordan at the sales center at 6074 W. Oquirrh Ridge Road. It offers two home collections (three rambler and seven two-story floor plans), with 2,947 to 4,789 square feet of living space. Century operates in 17 states and over 40 markets across the United States, and also offers title, insurance and lending services in select markets through its subsidiaries.
RECOGNITIONS
• Qube Money, a Lehi-based financial technology company, has been selected as the No. 1 budgeting application as part of the 2021 Smart Money Awards. Real Simple compiled a list of top financial companies offering products that debuted or were updated between January 2020 and June 2021. A panel of 14 judges rated products ranging from budgeting, banking, insurance and real estate on innovativeness and relevance to Real Simple readers. Qube Money is a mobile banking app that provides real-time banking solutions designed to make spending and saving with purpose an easy, seamless part of life.
RETAIL
• Ken Garff Automotive Group, Salt Lake City, has purchased Rodeo Hyundai in Surprise, Arizona, and will operate it as Ken Garff Hyundai Surprise. Financial terms were not disclosed. The Garff group operates more than 55 stores throughout Utah and six other states.
SERVICES
• Peopletrail LLC, a Draper-based consumer reporting agency, has promoted Allyson Davis to director of compliance. Davis previously served as mortgage compliance manager. Davis has 20 years of experience in the mortgage industry, working for Nationwide Mortgage beginning in 2001. She advanced to loan officer. She also worked as a quality control specialist and later served as compliance and processing manager at Security National Mortgage Co. She began at Peopletrail in 2017.
• Aptive Environment, a pest control company with three Utah offices, is partnering with Orem-based Grit Marketing to bring pest control services to more customers. As part of the new partnership, Aptive will be the only pest control company that Grit Marketing will sell for and represent starting with the 2022 season. Aptive has a sales force of 3,100 sales representatives. Founded in 2020, Grit has more than 400 sales representatives.
TECHNOLOGY
• Instructure Holdings Inc., a Salt Lake City-based education technology company that produces Canvas, has appointed Ossa Fisher and Lloyd "Buzz" Waterhouse to its board of directors. Fisher has been the president and CEO educational technology company Istation Inc. since 2019, previously serving as its chief operating officer and chief marketing officer. She was the senior vice president of strategy and analytics at Match.com. Fisher has over a decade of experience in the Technology, Media and Telecom practices of both Bain & Co. and Goldman Sachs & Co, and in the IT investment division of the World Bank Group. Waterhouse, who also will be a member of the Instructure Holdings Audit Committee, is a senior advisor to New Mountain Capital. He was previously the CEO of McGraw-Hill Education, served as CEO and president of Harcourt Education Group, served as CEO and chairman of Reynolds and Reynolds Co. and served on the board of directors of SolarWinds Inc.
• Vivint Smart Home Inc., a Provo-based smart home company, has named Daniel Garen as chief ethics and compliance officer. Garen will be responsible for upholding the company’s culture of corporate compliance, as well as implementing new systems to ensure policies are being enforced across the business. Garen has more than two decades of experience in compliance, most recently at DLA Piper, where he developed and implemented compliance and risk management strategies at public and private companies around the world. As a technology compliance lawyer, Garen has experience creating, implementing and managing compliance programs for Danaher Corp., Wright Medical Technology, Siemens Medical Solutions and Bayer Healthcare, among others.
• Mailbox Power, a Lehi-based, privately held company offering a platform for business professionals to create personalized gifts and greeting cards, has appointed Mike Whitmire to executive vice president of marketing. He will be directly involved as the company expands into additional vertical markets that need help using direct mail, email marketing and marketing automation.