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ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT
• BYUtv, owned by Brigham Young University and based in Provo, has announced the launch of its second original scripted drama series, “Extinct,” which will premiere in 2017. Created by “Ender’s Game” author Orson Scott Card and New York Times best-selling author Aaron Johnston, “Extinct: will be a co-production of Taleswapper and Go Films. Adam Abel (“Forever Strong” and “Freetown”) is producing and Ryan Little (“Saints and Soldiers” and “Outlaw Trail”) will direct. Chad Michael Collins (“Sniper”) is set to star. The 10-episode science fiction series takes place 400 years after the extinction of the human race and follows a small group of humans who are revived by an alien civilization. The aliens claim they want to restore the human species, but the reborn humans uncover new dangers, hidden agendas and powerful secrets that challenge that claim and threaten to annihilate the human race all over again.
• The Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) board, at its September meeting, approved a motion picture film incentive of up to $140,713 for 12 Days Production LLC for “12 Days,” an independent romantic comedy expected to spend $703,563 in Utah. Principal photography was scheduled to take place in September. Producers are Jarrod Phillips and Kim Ray. The director is Jeff Fisher. The board also approved an amendment to an earlier-approved incentive for Fromage Films Corp. for “Stella.” The revised incentive of up to $70,000 is based on the company spending $350,000 in Utah. Principal photography for the family drama was scheduled for September. The producer is Mark Butler. The director is Vanessa Greene.
BANKING
• American Bank of Commerce (AmBank), Provo, has announced the election of O. Randall Woodbury as chairman of its board of directors. Woodbury is president of Woodbury Corp. He previously directed the company’s property management department since 1981. He is a graduate of the University of Utah, having earned a B.A. in business finance with emphasis on real estate. Woodbury’s election followed Jackson Howard’s stepping down as chairman. Howard served in the role for 20 years, since the bank’s inception in August 1996. Before founding AmBank, Howard was a founding member of both Orem State Bank and Wasatch Bank. He will continue to serve as a director. Woodbury and Howard are founding members of AmBank and have served as directors for the past 20 years.
• Key Private Bank has named Cameron Cole as a wealth advisor for KeyBank’s Utah market. Cole will be responsible for delivering comprehensive, personalized advice to individuals and families with substantial wealth to address their wealth planning needs. KeyBank operates 33 branches in Utah. Prior to joining Key, Cole was an analyst for a large online retailer in Salt Lake City. His education includes an MBA from the University of Utah.
CONSTRUCTION
• KIER Construction has promoted Michael Tolman to chief estimator. Tolman will oversee the company’s entire estimating process, including the estimating staff and the day-to-day activities and assignments of the department. He will also take on more of a collaborative role with business development in planning for upcoming projects. Tolman has 11 years of experience in the construction industry and in client relations. He previously was senior estimator.
CONTESTS
• Nominations are being accepted until 5 p.m. Oct. 28 for the Governor’s Medal for Science and Technology Awards. Since 1987, the awards program has recognized people who have provided distinguished service or made significant career achievements that benefit the state of Utah in the areas of science and technology. Utah residents or organizations may submit nominations. Nominees must meet specific requirements detailed on the “Procedures and Criteria” page listed below. Nominations can be made in one of five categories: Education (Higher Ed), Education (K-12), Academic/Research, Industry or Government (Individual) and Industry (Company). A one-page nomination form is available online at http://business.utah.gov/governors-medals/procedures-criteria/.
EDUCATION/TRAINING
• Western Governors University (WGU) has created the ITT Transfer Scholarship, available for qualifying ITT Tech students who transfer to WGU. The scholarships are worth up to $2,000 per student. WGU also will waive the university’s $65 application fee and first-term resource fee of $145 for ITT students. Details are at www.wgu.edu/ITTscholarship. More than 40,000 students were affected by the closure of ITT Tech.
HEALTHCARE
• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced $771,812 in funding for 12 health centers in Utah for health information technology enhancements. It is part of $87 million in funding for 1,310 health centers in every U.S. state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the Pacific Basin. Utah health centers receiving funding are Bear Lake Community Health Center Inc., Garden City, $56,345; Carbon Medical Service Association Inc., East Carbon, $45,496; Community Health Centers Inc., Midvale, $125,834; Green River Medical Center, Green River, $43,154; Midtown Community Health Center Inc., Ogden, $99,567; Mountainlands Community Health Center Inc., Provo, $82,829; Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, Cedar City, $42,047; Southwest Utah Community Health Center Inc., St. George, $61,206; Utah Navajo Health System Inc., Montezuma Creek, $62,197; Utah Partners for Health, Midvale, $53,562; Wasatch Homeless Health Care Inc., Salt Lake City, $52,232; and Wayne Community Health Centers Inc., Bicknell, $47,343. The funding comes from the Affordable Care Act’s Community Health Center (CHC) Fund, which was extended with bipartisan support in the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) of 2015.
NONPROFITS
• Salt Lake City attorney Doug P. Farr has been elected to the board of directors of The Sharing Place, which provides a safe and caring environment for grieving children, teens and their families to share their feelings while healing themselves. Farr is an attorney at Snell & Wilmer. He is a commercial litigator who focuses on a broad range of industries, including real estate, financial services and insurance. Farr received his J.D. from Brigham Young University’s J. Rueben Clark Law School.
PHILANTHROPY
• America First Credit Union, Riverdale, has launched its 12th Annual Community Food Drive, which runs through Oct. 22. All locations throughout Utah and southern Nevada will be accepting donations of nonperishable food items to distribute to local food pantries and food banks. In addition to the food drive, America First will donate $5,000 in turkeys to Utah Food Bank in preparation for the holiday season. All collected items will be donated to the Utah Food Bank, Three Square Las Vegas and Cappallappa Family Reserve Center. America First started the community food drive in 2004 and, with the help of employees and members, has collected more than 130,400 pounds of food. This year, the most-needed nonperishable food items include, but are not limited to, canned vegetables, canned tuna fish and peanut butter (no glass).
• Primary Residential Mortgage Inc. (PRMI), Salt Lake City, is partnering with Feeding America and its nationwide network of 200 food banks in an eight-week fundraising campaign. PRMI’s goal is to raise $150,000 to help provide 1.65 million meals to food-insecure individuals and families across America. The company kicked off the “Give A Meal” Team Challenge at its seventh annual national conference in South Carolina. PRMI employees across the country will team up in a competition to raise funds, with each donation helping the community from which it is made. Details are at www.feedingamerica.org/prmi.
• Jamberry, American Fork, is partnering with the American Cancer Society for the #TellYourStory campaign by selling a collection of pink nail wraps in support of breast cancer awareness and research. For each nail wrap purchased from the collection in October, Jamberry will contribute $2 to the American Cancer Society.
• Vista Outdoor Inc., Farmington, recently had a “bike build” as part of the company’s commitment to giving back to communities in need. During the event, employees built bicycles provided by Advanced Sports. After the 70 bikes were assembled, Vista Outdoor presented the bikes, CamelBak water bottles and Bell and Giro bicycle helmets to the National Ability Center, a nonprofit organization that seeks to empower individuals by offering recreational and educational programs to those in need.
REAL ESTATE
• The MIT Center for Real Estate has welcomed a new class of Samuel Tak Lee Fellows who will study in the Master of Science in Real Estate Development (MSRED) graduate degree program in the 2016-2017 academic year. The group includes Paige Pitcher. As an undergraduate at the University of Utah, Pitcher studied city and metropolitan planning. Before coming to MIT, she founded a pioneering planning and development company in Salt Lake City that has produced more than 500 units of multi-family, mixed-use, transit-oriented housing units. Her goal is to expand her affordable housing expertise and create next-generation projects that tackle social and global urbanization issues.
RECOGNITIONS
• Clinical Magnet, a healthcare recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) provider and part of the Park City-based Supplemental Health Care family, has been included in HRO Today’s “Baker's Dozen” as the No. 5 company among top healthcare RPO providers. It is the second consecutive year for the company to be in the rankings. The list is based on customer feedback collected throughout the year in an online survey. Rankings are calculated based on three categories: service breadth, deal sizes and quality.
RETAIL
• Natural Grocers will open a Salt Lake City store Sept. 27 at 1033 E. 2100 S. The opening brings the number of Natural Grocers stores in Utah to five. Activities Sept. 27 include a 7:55 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony and prizes for the first 100 customers in line. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Inc. was founded in Colorado in 1955, has more than 3,000 employees and operates 123 stores in 19 states.
• Staymobile, a service company providing electronic repair, accessories and protection for businesses and consumers, has opened locations at the University of Utah and Utah Valley University. The store at the University of Utah is inside the A. Ray Olpin Union Building, 200 S. Central Campus Drive, Salt Lake City, Utah. Additional drop-off only locations are at the Campus Bookstore, Health Sciences Bookstore, Utah Red Zone Sandy, Utah Redzone West Jordan and Utah Red Zone Layton. The Utah Valley University store is inside the Wolverine Tech Center, 800 W. University Parkway, Orem.
• Overstock.com Inc., Salt Lake City, has named Vidya Jwala as senior vice president of demand fulfillment. He will oversee the company’s sourcing, merchandising, supply chain and customer care businesses. Jwala most recently worked at Walmart as vice president of merchandising and operations. He also has served in leadership roles at the Tractor Supply Co., Lowe’s Cos. Inc. and Jo-Ann Stores LLC.
RURAL UTAH
• The Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) board, at its September meeting, endorsed a pair of Rural Fast Track Grants. CIS Professional Land Surveying, in Nephi in Juab County, was endorsed for a grant of $27,626 to buy a surveying system and equipment that will allow the company to operate without a cell network or while in “black spots.” The equipment also will allow the company to expand into the mining industry. The overall project cost is $55,252. The board also endorsed a grant of $50,000 for Winward Financial, in Wellsville in Cache County, to build a 1,800-square-foot office building. It will be the first new private building built in downtown Wellsville since 1946. The project’s overall cost is $300,000.
SERVICES
• Track Group Inc., Salt Lake City, has made several appointments and nominations. Ray Johnson and Eric Rosenblum have been appointed to the company’s board of directors. Guy Dubois, Track Group’s board chairman, remains chairman and also has been appointed as chief executive officer. In a planned transition, Mark Attarian, chief administrative officer, has been appointed as chief financial officer, replacing John Merrill. Johnson is a former senior vice president and chief technology officer at Lockheed Martin Corp. Rosenblum has worked in strategy and product development for emerging technology companies. He is an executive at Palantir Technologies Inc., leading several product areas, including cybersecurity and financial compliance. He joined Palantir from Drawbridge, where he served as chief operating officer. Prior to that, Rosenblum was director of product and director of strategy and business operations at Google. Dubois joined the board of directors of SecureAlert in 2012 and was appointed chairman in 2013. During that time, he led the company’s transformation, including its corporate re-branding to Track Group in 2014. Prior to Track Group, he held various executive leadership roles at gategroup Holding AG, including director and CEO, and also at Roche Vitamins Inc. Dubois is chairman of Singapore-based Tetra House Pte. Ltd. and is a member of the board of directors at RNTS Media NV. Attarian has more than 30 years of experience in finance and operations with growth-oriented technology, healthcare and service companies. Prior to Track Group, Mark was chief financial officer of Interactive Holding Corp., dba Undertone, and a partner at Tatum.
TECHNOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCES
• DigiCert, Lehi, has promoted Flavio Martins to chief operating officer. Martins will be directly involved in strategic planning and forecasting while having oversight for DigiCert’s marketing, customer support and reseller divisions. He joined DigiCert in 2007 and most recently was vice president of operations. His education includes a B.S. in information technology from Utah Valley University.
ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT
• BYUtv, owned by Brigham Young University and based in Provo, has announced the launch of its second original scripted drama series, “Extinct,” which will premiere in 2017. Created by “Ender’s Game” author Orson Scott Card and New York Times best-selling author Aaron Johnston, “Extinct: will be a co-production of Taleswapper and Go Films. Adam Abel (“Forever Strong” and “Freetown”) is producing and Ryan Little (“Saints and Soldiers” and “Outlaw Trail”) will direct. Chad Michael Collins (“Sniper”) is set to star. The 10-episode science fiction series takes place 400 years after the extinction of the human race and follows a small group of humans who are revived by an alien civilization. The aliens claim they want to restore the human species, but the reborn humans uncover new dangers, hidden agendas and powerful secrets that challenge that claim and threaten to annihilate the human race all over again.
• The Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) board, at its September meeting, approved a motion picture film incentive of up to $140,713 for 12 Days Production LLC for “12 Days,” an independent romantic comedy expected to spend $703,563 in Utah. Principal photography was scheduled to take place in September. Producers are Jarrod Phillips and Kim Ray. The director is Jeff Fisher. The board also approved an amendment to an earlier-approved incentive for Fromage Films Corp. for “Stella.” The revised incentive of up to $70,000 is based on the company spending $350,000 in Utah. Principal photography for the family drama was scheduled for September. The producer is Mark Butler. The director is Vanessa Greene.
BANKING
• American Bank of Commerce (AmBank), Provo, has announced the election of O. Randall Woodbury as chairman of its board of directors. Woodbury is president of Woodbury Corp. He previously directed the company’s property management department since 1981. He is a graduate of the University of Utah, having earned a B.A. in business finance with emphasis on real estate. Woodbury’s election followed Jackson Howard’s stepping down as chairman. Howard served in the role for 20 years, since the bank’s inception in August 1996. Before founding AmBank, Howard was a founding member of both Orem State Bank and Wasatch Bank. He will continue to serve as a director. Woodbury and Howard are founding members of AmBank and have served as directors for the past 20 years.
• Key Private Bank has named Cameron Cole as a wealth advisor for KeyBank’s Utah market. Cole will be responsible for delivering comprehensive, personalized advice to individuals and families with substantial wealth to address their wealth planning needs. KeyBank operates 33 branches in Utah. Prior to joining Key, Cole was an analyst for a large online retailer in Salt Lake City. His education includes an MBA from the University of Utah.
CONSTRUCTION
• KIER Construction has promoted Michael Tolman to chief estimator. Tolman will oversee the company’s entire estimating process, including the estimating staff and the day-to-day activities and assignments of the department. He will also take on more of a collaborative role with business development in planning for upcoming projects. Tolman has 11 years of experience in the construction industry and in client relations. He previously was senior estimator.
CONTESTS
• Nominations are being accepted until 5 p.m. Oct. 28 for the Governor’s Medal for Science and Technology Awards. Since 1987, the awards program has recognized people who have provided distinguished service or made significant career achievements that benefit the state of Utah in the areas of science and technology. Utah residents or organizations may submit nominations. Nominees must meet specific requirements detailed on the “Procedures and Criteria” page listed below. Nominations can be made in one of five categories: Education (Higher Ed), Education (K-12), Academic/Research, Industry or Government (Individual) and Industry (Company). A one-page nomination form is available online at http://business.utah.gov/governors-medals/procedures-criteria/.
EDUCATION/TRAINING
• Western Governors University (WGU) has created the ITT Transfer Scholarship, available for qualifying ITT Tech students who transfer to WGU. The scholarships are worth up to $2,000 per student. WGU also will waive the university’s $65 application fee and first-term resource fee of $145 for ITT students. Details are at www.wgu.edu/ITTscholarship. More than 40,000 students were affected by the closure of ITT Tech.
HEALTHCARE
• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced $771,812 in funding for 12 health centers in Utah for health information technology enhancements. It is part of $87 million in funding for 1,310 health centers in every U.S. state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the Pacific Basin. Utah health centers receiving funding are Bear Lake Community Health Center Inc., Garden City, $56,345; Carbon Medical Service Association Inc., East Carbon, $45,496; Community Health Centers Inc., Midvale, $125,834; Green River Medical Center, Green River, $43,154; Midtown Community Health Center Inc., Ogden, $99,567; Mountainlands Community Health Center Inc., Provo, $82,829; Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, Cedar City, $42,047; Southwest Utah Community Health Center Inc., St. George, $61,206; Utah Navajo Health System Inc., Montezuma Creek, $62,197; Utah Partners for Health, Midvale, $53,562; Wasatch Homeless Health Care Inc., Salt Lake City, $52,232; and Wayne Community Health Centers Inc., Bicknell, $47,343. The funding comes from the Affordable Care Act’s Community Health Center (CHC) Fund, which was extended with bipartisan support in the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) of 2015.
NONPROFITS
• Salt Lake City attorney Doug P. Farr has been elected to the board of directors of The Sharing Place, which provides a safe and caring environment for grieving children, teens and their families to share their feelings while healing themselves. Farr is an attorney at Snell & Wilmer. He is a commercial litigator who focuses on a broad range of industries, including real estate, financial services and insurance. Farr received his J.D. from Brigham Young University’s J. Rueben Clark Law School.
PHILANTHROPY
• America First Credit Union, Riverdale, has launched its 12th Annual Community Food Drive, which runs through Oct. 22. All locations throughout Utah and southern Nevada will be accepting donations of nonperishable food items to distribute to local food pantries and food banks. In addition to the food drive, America First will donate $5,000 in turkeys to Utah Food Bank in preparation for the holiday season. All collected items will be donated to the Utah Food Bank, Three Square Las Vegas and Cappallappa Family Reserve Center. America First started the community food drive in 2004 and, with the help of employees and members, has collected more than 130,400 pounds of food. This year, the most-needed nonperishable food items include, but are not limited to, canned vegetables, canned tuna fish and peanut butter (no glass).
• Primary Residential Mortgage Inc. (PRMI), Salt Lake City, is partnering with Feeding America and its nationwide network of 200 food banks in an eight-week fundraising campaign. PRMI’s goal is to raise $150,000 to help provide 1.65 million meals to food-insecure individuals and families across America. The company kicked off the “Give A Meal” Team Challenge at its seventh annual national conference in South Carolina. PRMI employees across the country will team up in a competition to raise funds, with each donation helping the community from which it is made. Details are at www.feedingamerica.org/prmi.
• Jamberry, American Fork, is partnering with the American Cancer Society for the #TellYourStory campaign by selling a collection of pink nail wraps in support of breast cancer awareness and research. For each nail wrap purchased from the collection in October, Jamberry will contribute $2 to the American Cancer Society.
• Vista Outdoor Inc., Farmington, recently had a “bike build” as part of the company’s commitment to giving back to communities in need. During the event, employees built bicycles provided by Advanced Sports. After the 70 bikes were assembled, Vista Outdoor presented the bikes, CamelBak water bottles and Bell and Giro bicycle helmets to the National Ability Center, a nonprofit organization that seeks to empower individuals by offering recreational and educational programs to those in need.
REAL ESTATE
• The MIT Center for Real Estate has welcomed a new class of Samuel Tak Lee Fellows who will study in the Master of Science in Real Estate Development (MSRED) graduate degree program in the 2016-2017 academic year. The group includes Paige Pitcher. As an undergraduate at the University of Utah, Pitcher studied city and metropolitan planning. Before coming to MIT, she founded a pioneering planning and development company in Salt Lake City that has produced more than 500 units of multi-family, mixed-use, transit-oriented housing units. Her goal is to expand her affordable housing expertise and create next-generation projects that tackle social and global urbanization issues.
RECOGNITIONS
• Clinical Magnet, a healthcare recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) provider and part of the Park City-based Supplemental Health Care family, has been included in HRO Today’s “Baker's Dozen” as the No. 5 company among top healthcare RPO providers. It is the second consecutive year for the company to be in the rankings. The list is based on customer feedback collected throughout the year in an online survey. Rankings are calculated based on three categories: service breadth, deal sizes and quality.
RETAIL
• Natural Grocers will open a Salt Lake City store Sept. 27 at 1033 E. 2100 S. The opening brings the number of Natural Grocers stores in Utah to five. Activities Sept. 27 include a 7:55 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony and prizes for the first 100 customers in line. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage Inc. was founded in Colorado in 1955, has more than 3,000 employees and operates 123 stores in 19 states.
• Staymobile, a service company providing electronic repair, accessories and protection for businesses and consumers, has opened locations at the University of Utah and Utah Valley University. The store at the University of Utah is inside the A. Ray Olpin Union Building, 200 S. Central Campus Drive, Salt Lake City, Utah. Additional drop-off only locations are at the Campus Bookstore, Health Sciences Bookstore, Utah Red Zone Sandy, Utah Redzone West Jordan and Utah Red Zone Layton. The Utah Valley University store is inside the Wolverine Tech Center, 800 W. University Parkway, Orem.
• Overstock.com Inc., Salt Lake City, has named Vidya Jwala as senior vice president of demand fulfillment. He will oversee the company’s sourcing, merchandising, supply chain and customer care businesses. Jwala most recently worked at Walmart as vice president of merchandising and operations. He also has served in leadership roles at the Tractor Supply Co., Lowe’s Cos. Inc. and Jo-Ann Stores LLC.
RURAL UTAH
• The Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) board, at its September meeting, endorsed a pair of Rural Fast Track Grants. CIS Professional Land Surveying, in Nephi in Juab County, was endorsed for a grant of $27,626 to buy a surveying system and equipment that will allow the company to operate without a cell network or while in “black spots.” The equipment also will allow the company to expand into the mining industry. The overall project cost is $55,252. The board also endorsed a grant of $50,000 for Winward Financial, in Wellsville in Cache County, to build a 1,800-square-foot office building. It will be the first new private building built in downtown Wellsville since 1946. The project’s overall cost is $300,000.
SERVICES
• Track Group Inc., Salt Lake City, has made several appointments and nominations. Ray Johnson and Eric Rosenblum have been appointed to the company’s board of directors. Guy Dubois, Track Group’s board chairman, remains chairman and also has been appointed as chief executive officer. In a planned transition, Mark Attarian, chief administrative officer, has been appointed as chief financial officer, replacing John Merrill. Johnson is a former senior vice president and chief technology officer at Lockheed Martin Corp. Rosenblum has worked in strategy and product development for emerging technology companies. He is an executive at Palantir Technologies Inc., leading several product areas, including cybersecurity and financial compliance. He joined Palantir from Drawbridge, where he served as chief operating officer. Prior to that, Rosenblum was director of product and director of strategy and business operations at Google. Dubois joined the board of directors of SecureAlert in 2012 and was appointed chairman in 2013. During that time, he led the company’s transformation, including its corporate re-branding to Track Group in 2014. Prior to Track Group, he held various executive leadership roles at gategroup Holding AG, including director and CEO, and also at Roche Vitamins Inc. Dubois is chairman of Singapore-based Tetra House Pte. Ltd. and is a member of the board of directors at RNTS Media NV. Attarian has more than 30 years of experience in finance and operations with growth-oriented technology, healthcare and service companies. Prior to Track Group, Mark was chief financial officer of Interactive Holding Corp., dba Undertone, and a partner at Tatum.
TECHNOLOGY/LIFE SCIENCES
• DigiCert, Lehi, has promoted Flavio Martins to chief operating officer. Martins will be directly involved in strategic planning and forecasting while having oversight for DigiCert’s marketing, customer support and reseller divisions. He joined DigiCert in 2007 and most recently was vice president of operations. His education includes a B.S. in information technology from Utah Valley University.