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ASSOCIATIONS
- Robin Huling is the new president of the West Jordan Chamber of Commerce, succeeding Laurie Gail. Huling is an entrepreneur with experience in the hospitality industry and e-commerce and currently is an independent leadership development consultant and speaker with over two decades of experience. She worked at Universal Studios, Planet Hollywood, Walt Disney World and Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville before starting her own consulting firm, Warner Communication. She also has served as chair for Silicon Slopes Women in Leadership and as a board member of Utah Foster Care.
BANKING
- Bank of Utah, based in Ogden, has promoted Dillon Schmutz to senior vice president/trust manager, and Lacey Sansavera to senior vice president/chief experience officer. Both work at the City Creek Bank Center in Salt Lake City. Schmutz manages the Personal Trust Department and the operations department of Personal Trust and Corporate Trust. He continues to manage the corporate foreign exchange transactions. Schmutz previously was a trust officer and has been working in the banking and finance industry for 11 years. His experience includes working for Goldman Sachs for four years on the funds and hedge funds team in the credit department. He joined Bank of Utah in 2018 as an AVP relationship manager. He also has served in the VP/foreign exchange manager, trust operations manager and VP/trust manager positions. Schmutz earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from Dixie State University. Sansavera previously worked as vice president of systems and operations integration manager. She has 18 years of experience in the banking industry. She has worked in bank operations, retail management, consumer lending, digital banking, treasury management and card services. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Management. Also, Agent IQ, focused on digital relationship banking, personalized engagement and AI-supported self-service, has announced a client partnership with Bank of Utah to launch a new chat solution powered by Agent IQ’s Lynq digital engagement platform. This partnership is Bank of Utah’s first foray into live chat services. Agent IQ said a key aspect of the partnership was the seamless integration with Bank of Utah’s Q2 online banking platform for mobile and browser access, as well as the bank’s MANTL account opening tool.
DIRECT SALES
- Modere, a Provo-based company offering beauty and personal care, health and wellness and household essentials products, has appointed Heath Tilley as senior vice president of global operations, Cammie Taylor as chief people officer, and Jeff Hildebrandt as senior vice president of global marketing. Tilley has over 30 years of end-to-end supply chain experience in fast-moving consumer goods, having worked across the direct-to-consumer, traditional retail, direct selling, and wholesale channels. His global expertise spans multiple industries, including food and beverage, nutrition, personal care and beauty, and consumer durables, with leadership roles at Nestlé and Amway Global. Taylor has significant human resources experience, having successfully built and optimized HR departments in various organizations, including TruHearing, Young Living Essential Oils and Utah County government. Hildebrandt has nearly two decades of experience in driving growth and innovation across various e-commerce network marketing companies, including LifeWave, Plexus Worldwide, Scentsy and Melaleuca.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
- Three Utah locations are on a list of places offering the “Best Lifestyle for Active Retirees,” compiled by MarketBeat.com. It commissioned a survey of 3,000 respondents to identify where in America the most active retirees reside. The Utah locations are No. 60 Sandy, No. 68 Cedar City and No. 140 Moab. The top location overall is Lihue, Hawaii. The No. 175 location is Lewisburg, West Virginia. Details are at https://www.marketbeat.com/originals/top-175-fittest-retirement-locations-in-america/.
- Three Utah locations are on a list of places with “America’s Best Motels,” compiled by BadCredit.org. It surveyed travelers to rate their experiences of motels across the nation, specifically looking for “hidden gems” that provide exceptional value and comfort at a budget-friendly price. The Utah locations are No. 73 Moab, No. 102 Springdale and No. 137 Midway. The top location overall is Mount Dora, Florida. The No. 150 location is Blowing Rock, North Carolina. Details are at https://www.badcredit.org/studies/the-150-top-budget-friendly-motel-locations-in-america/.
- Several Utah cities are on a list of “Best Cities for Picnic Lovers,” compiled by LawnStarter. It compared the 500 biggest U.S. cities based on several factors, including the number of public parks, the share of residents within a 10-minute walk of a park, and weather conditions. Utah cities in the top 100 are No. 16 St. George, No. 17 Provo, No. 41 Lehi, No. 44 Ogden, No. 59 Salt Lake City, No. 86 Sandy and No. 91 Orem. The top-ranked city overall is Thousand Oaks, California. The bottom-ranked city is Fayetteville, North Carolina. Details are at https://www.lawnstarter.com/blog/studies/best-cities-picnic-lovers/.
- Utah is ranked No. 1 among states for having the highest percentage of married residents, at 55.3 percent, and for having the lowest percentage of divorced people, at 8.3 percent, according to a study by LendingTree. That 8.3 percent figure for 2022 is actually lower than the 8.6 percent number in 2021. The location with the lowest percentage of married residents is the District of Columbia, at 30.2 percent. North Dakota saw the largest year-over-year increase in the percentage of married people, at 3.2 percent, while New Mexico’s number flipped 4 percent. The national percentage was unchanged. The state with the highest percentage of divorced residents is Wyoming, at 13.3 percent. The national percentage is 10.5 percent. Wyoming also saw the biggest increase in the percentage of divorced people year over year, at 8.1 percent. The biggest decrease was 6.7 percent in Idaho. The national number was 0.9 percent.
GOVERNMENT
- The Salt Lake City Council has appointed Jennifer Bruno as executive director. She succeeds Cindy Gust-Jenson, who plans to retire in early 2025 after nearly 40 years of public service to Salt Lake City. Bruno has been a council staff member for nearly 20 years, starting as a policy analyst and being promoted to deputy director after five years. Bruno also is an Eccles Theater board member and a former Salt Lake City Housing Authority Board chair.
INVESTMENTS
- SoloSuit, a Provo-based legal tech startup that streamlines the debt resolution process for consumers, has raised $2 million in a seed-plus funding round. Notable investors are Harold McPike’s global Family Office; Lobster Capital; Mana Ventures; Temerity Impact; Utah investors Jeffrey Tolk and Tubbs Ventures; and David Fox, a former managing partner at law firm Kirkland & Ellis. SoloSuit’s flagship product, SoloSettle, connects consumers with collectors through a digital platform, simplifying negotiations and often achieving settlements in under 14 days.
MANUFACTURING
- Kizik, a Lindon-based hands-free footwear company, has announced distribution agreements with Wellforce Sports in Taiwan, Artcrafts in Italy, and Nyne Ventures in Southeast Asia (covering Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam). Each distributor will facilitate Kizik’s expansion through wholesale partnerships and direct-to-consumer channels.
MEDIA/MARKETING
- JMI Sports, a media rights and venue development company, has announced several hires for its new Salt Lake City office, following the beginning of a 10-year multimedia rights partnership with the University of Utah, and the expansion of its Park City team. The Salt Lake City-based team, operating as Utah Utes Partnerships, aims to embrace new platforms and opportunities for corporate partnerships to improve the fan experience, support NIL (name, image and likeness, and elevate the athletic department. The team includes Matt Smith, vice president of partnerships; Ryan Mounteer, director of partnerships; James Santelli, senior account executive of new partnerships; Kristin Fisher, manager of key partnerships; Morgan Earley, manager of media operations and strategic partnerships; and Sophie Tarchione, account executive of key partnerships. Smith manages rights opportunities and obligations for Utah Athletics. He previously grew sponsorship revenue year-over-year for Utah Athletics and played a key role in NIL opportunities. Mounteer provides day-to-day senior sales direction to the property team. Before joining JMI Sports, he served Utah Athletics for more than 12 years under prior rights holders, most recently as the director of business development. Santelli is responsible for identifying and securing new corporate partners for Utah Athletics. He has over 10 years of experience in the sports industry and was previously the business development manager for Learfield, servicing the Utah property under the previous rightsholder. Fisher manages existing partnerships with corporate sponsors of Utah Athletics. She previously was a senior coordinator of partnership services at Learfield. Earley supports the growing media operations and digital footprint, managing broadcast operations and helping develop innovative new platforms and opportunities for corporate partnerships for the athletic department. Tarchione manages a segment of corporate sponsors for Utah football, basketball and gymnastics. She is a recent graduate of the University of Utah with a bachelor’s degree in strategic communications. Additions to the corporate team include Michelle Anderson, chief financial officer; Meghan Leaver, vice president of property operations; and Brandis Turner, manager of analytics and technology. Anderson is focused on implementing business strategies and process transformations to drive operational excellence and growth. Previously, she served as chief financial officer at the Sundance Institute. Leaver supports multimedia rights sales teams across JMI Sports’ western portfolio. She has corporate partnership experience from prior roles at Voyager Digital and more than a decade of elite partnership management leading the Global Partnerships team for U.S. Ski & Snowboard. Turner is focused on developing and implementing technology to optimize operations, support sales and enhance the gameday experience. Turner has over a decade of experience in CRM and IT management, including in her recent role as Center of Excellence lead for North America at CNH Capital.
- Method Communications, a Salt Lake City-based public relations and marketing agency, has appointed Katy Spaulding as chief operating officer. Spaulding will be based in the company’s hub in Portland, Oregon, and plans to spend considerable time in Method’s offices in San Francisco, Salt Lake City and New York. Spaulding has more than 16 years at mid-sized PR firms and fills the role left by former COO Heather England, who led operations at Method for more than 10 years and has moved into a strategic advisor role for the agency. Spaulding’s experience includes serving as general manager of the northwest region at Allison before being named as the agency’s first chief of staff, and working at WE Communications.
PARTNERSHIPS
- Sorenson, a Salt Lake City-based provider of communication tools for deaf, deafblind and hard-of-hearing people, and BYU Athletics are teaming up to provide live American Sign Language performances of the national anthem preceding all BYU football home games. The anthem also will be signed in ASL at all home basketball and baseball games during the 2024-25 season. Prior to football games, a deaf performer will sign the anthem, with video being displayed on the video board for fans in the stadium.
- Phonism, a Florida-based company focused on automated device management solutions, has announced a partnership with CallTower, a South Jordan-based company focused on unified communications and collaboration solutions. By leveraging Phonism’s automation platform, CallTower aims to enhance operational efficiency and security while reducing costs for businesses transitioning from traditional telephony systems to cloud-based solutions.
- FiiZ Drinks, a Utah-based specialty soda shop has announced a partnership with Red Bull. Through the partnership, FiiZ will be offering beverages featuring Red Bull at all 70 locations nationwide. Started in Bountiful in 2014, FiiZ has locations in 10 states.
PHILANTHROPY
- Promontory Foundation recently hosted its annual grant reception, titled “The Happiest Hour,” and awarded a record $400,000 in grants to 32 nonprofits who serve the Park City and Summit County area. Promontory Foundation raised the funds through donations from Promontory Club members during its annual summer fundraising events. This year’s fundraising total surpassed 2023’s record of $372,500 in grants to 31 nonprofits. Since the foundation’s inception in 2006, approximately $3.2 million has been raised for local nonprofits. With the matching grant requirement, the total impact to the Park City community nonprofits is $8.9 million. This year’s $50,000 “Promontory Promise Grant” was awarded to PC Tots, a nonprofit that provides early childhood education and care to children and their families, regardless of financial barriers. A list of nonprofit grant recipients is available at www.promontoryclub.com/promontory-foundation/.
- Maverik, based in Salt Lake City, recently marked the first anniversary of its Kum & Go acquisition and the rebrands of stores in Colorado and the start of store transformations in Wyoming with a $1 million donation to Feeding America, a domestic hunger-relief organization. Of that total, $100,000 will be directed to Food Bank of the Rockies, a partner food bank serving people across half of Colorado and all of Wyoming. To date, Maverik has completed 97 rebrands across Utah and Colorado. Maverik has over 500 locations in 13 western states. Kum & Go has nearly 400 locations across 12 states.
REAL ESTATE
- Fort Street Partners has completed the acquisition of two fully leased multi-tenant office buildings near Park City. Sold by Dakota Pacific Real Estate, the buildings have more than 120,000 square feet combined. They are in the Newpark Town Center. The Newpark One building has 61,506 square feet. The Newpark Three building totals 61,219 square feet. Fort Street Partners said it has plans to upgrade building lobbies and common areas, as well as reviewing tenant feedback for possible addition of amenities.
RESTAURANTS
- Savory Fund, a Lehi-based private equity firm that invests in emerging restaurant concepts, will host Restaurantology, which it describes as the only conference in the industry that is run by operators, for operators. The sixth annual, free event Oct. 1 will include panel discussions and Q&A sessions featuring industry veterans and Savory executives. About 700 restaurant operators, founders and executives are expected to attend. The location is Hale Centre Theatre, Sandy. Details are at restaurantologysummit.com.
- Bobby’s Burgers By Bobby Flay will open its first Utah location in November at University Place in Orem. It will be the first restaurant in a multi-unit, statewide franchise agreement with industry veteran Joe Sample. The restaurant will be approximately 2,000 square feet with 30 seats inside, plus an outdoor patio with another 10 seats. Sample says he plans to open nine new sites across the state within the next five years. Bobby’s Burgers by Bobby Flay has eight locations currently open and several in the development pipeline.
RETAIL
- Walmart has undertaken a remodel project at its Supercenter at 4848 S. 900 W., Riverdale. The store remains open to the public during the project, which will take several months to complete and is the last of several Walmart remodels in Utah this year. Among the upgrades are expansion and relocation of the grocery pickup and delivery area, a new pharmacy and updated Vision Center, and expanded deli and merchandise offerings.
SERVICES
- RSM US LLP, a Chicago-based provider of assurance, tax and consulting services for the middle market, has opened an office at the Cottonwood Corporate Center in Salt Lake City. Jim Cronauer is the Salt Lake City office leader. The company has about 30 Utah employees, with plans to expand.
SPORTS
- Utah Athletics has unveiled an enhanced Utah360°, a mobile app that provides fans with exclusive video content, including game highlights, player interviews, podcasts and more. The app also offers mobile concessions ordering at Rice-Eccles Stadium, managing and purchasing tickets, news from Utah Athletics, schedules, statistics and scores. It is available on Google Play and the Apple App Store and can be accessed on various streaming devices, including phones, tablets, or web browsers, via www.utah.ftwin360.com. The app was created by For The Win 360°, based in Salt Lake City.
TECHNOLOGY
- Health Catalyst Inc., a Salt Lake City-based company providing data and analytics technology and services to healthcare organizations, has announced that Wisconsin Statewide Health Information Network Inc. (WISHIN) has selected to expand its multi-year agreement with Health Catalyst. WISHIN is an independent not-for-profit organization focused on bringing widespread, secure, interoperable health information technology to patients and caregivers throughout Wisconsin. The arrangement will include migrating technology and services to Health Catalyst’s Ninja Universe Suite, an end-to-end cloud-native platform, and a set of applications purpose-built for health information exchanges. The WISHIN network includes more than 2,215 care sites.