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BANKING
• Bank of Utah, based in Ogden, has appointed Chris Herbert as a treasury management officer. Herbert will focus on acquiring new commercial deposit clients, strengthening existing business relationships and increasing deposit growth among key accounts and large-scale businesses. Herbert has more than 12 years of banking experience, including 11 years specializing in treasury management. Before joining Bank of Utah, he spent nearly a decade as a treasury manager at Zions Bank, where he worked with a diverse portfolio of retail, commercial and industrial (C&I) and commercial real estate clients. Herbert earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Utah. Bank of Utah has 18 full-service branches in the state.
• America First Credit Union, based in Ogden, has appointed Jessica Graham as executive vice president and chief legal officer. Graham will guide the credit union on regulatory compliance, risk management and strategic decisions, while supporting ongoing growth initiatives. Graham has nearly 30 years of legal expertise, including spending several years in private practice with national law firms and the last 23 years as general counsel and chief legal officer for large institutions with multi-state and international operations. Most recently, Graham served as executive vice president, chief risk officer and chief legal officer for Global Federal Credit Union. AFCU has 116 locations across Utah and five other states.
• D.L. Evans Bank, based in Idaho, has promoted Blake Lewis to commercial loan officer at its Orem branch. He will focus on supporting the bank’s growth by pursuing business development opportunities within the community. He will work closely with customers and prospective clients to help resolve financial needs through tailored banking products while building and strengthening long-term relationships. Blake has been with D.L. Evans Bank for over a year, gaining experience through the bank’s Loan Officer Internship program while working in a variety of branch and back-office roles. Prior to joining the bank, he held positions as a financial analyst, assistant controller and sales team leader. His education includes a bachelor’s degree in business finance from BYU-Idaho. D.L. Evans Bank has 39 branches across Idaho and Utah.
HOSPITALITY
• Lodging Dynamics Hospitality Group, a Provo-based national hotel management company, has promoted Kristie Byrd to the newly created role of chief commercial officer. Byrd will oversee sales, marketing, revenue management and business development. She will lead the vice presidents of revenue management and marketing, regional directors of sales, and the director of business development. Byrd has 31 years of experience in the hospitality industry. Over the past decade, she has played an active role in driving business development, contributing to the identification of new client relationships and the successful closure of multiple management deals.
MANUFACTURING
• Biomerics, a Salt Lake City-based contract manufacturer for the interventional medical device market, has appointed Tera Laken as general manager of its facility in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She succeeds Ken Hogue, who is retiring after 11 years at the company.
MEDIA/MARKETING
• Love Communications, a Salt Lake City-based, employee-owned advertising, public relations and digital marketing agency, has hired David Johnson as creative director of design. He will lead design across the agency and contribute to brand and creative direction, and he will support key client work in the tourism, finance and biotech sectors. Johnson has more than two decades of experience spanning both agency and in-house leadership roles. He spent the first 10 years of his career working at agencies across Utah, leading creative for a range of local and national clients. He later helped grow Degreed, a Utah-based learning startup.
OUTDOOR RECREATION
• Deer Valley Resort in Park City has announced Kevin Kirksey as its vice president of marketing. He will lead Deer Valley’s global brand strategy and creative direction. Kirksey has more than 20 years of marketing and storytelling experience with sports brands. He joins Deer Valley after holding leadership roles at Nike and ESPN, where he led teams across global and regional marketing. He began his career in ad agencies, building a foundation across both creative development and business strategy, and has since led work focused on building consumer-centric brands and experiences that drive growth.
REAL ESTATE
• St. John Properties Inc., a Baltimore-based commercial real estate development and management company active in 13 states, has promoted Scott Gifford to vice president of leasing in its Utah regional office. Gifford will direct all leasing efforts of St. John Properties’ portfolio across Utah with a focus on identifying companies and organizations seeking new or expanded commercial office, flex/R&D and retail space. Gifford has worked with St. John Properties since 2019, was formerly assistant vice president of leasing, and has more than 20 years of business and real estate experience. Since entering the Utah market in 2014, St. John Properties has developed more than 1.2 million square feet of space across four business communities in Salt Lake, Weber and Utah counties. Gifford is responsible for the negotiation of new leases and lease renewals, establishing and maintaining strong relationships in the commercial real estate brokerage community, assisting with due diligence activities for land and building acquisition opportunities, and representing the company at external events and functions.