Company news information may be sent to brice.w@thecityjournals.com.
ADVISORY
• MTA Advisory Partners, a Pennsylvania-based investment banking firm, has appointed John Dudash as managing director, based in Salt Lake City. He joined the firm earlier this year and has been working with clients in Utah and the broader Mountain West region. Dudash has decades of experience as a CEO, president, and senior sales and marketing executive, with a career spanning consumer products, manufacturing, logistics and technology-enabled services. He has led numerous middle-market, private-equity-owned companies and has been directly involved in more than 10 acquisitions and divestitures as the deal lead. Among other roles, Dudash has served as vice chairman of the Utah Manufacturers Association.
EDUCATION
• Salt Lake Community College has hired Brenda Madore as vice president for student affairs. Madore most recently served four years as chief of staff and institutional advancement officer at Howard College, a rural community college in Texas. There, she helped guide strategic initiatives and strengthen institutional culture and led the Open Roads Promise Program, a tuition-free access initiative that significantly increased recruitment, persistence and completion across four Texas counties. Before that, she served at Ranger College, where she led dual enrollment efforts. Madore holds an Ed.D. in community college leadership from Kansas State University and a Master in Management and Leadership from Western Governors University Texas.
INSURANCE
• Prime Insurance, based in Sandy, has hired Fernando “Fernie” Alvarez as president of high net worth and specialty programs. He will lead the strategic development and oversight of high net worth and specialty programs, working with Prime’s underwriting and leadership teams to support thoughtful coverage architecture, program consistency, and long-term partnerships with insureds. His responsibilities will focus on advancing integrated program solutions that align multiple coverage components within a disciplined excess and surplus lines framework. Based in South Florida, Alvarez has extensive experience in specialty insurance program leadership, including the design and oversight of solutions for high net worth individuals, complex asset portfolios, and specialized risk profiles. His background includes large-scale real estate and construction exposures, specialty liability structures, and sports- and entertainment-related risks, including work involving professional sports organizations, major venues and athlete-focused programs.
MANUFACTURING
• Ortho Development Corp., a Draper-based designer and manufacturer of orthopedic implants and surgical instruments, has appointed Kevin Kinnersley as vice president of sales and hired Patrick Fitch as director of U.S. sales–West. Kinnersley has been at Ortho for more than 11 years, most recently serving as director of business development. He has extensive experience in business development, sales leadership and marketing strategy. Prior to joining Ortho Development, he held clinical sales roles at DePuy Orthopaedics and Stryker. Based in Arizona, Fitch has nearly two decades of leadership experience in the orthopedic and medical device industry, holding senior roles across sales management, regional leadership and general management within the orthopedic industry, with a strong focus on hip and knee portfolios. His background includes positions at Conformis, Restor3d, NuVasive and Stryker. Prior to his career in orthopedics, Fitch served seven years on active duty in the U.S. Army as a combat medic with the 1st Infantry Division.
RETAIL
• Harmons Grocery, a family-owned, Utah-based grocery retailer, has promoted Lori Nigh to executive vice president/chief operating officer, selected Danerish Root as vice president of sales, and promoted Mike Arbuckle to senior director of Center Store. The moves follow Paul Adamson’s retirement from his role as executive vice president of operations after 22 years of service. In her new role, Nigh will oversee operations across the company and continue driving strategies that enhance execution, service, products and results. She most recently served as vice president of sales. Root will guide sales strategy and strengthen partnerships that deliver value to customers and vendors alike. The company said Root has been a driving force behind the success of Harmons Central Production. In a newly created position, Arbuckle will provide leadership to strengthen assortment, merchandising and supplier alignment while supporting an elevated shopping experience across all stores.
TECHNOLOGY
• Listen Technologies, a Bluffdale-based provider of advanced wireless listening solutions, and Ampetronic, a U.K.-based in hearing loop systems company, have announced that Mikey Shaffer has been promoted to vice president of North American sales at Ampetronic|Listen Technologies. Shaffer is responsible for accelerating revenue growth, expanding market presence and optimizing channel performance across North America. She leads the North American sales teams and channel partners in selling Listen Technologies and Ampetronic assistive listening systems. Shaffer joined Listen Technologies in 2016 and has held marketing, vertical markets and regional sales roles at the organization. Prior to her promotion, Shaffer served as senior director of sales in North America. Shaffer also hosts webinars and shares information to help raise industry awareness of Americans with Disabilities Act and global accessibility requirements related to assistive listening. Prior to joining Listen Technologies, Shaffer worked with the local deaf and hard of hearing community in Utah to provide solutions for their telecommunications needs.
• Branch, a Florida-based company offering a workforce payments platform, has appointed Utah-based Matt Peterson as chief financial officer. With a background in high-growth technology, capital markets and pre-IPO preparation, Peterson will guide Branch’s financial strategy as the company scales its enterprise reach and expands its payments infrastructure. Peterson’s career spans accounting, investment banking and finance leadership roles at high-growth technology companies. He has led and advised on more than $15 billion in transactions and played a key role in taking multiple companies public, including guiding Fastly through its 2019 IPO. He went on to hold senior finance roles at Attentive Mobile, where he supported both infrastructure- and marketplace-driven business models. Most recently, Peterson served as CFO of Snappy, the enterprise gifting and rewards platform. Branch serves over 1,300 customers including Uber, Instacart and Indeed Flex, along with Jimmy John’s, Dunkin, and Marco’s Pizza franchise locations.
• Limble, a Lehi-based company offering a maintenance and asset management platform, has appointed Sara Patterson as chief people officer and Joe Aleardi as chief revenue officer. Patterson has held senior leadership roles at companies including Simpro Group, Bonobos, Walmart eCommerce, Cart.com, Lemonade, Gilt Groupe and Condé Nast. She brings deep experience leading teams across the full people function and is recognized for building modern people organizations that scale with the business. Aleardi has a history of driving significant revenue growth and enhancing customer value at various organizations. Notable achievements include leading a business unit at IBM responsible for over $200 million in revenue and transforming go-to-market functions at EDITED. Aleardi also has held executive positions with a variety of early-stage growth companies, including SWRVE and Infiterra.