Slopes initiative centers on reviving Hall of Fame

By Brice Wallace 

Recognition. Jobs. Training. Healthcare.

Those four elements are at the heart of initiatives announced by Silicon Slopes during its 2021 summit in Salt Lake City.

The organization will resuscitate the Hall of Fame awards program begun by the Utah Technology Council, operate an online jobs board, begin a technology academy and offer its own health plans.

The tech council began the Hall of Fame but it went dormant after the council merged with Silicon Slopes in early 2019.

“It was an opportunity for Utah tech leaders that were changing the game to be recognized and kind of really ranked into this Hall of Fame year over year,” John Bowers, Silicon Slopes’ head of business and partnerships, told Clint Betts, Silicon Slopes’ executive director, at the start of the summit.

“And when we merged, we weren’t sure quite what to do with the Hall of Fame. We wanted to get it going again, and it didn’t seem quite right yet and then COVID hit us, right?”

Bowers said the Hall of Fame has been “re-engineered.” The gala will take place in February, with details to be announced.

“The real digs is that we’re going to do black-tie like the Hall of Fame did, and we want to honor all the amazing things that UTC did to build it, but we want to shake it up a little bit, make it a little bit cool, and we’re going to make sneakers probably mandatory for all — black-tie and sneakers — and we’re just going to make it a fun event.”

The event also will honor companies and individuals with Silicon Slopes Awards in several categories.

The Hall of Fame website, halloffame.siliconslopes.com, indicates Silicon Slopes will be “honoring a diverse, booming community of entrepreneurs, business men and women, philanthropists, and outright professional legends.”

The jobs board is “something that the community has been looking for for a while,” said Bri Francom, Silicon Slopes’ director of marketing and events.

“It has been difficult to find really great talent as the economy has been growing,” she said, noting that Utah’s unemployment rate has been below 2.7 percent. “And as a result, that hiring process can be difficult.”

The board is at jobs.siliconslopes.com.

The new Silicon Slopes Academy will equip individuals and organizations with resources to develop the talent the organization need, according to Paul Walker, CEO of Franklin Covey.

Academy.siliconslopes.com indicates the academy will be in the form of online training courses and coaches “available anytime, anyplace, and on any device.” It will feature “consistent” human interaction, peer feedback, conversation and collaboration, and on-demand coaching “that keeps training personal and teaches skills that translate in the real world.”

“What we find as we go around the world is, the best organizations, they really are intentional about how they develop their talent, how they improve the skills and capabilities of their people,” Walker said. “And so the academy is bringing these great resources to this great community to make that possible.”

Silicon Slopes also will offer healthcare plans for small businesses (companies with a headcount between two and 50) and individuals. They will be able to get “the choice of the best networks at a better rate,” according to siliconslopeshealthplans.com.

Details are to be announced.