Industry Briefs 12-25-23

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AEROSPACE

• Northrop Grumman Corp. recently conducted a full-scale static test fire of a new solid rocket motor that was developed in less than a year as part of its Solid Motor Annual Rocket Technology Demonstrator (SMART Demo). The text occurred at the company’s Promontory test area. The text demonstrated several innovative technologies, alternate manufacturing materials and processes to reduce lead times by 75 percent, including several advanced, long-lead tooling products as well as components of the solid rocket motor’s nozzle structure, constructed with additive manufacturing techniques; a new cost-effective solid rocket motor propellant capable of operating at cold temperatures; and alternative suppliers and new materials that could supplement or replace other long-lead materials experiencing challenged supply chains. Northrop Grumman said it also is developing five new motors concurrently for the first time. As the company anticipates significantly expanding and increasing motor production count by 2030, it is constructing 11 new buildings and modifying 16 more to support new and existing programs.

COMMUNICATIONS

• UTOPIA Fiber has announced it has completed fiber-to-the-home builds in Syracuse and Santa Clara. The $23.5 million Syracuse project began construction on November 2021. The Santa Clara $6.7 million project began in May 2022. The projects have concluded with the delivery of ultra-high-speed broadband to every residential and business address in each city. The Utah Telecommunication Open Infrastructure Agency network now has 19 cities.

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

• Utah has the nation’s highest economic dynamism, according to the “Index of State Dynamism,” released by the Economic Innovation Group. Utah’s ranking was boosted by the state having the highest core startup rate in the country. The ISD measures states on eight core measures of economic dynamism, including the startup rate, movement of workers, and pace of innovation. Five of the top-ranked states are in the Mountain West. Utah has topped the index for five of the past seven years. It has never fallen out of the top five for the past three decades. The study showed Utah led the nation with an 11.8 percent core startup rate in 2021, when entrepreneurs founded 7,100 firms; overall growth in the number of firms was similarly strong at 5.8 percent, the state’s best performance since 2006 and nearly eight times higher than the national average; and Utah issued 11.7 housing permits per 1,000 people, more than double the national average. Details are at https://eig.org/most-dynamic-states-post-pandemic/.
• Salt Lake City is ranked No. 1 on a list of cities for ease of doing business, compiled by Arizona State University. The “Doing Business in North America” report, released by ASU’s Center for the Study for Economic Liberty, takes an in-depth look at regulations that enhance or restrain business activity and provide insight into economic outcomes. It ranks over 80 North American cities in all 50 states; Puerto Rico; and Washington, D.C. The “Ease of Doing Business Score” is derived using scores from six categories: starting a business, employing workers, getting electricity, paying taxes, land and space use and resolving insolvency.
• Utah is ranked No. 29 on a list of per capita spending on Christmas gifts and seasonal items, compiled by Scholaroo. It analyzed publicly available data on the history of consumption during the holiday season over the past 10 years and spending expectations for Christmas 2023. Utahns are expected to spend $1,002.45 this year, or about 20 percent below the national average. Per capita, Mississippians are expected to spend $2,472.76, while Montanans are expected to spend $447.10. The report indicated that nationally, 92 percent of consumers plan to celebrate the winter festivities this year, including events such as Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa; $29.3 billion is expected to be spent on gift cards, with an average value of $49.43 per gift card; and 65.7 percent of consumers prefer to shop at national retailers rather than local stores. Details are at https://scholaroo.com/report/christmas-spending/.
• The average Utahn has worked 329 extra unpaid hours in 2023, according to a study by Rebel’s Guide to Project Management. Its survey compared unpaid overtime in 2023 versus 2022. Results reveal that Utah employees have worked 422 percent more unpaid overtime (or 6.3 hours per week, placing Utah fourth among states) in 2023. Utahns have worked a total of more than 687 million hours of unpaid overtime in 2023. Nationwide, the total of unpaid overtime hours in 2023 is 46 billion, with the average worker contributing an additional 4.5 hours per week for no compensation, totaling an extra 233 hours annually. The top number was in New Hampshire, at nearly 10 hours of unpaid overtime each week. Montana workers actually saw a decrease of 0.6 hours per week. Details are at https://rebelsguidetopm.com/the-great-power-shift/.
• Utah is ranked No. 16 on a list of “Best States for Foodies,” compiled by HubScore. It considered factors such as affordability, diversity and overall dining experience. Utah was ranked No. 16 for cuisine affordability, No. 11 for cuisine diversity and No. 49 for cuisine experience. The top-ranked state for overall satisfaction is California. The bottom-ranked state is Vermont. Details are at https://hubscore.co/ranking/best-states-for-foodies.
• The dog breed preferred by Utahns is the bulldog, according to a survey by Forbes Advisor. Bulldogs were the top breed in eight states. German shepherds are favored in 16 states. Details are at https://www.forbes.com/advisor/pet-insurance/favorite-dog-breeds-by-state/.
• About one in five Utahns (144,041 people) will spend Christmas alone, according to a survey by Online-Solitaire.com. It surveyed 4,000 respondents dwelling in single-person households and found that 19 million people nationwide are preparing to spend Christmas in solitude this year. The largest percentage is in Oregon, at 45 percent (533,786 adults). The smallest is in Tennessee, at 12 percent (238,000 people). Details are at https://online-solitaire.com/blog/millions-of-people-will-spend-christmas-alone-in-2023/.

EDUCATION

• Jeremy Hafen has been appointed as the newest member of the Utah Valley University Board of Trustees. Hafen is president and CEO of Clyde Cos. Trustees are responsible for overseeing the strategic direction of UVU, its curriculum, policies, finances, degrees, facilities and bylaws and advocating for its interests. Prior to his current position at Clyde Cos., Hafen served as president of Sunroc and Sunpro, both Clyde subsidiaries, as well as vice president of administrative services at Clyde. He also serves as board chair for Mountainland Technical College and was previously chair of the Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce.

ENGINEERING

• Subzero Engineering, a company focused on turnkey engineering solutions for data centers, industrial cleanrooms and mission-critical environments, has announced a new 155,000-square-foot headquarters facility at 805 S. 3600 W., Salt Lake City, Utah. The company said the new facility will allow it to expand its capabilities while enabling it to relocate its Simplex manufacturing facility into the same premises. Subzero Engineering is relocating its headquarters to the facility, which has 95,000 square feet of manufacturing space; 25,000 square feet for shipping, receiving and storage; and 35,000 square feet of office space. The facility will provide the space needed to support the combined teams of Subzero Engineering and Simplex Modular Cleanrooms, which offers modular cleanrooms, softwall curtains, strip doors, separation and process isolation.

GOVERNMENT

• Fifteen Salt Lake City small businesses will receive a total of more than $480,000 in community grants from the American Rescue Plan Act. The city’s Community Grant Program was created to provide limited, one-time financial assistance to eligible small businesses, artists, artisans, creative workers and nonprofits (as individual businesses) in Salt Lake City that were negatively impacted by the pandemic or related shutdowns.
• The Ogden City Council has approved the appointments of Justin Anderson as the city’s director of public services and Taylor Nielsen as city engineer. The appointment of Anderson comes as part of a succession plan by Jay Lowder, who will retire as director of public services in January. Anderson has served as the city engineer since 2008 and was promoted to the public services deputy director position in 2012. Nielsen has been with Ogden City since 2011, first as a development engineer and most recently as the assistant city engineer since 2017.
• Gov. Spencer J. Cox has appointed Donna Law as the interim executive director of the Department of Cultural and Community Engagement. Law succeeds Jill Remington Love, who announced her departure in September after serving seven years in the position. Law has experience in the arts, administration, government relations and communications. She has spent the past 14 years at Southern Utah University, serving as associate vice president of community and government relations after stints as executive director of development and government relations and director of development. Prior to SUU, Law worked as managing director of the Orlando Shakespeare Company, director of development of the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, and director of communications and marketing for the Utah Shakespeare Festival. Her civic involvement includes serving on the Utah Transportation Commission, chair and board member of the Office of Museum Services, chair of the Iron County Tourism Advisory Board, and vice president of the Shakespeare Theatre Association. Law’s education includes a master’s degree in arts administration from Southern Utah University and a bachelor’s degree in business management from Western Governors University.

INDOOR RECREATION

• TruGolf, a Centerville-based virtual golf company, has hired Brandon Campos as technical art lead, Joshua Grubbs as environmental art lead, and Lindsay Jones as chief financial officer. Campos has over 16 years of experience in game development, including 14 years at Epic Games. Campos stands out as a seasoned technical artist. He played a pivotal role in designing characters for “Fortnite” and contributed to “Shadow Complex,” the “Infinity Blade” series, “Battle Breakers” and “SpyJinx.” Grubbs is a 3D artist with a background in a variety of roles, including in crafting and managing 3D environments in the TV and film industry. Credits include the TV series “Archer” and a lead 3D artist role on “America the Motion Picture,” and a virtual production artist credit on “Love and Respect with Killer Mike.” A Certified Public Accountant, before joining the TruGolf board, Jones served as the chief financial officer and executive vice president of a pharmacy data analytics SaaS company. He was also a consultant and outsourced CFO serving clients in the SaaS, manufacturing and retail services industries; a founder and CFO of a contract packaging company; founder of two startup companies (a bank and a food grade manufacturer); owner of his own business; creator of business models and presenter to investors, bankers, and regulators; and closed over $500 million in public and private equity, public debt and institutional debt. He serves on the board of directors for two startup companies in Utah.

INVESTMENTS

• The Central Texas Angel Network, an angel investing group, has announced an investment of more than $600,000 in Phoenix PharmaLabs, a Woods Cross-based pharmaceutical company working to develop painkillers and treatments for addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder. The investment is expected to help advance the company’s research and bring therapies closer to realization.

MANUFACTURING

• Mity Inc., an Orem-based manufacturer of furniture and equipment for event centers, hotels, restaurants, senior living and other B2B markets, has appointed Ben Harris as chief operating officer and promoted Brian Keding from vice president of finance to chief finance officer. Harris previously was CFO. He has over 10 years of leadership experience in corporate finance and auditing, including serving as CFO and vice president of finance at Mity Inc. Keding has been with the company for several years and served in a variety of roles, including vice president of finance and manufacturing controller. In past roles at other companies, Keding worked in various leadership positions, including corporate controller and CFO.

MILESTONES

• Badlands Ranch, a Park City-based dog nutrition brand established by actress, animal advocate and philanthropist Katherine Heigl, has sold over 3 million bags of its bestselling dog food, Superfood Complete. The dog food is designed to support dogs’ skin, coat, digestive health, immune system and vitality. Badlands Ranch offers dog food, treats and supplements.

NONPROFITS

• Waterford.org, a Taylorsville-based national not-for-profit focused on early education, has announced a $13.9 million Education Innovation and Research grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The grant is focused on expanding school readiness in rural communities across 16 southern states. The initiative builds upon Waterford’s partnership with the department in five western states, using evidence-based solutions to address rural community needs. Totaling $15.3 million over five years, the project aims to expand the strategy by fostering authentic community partnerships to develop a scalable blueprint for enhancing student achievement. The Upstart Rural Task Force, led by Waterford.org, will study the impact of early learning on thousands of pre-K through second-grade students in those 16 states.
• The Utah Impact Partnership, a coalition of philanthropic organizations dedicated to addressing critical issues facing Utah — including homelessness and housing instability — has reached a $15 million fundraising goal for homeless services in the state. UIP has renewed its commitment to raise an additional $15 million, with an initial $1 million already committed. UIP’s initial fundraising campaign was designed to match the state of Utah’s $15 million contribution. UIP said the funds will significantly enhance statewide homeless services, adhering to guidelines set by the Utah Homeless Council and integrating new planning and accountability measures.

OUTDOOR RECREATION

• Solitude Mountain Resort has opened to the public the newly completed Eagle Express chairlift. The new, high-speed, six-pack chairlift has replaced the original Eagle Express that was built in 1989. Made by Doppelmayr, the new lift rises 1,337 feet, has a rope speed of 1,000 feet per minute and has a ride time of six minutes. The lift is part of $16 million in capital improvements taking place at Solitude. Other projects included Solitude Bike Park (opened in September) and three new Wyssen remote avalanche control systems (completed October).

PHILANTHROPY

• BioHive’s recent food drive resulted in 776 pounds of food, with help from Denali Therapeutics, Engage Contracting Inc., Seek Labs, Blackrock Neurotech and tenants of Industry SLC Workspace donating their offices during the month-long drive to benefit Utah Food Bank. In addition to the food donated, over $1,000 also was raised for the food bank.
• Ken Garff employees recently partnered with Utah Refugee Connection and the Granite School District to host a holiday event for local refugee families. It featured gifts for children, teens and families, plus a variety of activities. Ken Garff employees decorated for the event and orchestrated all of the activities for the families. The event took place at Lincoln Elementary School in Salt Lake City. It was part of Ken Garff’s “We’re ‘Hear’ for You” initiative.
• KeyBank has awarded a $100,000 grant to the Utah African American Chamber of Commerce Charitable Foundation to support the organization’s career exploration programming for high school and college students. The foundation was founded by the Utah Black Chamber in 2018 to further its mission to improve the overall economic development of Utah’s black community. The foundation provides events and programming to start and grow more black businesses, strengthen the pipeline of black talent for Utah corporations, and build the area’s overall black wealth. Grant funds will also support the Men of Promise and Women of Promise conferences held each year by the foundation. The conferences serve a total of 700 students and provide them with a day focused on mentoring, character development, vision-setting and goal-setting.

REAL ESTATE

• VanTrust Real Estate LLC, a Kansas City-based real estate development company, has opened its newest regional office in the Kearns Building in downtown Salt Lake City. The privately held company specializes in office, industrial, multifamily, science and technology and mixed-use development. It has developed more than $6.8 billion of product nationwide. Chris McCluskey and Dave Denley will lead the Salt Lake City team. McCluskey previously served as vice president of development in the company’s Dallas office. McCluskey specializes in identifying and executing speculative development and build-to-suit opportunities. Denley previously served as vice president of development services in the company’s Phoenix office. He oversees project delivery and manages relationships with contractors, designers, engineers and consultants. The company said the new office will allow it to expand its development opportunities in the Northwest markets, with a specific emphasis on Utah, Idaho, Northern California, Oregon and Washington. The office will primarily focus on the development of industrial, urban infill and multi-family projects in those regions.

RECOGNITIONS

• Julie Johnson has been named the recipient of the Athena Leadership Award by the Ogden-Weber Chamber of Commerce. Award recipients demonstrate the ability to inspire, educate, motivate and empower women. Johnson is president and CEO of United Way of Northern Utah. She will be honored at the chamber’s Athena Leadership Award Ceremony and Luncheon, set for Jan. 23, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., at Timbermine, 1701 Park Blvd., Ogden.
• Dr. Michael L. Good and David W. Grainger of the University of Utah have been named Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors. The 2023 class of Fellows consists of 162 academic inventors. Good is CEO of University of Utah Health and senior vice president for health sciences. Grainger is Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering and of Molecular Pharmaceutics and chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Good’s invention, the Human Patient Simulator, enables anesthesiologists to practice outside the operating suite. Grainger’s research has contributed to applications in diverse fields, including drug delivery, medical implants, diagnostic devices, and new cell therapies. His seven patents to date have been translated into multiple commercial products. Beyond healthcare applications, Grainger’s patented surface chemistries have also been used as protective coatings in inkjet printers.
• Packsize, a Salt Lake City-based company focused on sustainable, right-sized, on-demand packaging, has been named a recipient of the 2023 Products of the Year Readers’ Choice for packaging and pallets from Material Handling Product Newsand MaterialHandling247.com. The award is for the company’s X5 solution, a fully automated erected box system and platform. The award program honors the achievements of companies for advances in materials handling systems and equipment within manufacturing, distribution centers and warehouses. Readers decided the winners, with over 5,500 votes cast.
• Qualtrics, a software company focused on experience management and with co-headquarters in Provo and Seattle, has been named a “Leader” in the inaugural “IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Voice of the Customer Applications 2023–2024 Vendor Assessment.” The IDC MarketScape vendor assessment model is designed to provide an overview of the competitive fitness of ICT (information and communications technology) suppliers in a given market.

RESTAURANTS

• Flower Child is expected to open in Salt Lake City by the second half of 2024. Restauranteur Sam Fox, founder of Fox Restaurant Concepts, will open the restaurant at Foothill village. The center is undergoing a multi-million-dollar renovation that will include Flower Child’s new space. Flower Child is a fast-casual restaurant with a menu that caters to all lifestyles: vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, on-the-goers, and anything goes. Flower Child has locations in 10 states and Washington, D.C.

TECHNOLOGY

• Domo, an American Fork-based company offering a data experience platform, has appointed RJ Tracy as vice president of partners, strategic development and channel. Tracy will oversee significant updates to Domo’s partner program. Tracy has been with Domo for over 11 years and has developed teams that currently oversee more than 80 percent of Domo’s customer base. He also recently led the development and scaling of Domo’s credit-based pricing model.

TRANSPORTATION

• Holiday Oil, a Salt Lake City-based fuel and convenience company, has appointed James Peterson as chief operating officer and Kim Facer as chief financial officer. Holiday Oil operates at 74 locations across Central and Northern Utah.