Industry Briefs - 7-8-24

Industry Briefs are provided as a free service to our readers. Company news information may be sent to brice.w@thecityjournals.com. The submission deadline is one week before publication.

ASSOCIATIONS

• The Park City Chamber & Visitors Bureau has announced the outcome of the board of directors election for 2024-25. New board members will be seated for a four-year term on Aug. 20: Beth Armstrong, Intermountain Hospital; Dan Bullert, Stein Eriksen Lodge; Chris Lawing, Pendry Park City; Jocelyn Scudder, Arts Council of Park City & Summit County; Gar Trayner, Woodward Park City; and Sherry Weaver, Hyatt Centric Park City. The new board chair is Susie English, succeeding Rhonda Sideris. Departing board members are Brooks Kirchheimer, Hearth and Hill; Shaydar Edelmann, Park City Mountain; Chelsea Steinbach, RMC Park City; Greg Gendron, Stein Eriksen Lodge Management Corp.; and Lindsay Arnold, Deer Valley Resort.

CONTESTS

• Nominations are being accepted through July 8 for the ChamberWest 2024 Annual Awards. Categories are Business of the Year, Small Business of the Year, Best Place to Work and Volunteer of the Year. Three finalists in each category will be announced and featured at the Annual Awards Gala, scheduled for Aug. 28 at the Maverik Center. The nomination form is at https://files.constantcontact.com/8872d0f4101/3d2223a0-5ff2-4046-9409-ba5b3f0666c2.pdf?rdr=true. Details are available at (801) 977-8755.

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

• Utahns earning a minimum wage take an average of 34.1 years to afford a home down payment, according to a study by BadCredit.org. That is the highest amount of any state. With a state median income, the same goal would be met in 6.5 years. The study compared Zillow home prices over the past year to minimum wages in every state. Nationally, if minimum wages started saving 10 percent of their paycheck at age 18, they could afford an 8 percent down payment in roughly 23.1 years at age 41. Salaried workers making the U.S. median income achieve the same milestone in 5.1 years. Minimum-wage workers in Illinois can afford a down payment in 8.6 years.
• Brigham Young University is the best U.S. college for studying finance, including stocks and trading, according to a study by CreditDonkey. It used 19 metrics in five categories: admission standards, career outcomes, cost, finance specialization and education quality. While BYU did not score in the top 10 for any individual metric, its consistently strong scores across the board earned it the top spot overall.
• A Lake Powell houseboat experience, at No. 73, is the highest-ranked Utah item on a list of the “Most Coveted Luxury Weekend Experience” in the U.S., a list compiled by CardRates.com. It conducted a poll of credit card points-rich cardholders to determine the list of 130 top experiences. Other Utah experiences on the list are No. 90, a Park City luxury ski weekend, and No. 116, a Moab adventure and spa retreat. The top-ranked experience overall is a Maui Beachfront Resort Stay in Hawaii. Details are at https://www.cardrates.com/studies/most-desired-credit-card-rewards-escapes/.
• The Butch Cassidy childhood home in Circleville, at No. 84, is the highest-ranked Utah location on a list of “Top Celebrity Landmarks,” compiled by Tarotoo via a poll. The John Moses Browning Firearms Museum in Ogden is ranked No. 88. The top overall celebrity landmark is Elvis Presley’s Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. Details are at https://tarotoo.com/blog/eternal-icons.
• Salt Lake City, at No. 57, is the highest-ranked Utah city and Sandy is among 21 cities tied for last overall on a list of “Best Barbecue Cities” in the U.S., compiled by Lawn Starter. It ranked the 500 biggest U.S. cities, considering access to barbecue vendors and smokehouses, consumer ratings, competition awards, and the number of barbecue festivals. The bottom-ranked cities, Lawn Starter said, had few or zero barbecue establishments or smokehouses, no barbecue festivals, and no prize-winning cooking teams. The top-ranked city overall is Kansas City, Missouri. Details are at https://www.lawnstarter.com/blog/studies/best-bbq-cities/.
• West Valley City is ranked No. 61 on a list of “Cities with the Least-Trusted Tap Water,” compiled by ITAMG.com, based on traveler surveys. Salt Lake City is No. 233, meaning it is among the most-trusted. The least-trusted city for tap water taste and safety is Detroit. Details are at https://www.itamg.com/blog/survey-worst-tap-water/.
• Thirty-six percent of Utah parents monitor their children’s online habits daily, according to a survey by HostingAdvice. According to the survey, 63 percent of Utah parents actively control the websites and social media sites their children visit, compared to a national average of 52 percent. The highest level of controlling children’s online access is in South Dakota, at 80 percent. The lowest is 30 percent, in Nebraska. Details are at hostingadvice.com/blog/screen-safety-survey.
• Federal Heights in Salt Lake City, at No. 242, is the highest-ranked Utah location on a list of “Top Sleep Sanctuaries” in the nation, compiled by mattress company Amerisleep. The company conducted a poll to reveal the most coveted urban sanctuaries that offer a tranquil, suburban atmosphere. The top-ranked location is Del Mar in San Diego, California. Details are at https://amerisleep.com/blog/sleep-sanctuaries/.

ENERGY

• SFC Energy AG, a Germany-based company that provides hydrogen and methanol fuel cells for stationary, portable and mobile hybrid power solutions, recently celebrated the official grand opening of U.S. subsidiary SFC Energy LLC in Orem. The new SFC site was announced in December. SFC Energy LLC integrates sales, customer service and logistics.

GOVERNMENT

• Gov. Spencer Cox has appointed Laura Hanson as his senior advisor of long-range planning. She will continue serving as managing director of planning coordination within the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget. Hanson joined GOPB in 2021 as state planning coordinator. Prior to that, she served as the planning director for the Utah Transit Authority and was the first executive director of the Jordan River Commission. She has also worked as a consultant specializing in long-range planning, strategic planning, small area/downtown revitalization projects, and environmental planning. Hanson earned bachelor’s degrees in urban planning and environmental studies and a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Utah.
• The Salt Lake City Council recently approved a $100,000 Economic Development Loan Fund loan for Eats Bakery, which will help with the build-out of its first brick-and-mortar location at 592 West and 200 South. Eats Bakery, which opened in 2020, specializes in making vegan sweet rolls, doughnuts and cookies. The EDLF program aims to stimulate business development and expansion, create employment opportunities, encourage private investment, promote economic development, and enhance neighborhood vitality and commercial enterprise in Salt Lake City by making loans available to businesses.

INDOOR RECREATION

• Pickleball Kingdom has expanded into American Fork, the second franchise announced in Utah. It is operated by Kaleb and Brittaney Scholes and John and Mandie Peterson.

INVESTMENTS

• Route, a Lehi-based company offering a package tracking and protection solution, has announced a $40 million Series C funding round at a $1.4 billion valuation. The round was led by Hanaco VC, with participation from JAWS Ventures, Madrona Ventures and Granger. Financial Technology Partners served as exclusive advisor on the transaction. Route achieved $100 million in revenue in 2023 and in June surpassed $15 billion in protected merchandise.

LAW

• Dentons Durham Jones Pinegar has added shareholders Aaron Clark, Peter Donaldson, Michael A. Gehret and Trinity Jordan along with of counsel attorneys Kristin A. Baughman and Jordan Westgate and associate Jake R. Lee to its litigation practice. They previously practiced in the Salt Lake City office of Armstrong Teasdale LLP. Clark, a former assistant U.S. attorney, has nearly two decades of litigation experience where he has focused his practice on financial and white-collar crime. His knowledge encompasses statutes governing fraud, money laundering, national security, voting and tax fraud, trafficking of narcotics and firearms, public corruption, mail and identity theft and immigration. Donaldson is returning to Dentons. He is a trial lawyer who handles commercial litigation matters, including disputes regarding contracts, real property, land use, corporate governance, fraud, business torts, fiduciary duties, employment, insurance, franchising, creditor’s rights, intellectual property, probate and trust, receivership, securities and other matters. Gehret has served as national litigation and bankruptcy counsel for many large companies in Utah and across the country. He represents financial institutions, private equity funds, solar and power companies, healthcare, pharmaceutical and biotech companies, developers, commercial property owners, title companies and owners associations, casinos and ski resorts. Jordan, a former assistant U.S. attorney, is a trial lawyer focusing his practice in federal criminal defense, entertainment law, nonprofit and corporate litigation. While his practice primarily involves federal law matters, he also regularly represents clients in state and federal court. In the entertainment industry, Jordan has worked with several independent movie producers, writers and artists; has represented privately owned companies in the United States; and many local businesses, contractors and individuals in government investigations. Baughman has more than a decade of experience in commercial litigation and appeals. Her practice spans a wide range of skill sets, including counseling clients in complex commercial litigation, intellectual property litigation, commercial loan restructuring, receiverships, and real estate litigation. Westgate focuses her practice on a variety of civil matters, including commercial litigation, collections, employment law, domestic litigation and appeals. She has experience in legal research and review, as well as drafting motions and legal memoranda, and attending hearings and trials. Lee has experience gained through numerous judicial clerkships, leading research and assisting in writing on various appellate issues and briefs on appeal.
• Spencer Fane Snow Christensen & Martineau has hired John B. Allen for its Litigation and Dispute Resolution practice group as an associate in the firm’s Salt Lake City office. Allen focuses on clients’ intellectual property rights, creating and strengthening meticulous plans to protect patents, trademarks, trade secrets and copyrights. His background includes biology, general litigation and concentrated IP matters. Allen’s education includes earning his undergraduate degree and master’s in biology at Brigham Young University,

MANUFACTURING

• Leitner-Poma of America recently celebrated the opening of the company’s new Skytrac manufacturing facility in the Tooele Business Park. The company is known for engineering, producing, installing and servicing all types of cable transport systems for the ski industry, amusement parks and urban transport. The new campus will serve as the headquarters and sole manufacturing base for Skytrac, an LPOA subsidiary. The new facility also provides expanded production for LPOA to assist with increasing demand in the ski industry and growth in urban markets, including serving as a regional distribution and service center for LPOA’s affiliate companies Prinoth, which produces snow groomers, and Demaclenko, which produces snowmaking systems. The new campus in Tooele is LPOA’s largest facility in the country at more than 130,000 square feet of manufacturing. The company invested more than $27 million in the new campus. As an LPOA subsidiary, Skytrac focuses on the production, design, installation and service of fixed-grip ski lifts. The new, larger facility will allow the business to increase production and expand headcount up to 120 employees, with further growth possible in additional phases of the project. The campus features a wind turbine developed by LPOA affiliate company LEITWIND that is capable of covering up to 100 percent of a plant’s electricity needs.
• Superior Industrial Refrigeration, a company focused on industrial refrigeration solutions, has promoted Jeff Galloway to director of sales for SIR Utah. Construction manager at SIR, Galloway will add to his responsibilities as director of sales for SIR Utah, overseeing and coordinating the construction and installation of industrial refrigeration projects for clients. Galloway’s experience includes starting as a welder and progressing through various roles, including construction foreman and construction manager.

NONPROFITS

• Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, a Salt Lake City-based nonprofit organization raising funds and awareness for local member children’s hospitals across the U.S. and Canada, has added three people to its Board of Trustees. Craig Aasved is a healthcare executive known for his ability to design and implement strategies that enhance profitability and market share. He is CEO at Shodair Children’s Hospital in Helena, Montana. Treasa Bowers is executive vice president and chief human resources officer at 7-Eleven Inc. Adam Starkman is president and CEO of Canada’s Children’s Hospital Foundations and has experience building philanthropic partnerships, designing organizational structures, and establishing operational frameworks.

PARTNERSHIPS

• Miller Sports+Entertainment has announced a multi-year partnership across its baseball and entertainment businesses with LiveView Technologies, an American Fork-based company that provides life safety and security technology. In an expanded alliance beyond the current Smith’s Ballpark and Salt Lake Bees agreement, LVT is now a founding sponsor as the exclusive surveillance security partner of MSE properties and the preferred surveillance security partner of Larry H. Miller Real Estate. MSE encompasses the Bees, the new Daybreak Field at America First Square opening in 2025, the Big League Utah coalition working to bring a Major League Baseball team to Salt Lake City, Larry H. Miller Megaplex Theatres, and Larry H. Miller Megaplex Entertainment. LVT’s mobile security systems will be deployed at the new Daybreak Field at America First Square and operating at seven Larry H. Miller Megaplex Theatres and its new cinema entertainment centers.

PHILANTHROPY

• Pluralsight, a Draper-based technology workforce development company, has announced $2 million in cash grants from the Pluralsight One Fund, a corporate-advised fund managed by Silicon Valley Community Foundation. These grants, in addition to more than 25,000 donated Pluralsight Skills licenses, will help nonprofit organizations expand access to technology skills development for historically underrepresented populations in the communities they serve. The recipients are AnnieCannons, Auticon Training Institute, Codepath, Empowr Co., Girls Who Code, I.C. Stars, Junior Achievement Utah, LaunchCode, LGBT Tech, NPower, Tech-Moms, Unlocked Labs and Year Up.
• Driven 2 Teach and the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation recently sent 66 Utah history teachers to United States historical sites for a unique learning experience at no cost to participants. The Driven 2 Teach program, underwritten by the Miller Family Foundation and Zions Bank, takes elementary, junior high and high school history teachers out of the classroom and to historical locations. This year, participants studied the civil rights movement in South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama and the founding of the United States in Philadelphia; Boston; Washington, D.C.; and more. This year included 26 elementary school teachers and 39 secondary school teachers from 21 school districts. At the end of the summer, participants will gather and present their plans for implementing their field study curriculum in the classroom to the Miller family, representatives of Zions Bank and their cohorts.

REAL ESTATE

• Capstone Advisors, a California-based real estate investment, development and advisory firm, has purchased the Trail Crossing Shopping Center at 5414 W. Daybreak Parkway, South Jordan, from Wright Development Group. Financial terms were not disclosed. The shopping center was built in 2017 and has 38,397 square feet of retail shopping space spanning five buildings. Currently at full capacity, the center is anchored by Smith’s Food & Drug. It is in the Daybreak master-planned community.
• The Syracuse Medical Office Building development, a 20,399-square-foot medical building, will be built at 3000 W. Antelope Drive, Syracuse. To be completed in 2025, the building is 100 percent pre-leased by three regional physician groups. JLL Capital Markets, a commercial real estate and investment management company, arranged an equity placement for the development. JLL advised Fort Street Partners to secure the equity through Chestnut Healthcare Real Estate.
• Aspen Laser Systems LLC and TheraLight LLC, two co-owned and co-operated, privately held U.S.-based medical device companies specializing in photomedicine, have completed an expansion of their corporate headquarters and warehouse in Lindon. It adds 6,000 square feet to the warehouse, supplying the space needed for increased service/repair and production needs, and 1,500 square feet in the office for additional employees. The companies’ facilities now total more than 15,000 square feet.

RECOGNITIONS

• Amy Petersen, a corporate leader for Smith’s Food & Drug Stores, has been selected as “Top Women in Grocery” by Progressive Gro­cer magazine for 2024. The annual recognition honors thousands of women across the country in the food retail industry who are committed to serving the community. Petersen is Smith’s customer experience and frontline performance manager. Progres­sive Grocer called for nominations across the country of females who are exemplary representatives in the grocery industry. The 400 finalists were selected from 1,000 nominations of women who demonstrate outstanding leadership, wield influence, and show strong involvement in the community.
• The Texas Instruments Inc. selection of Utah for its next 300mm semiconductor wafer fabrication plant has been named “Project of the Year” by Area Development Magazine in its annual Gold and Silver Shovel awards program. The awards recognize state economic development agencies that drive significant job creation through innovative policies, infrastructure improvements, and processes that attract new employers and investments in new and expanded facilities. TI will build the facility in Lehi, adding capacity and up to 800 jobs in a $11 billion capital investment, making it the largest investment in Utah history. Utah was also recognized with a Silver Shovel, making this 14 out of the past 17 years that Utah’s economic development efforts have been recognized by Area Development. The magazine noted that Lakeshore Learning Materials will build a distribution facility in Garland, ultimately creating 540 jobs in a $219 million project.
• InMoment, a South Jordan-based experience improvement solutions company, has won the “Best AI-Based Solution for Retail” award in the seventh annual AI Breakthrough Awards program conducted by market intelligence organization AI Breakthrough. The awards recognize innovation and success in a range of AI and machine learning related categories. This year’s program attracted more than 5,000 nominations from over 20 countries worldwide. Spotlight uses AI to help clients achieve the goal of providing a well-rounded CX journey.
• A pair of UTOPIA Fiber leaders have been named finalists for the 2024 Fiber Forward Amplify Awards, presented by the Fiber Broadband Association. The award honor individuals, companies and innovations that significantly advance the fiber broadband industry. Kim McKinley, UTOPIA Fiber’s chief marketing officer and deputy director, is a finalist for the “Women Changing Fiber for Good” award, which recognizes women whose contributions are set to make a lasting positive impact on the fiber broadband industry. McKinley has been with UTOPIA for over 14 years. Nicole Cottle, UTOPIA Fiber’s general counsel and director of government relations, has been nominated for the “Advocacy Allstars” award, which highlights individuals who are advancing the fiber broadband agenda at both state and federal levels. She joined UTOPIA in 2023 with over two decades of experience in public-private partnerships and municipal government roles. Award winners will be unveiled at Fiber Connect 2024 in late July.

RESTAURANTS

• Seven Brothers Burgers has opened locations at 1060 Park Lane, Suite 3, Farmington; 55 W. South Temple, at City Creek in Salt Lake City; and 6658 S. 2500 E., Uintah. Seven Brothers Burgers was founded in 2009 in Hawaii by Art and Peggy Hannemann as a way to bring them and their seven sons together through serving their community. It has been franchising since 2022. The company has 10 locations: four in Hawaii, five in Utah, and one in Arizona. It plans to open four more in Utah.

RETAIL

• Sevana Petrosian, CEO and founder of SEV MedSpa, has signed to open Utah’s first SEV MedSpa at 4655 S. 2300 E., Holladay, on Aug. 12, offering laser hair removal. Petrosian in 2012 launched her hair removal practice in a small salon.

SCHOLARSHIPS

• Mountain America Credit Union, based in Sandy, through its Mountain America Foundation, recently awarded 120 students with $2,500 Elevate Scholarships totaling $300,000. The scholarships were awarded to students from 79 high schools across the credit union’s six-state footprint. The foundation was created to strengthen the credit union’s humanitarian-driven commitment to serve the communities within Utah, Montana, Arizona, Nevada, Idaho and New Mexico. In the second year of the scholarship program, Mountain America received more than 400 applications.

SERVICES

• MS Consultants, a provider of cost segregation and energy efficiency studies, has opened an office at 159 W. Broadway, Suite 200-334, Salt Lake City. Founded in 1996, MSC has completed more than 23,500 studies, saving clients over $5.1 billion. The company said the new location enables it to be closer to clients on the West Coast. Led by Jeff Hyer, the office will offer services including cost segregation studies, 1031 exchange services, energy efficiency studies, and ensuring compliance with tangible property regulations.
• The Any Hour Group, an Orem-based provider of home services, today announced that McQuillan Home Services and Divine Electric have joined Any Hour’s platform. Through its partnership with McQuillan, Any Hour has expanded its presence in the Greater Minneapolis and St. Paul areas in Minnesota. The addition of Divine broadened the company’s footprint in the Bay Area.

SPORTS

• The inaugural Picklr Utah Open will take place Aug. 21-25 at the Salt Palace Convention Center, with the Carvana PPA Tour event featuring pro players from around the world. The Carvana PPA Tour was founded by Connor Pardoe in Salt Lake City in 2019. The Picklr is a Utah-based indoor pickleball franchise. Amateur competition kicks off Aug. 21, and pro play begins Aug. 22. The Picklr Utah Open will be broadcast on PickleballTV and the PPA Tour YouTube channel, with championship Sunday coverage on Tennis Channel.
• Smith Entertainment Group and the Utah Hockey Club have announced their plans to partner with the Utah Olympic Legacy FoundationUtah Olympic Legacy Foundation and its Utah Olympic Oval facility in Kearns and contribute several million dollars to renovate 17,400 square feet of the existing facility to develop a practice site for the team’s inaugural season. The enhancements and renovations will include converting one of the ice sheets at the facility from Olympic size to meet NHL-standard regulations, building out an NHL locker room and training and treatment facilities, and adding offices for Utah Hockey Club coaches and staff. The upgrades will provide the new team with an NHL-quality headquarters for their inaugural year and create lasting benefits for youth and Olympic athletes who train in hockey and skating programs at the Oval for years to come. The hockey team will move to a permanent practice and training facility at the site of The Shops at South Town in Sandy upon its completion.

TRANSPORTATION

• American Airlines will begin expanded service Oct. 7 from Provo Airport to its hubs at Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX). Starting Nov. 5, the airlines will increase its service offerings to DFW from two daily flights to three daily flights. American’s service between Provo and Phoenix will be flown once daily, complementing service to DFW with connections to destinations in the western U.S., Hawaii, and Mexico. It will use 65-seat Bombardier CRJ 700 regional jet aircraft.
• Seoul Robotics, a Korean industrial autonomous driving company, has deployed a traffic signal system powered by LiDAR sensor data at the intersection of State Street and 5900 South in Murray. It says it is its first intersection in the United States, where traffic signals are controlled directly by LiDAR technology, setting a new standard in traffic management. Initiated by the Utah Department of Transportation, the project is designed to address needs for advanced sensor technology that can detect, count, and track vehicles and other road users under any weather conditions. Gades Sales Co. installed and ensured the system was optimally integrated into the local infrastructure. Blue-Band software acts as a critical interface, translating the data processed by Seoul Robotics’ 3D Perception Engine into signal commands compatible with existing traffic controllers.