Industry Briefs 10-7-24

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BANKING

• California Bank & Trust, a division of Salt Lake City-based Zions Bancorporation NA, has agreed to acquire four branch locations in Palm Desert and Indio from FirstBank, headquartered in Lakewood, Colorado. Under the agreement, California Bank & Trust will acquire approximately $730 million in deposits and $420 million in loans. Upon completion, the branch acquisition will expand CB&T’s physical presence in Coachella Valley to a total of six locations and will add approximately 15,000 new customers. As part of the agreement, CB&T will welcome the California-based FirstBank employees to its existing team of more than 900. The transaction is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2025, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approval. The branches to be acquired will continue to operate as FirstBank branches until completion of the deal, at which time they will immediately re-brand as California Bank & Trust.
• TAB Bank, based in Ogden, has closed a $4.5 million credit facility with The Fiesta Tableware Co. of West Virginia. The company, formerly known as The Homer Laughlin China Co., was established in 1871 and has been a producer of ceramic tableware in the United States for over a century. Based in Newell, West Virginia, The Fiesta Tableware Co. produces professional-grade dinnerware for retail stores and home chefs. The credit facility will help the company with its working capital needs as it continues scaling the company sustainably.

CONTESTS

• The Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute at the University of Utah is encouraging teams to compete in the Utah Entrepreneur Challenge and the High School Challenge. The UEC features $75,000 in cash and prizes, while the HSUEC has $30,000. The deadline to apply is Feb. 20 for the UEC, which is open to college students across Utah. The deadline is Jan. 15 for the HSUEC, open to all high school students in Utah ages 14-18. Details are available at https://lassonde.utah.edu/uec/ and https://lassonde.utah.edu/hsuec/.

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

• Thirty-three percent of Utahns have been victims of financial abuse, according to a survey by CardRates. Examples of financial abuse include someone using a credit card to pay for items without the cardholder’s knowledge, having contracts taken out in their name for the perpetrator to use (such as mobile phones, credit cards, mortgages and loans), or making victims change the beneficiary of their will. The national average for abuse is 43 percent. West Virginia and Delaware had the lowest financial abuse figures, at 18 percent. Tennessee had the highest, at 71 percent. Details are at https://www.cardrates.com/studies/financial-abuse-common-among-americans/.
• Utahns’ top communication pet peeve is someone checking their phone during a face-to-face conversation, according to a survey by entertainment platform Gameland. That also is the top national communication pet peeve. The survey revealed that 70 percent of Americans experience pet peeves weekly, 53 percent admit they sometimes engage in those habits themselves, and one in five Americans has ended up in an argument due to those frustrating habits. Details are at https://gameland.gg/comparison/communication-frustrations.

GOVERNMENT

• The Utah Fairpark Area Investment and Restoration District has appointed Benjamin Buys as executive director, effective Oct. 17. UFAIR is embarking on key investment and restoration projects aimed at reinvigorating the district. UFAIR was created in legislation passed in the 2024 general legislative session and is dedicated to the restoration, preservation, and economic development of the Utah Fairpark surrounding areas. Buys most recent served as deputy executive director and chief financial officer for the Utah Inland Port Authority. Before that, he served in executive management and oversaw finances for the Office of the Legislative Auditor General, the Department of Human Resource Management, and the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. He earned degrees in accounting and marketing as well as an MBA from the University of Utah.
• Salt Lake County has selected Robert “Bobby” Sampson as associate director of Salt Lake County Community Services. Sampson most recently served as Councilman Jim Bradley’s senior policy advisor. He began his public service career with Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office as a deputy sheriff and retired at the rank of captain. Sampson co-owned a private exam-design business for several years prior to returning to Salt Lake County in 2015.
• The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole has hired Brittany Karzen to the newly created position of program director of public outreach and transparency. Karzen most recently was communications and public policy director at Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office. Before that, she worked at Utah Department of Health, R&R Partners and Edison International. Karzen plans to implement communication strategies that include regular updates, community forums and digital platform expansion to broaden the board’s outreach efforts. Karzen’s education includes earning a master’s degree in mass communications from Brigham Young University.
• The Navajo Tribal Utility Authority in Utah, Arizona and New Mexico will receive nearly $7.4 million from federal funds as part of a $71 million plan to electrify homes in 13 tribal communities in the U.S. The investment is from the Inflation Reduction Act. This second and final round of funding is from the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Tribal Electrification Program. It follows the program’s first round of funding of $72 million awarded to 21 tribes and tribal organizations.

HOSPITALITY

• Grand Hyatt Deer Valley in Park City is expected to open in November. Reservations are open for stays beginning Nov. 20. The resort marks the debut of Deer Valley East Village and will feature approximately 400 luxury rooms, including 100 discounted rooms reserved nightly for U.S. service members, and nearly 30,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space.

INVESTMENTS

• Unified Commerce Group has announced an investment in Böhme, a Draper-based womenswear retailer. Böhme launched in 2006 with a store in Fashion Place Mall in Murray. It now has 15 stores throughout Utah, Arizona, Idaho and Montana, as well as an online presence. UCG was founded in 2019 by Logan native Dustin Jones. Böhme becomes the fourth brand in UCG’s portfolio. Jones will serve as chairman of Böhme, and founder Vivien Böhme will remain as president.

NONPROFITS

• The directors of the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation have selected Jennifer Napier-Pearce to serve as the foundation’s chief of staff. A veteran journalist and strategist, Napier-Pearce most recently served as a senior advisor and director of communications to Gov. Spencer Cox. Prior to that, she was executive editor of The Salt Lake Tribune, and worked at KUER and KCPW as a reporter, anchor and news director. Napier-Pearce’s education includes earning a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Utah.

OUTDOOR PRODUCTS

• Provo’s 100-acre Epic Regional Sports Park has opened. It will feature 21 multi-use fields, an incoming 45-court pickleball facility and park amenities. With the completion of the final six fields, Epic is the largest regional sports park in Utah and one of the largest in the Intermountain West. Scott Henderson, Provo City chief administrative officer, said the park will become a catalyst of visitation and investment in Provo, bringing $40 million annually into its regional economy.

PARTNERSHIPS

• SeatGeek and the Utah Hockey Club have announced a partnership, with SeatGeek becoming the official ticketing partner of the club. SeatGeek offers a technology platform that aims to transform the live event experience for fans, teams and venues. The hockey club is the National Hockey League’s newest franchise and is owned by Smith Entertainment Group. SeatGeek will handle ticketing for all UHC home games. The partnership represents SeatGeek’s second NHL client. SeatGeek also is the ticketing solution for the Utah Jazz NBA franchise and Delta Center arena in Salt Lake City, a partnership that began in 2023.

PHILANTHROPY

• Tranont, a Lehi-based healthy lifestyle company, has completed its latest series of community service events as part of its annual “Lift Where You Live Day” initiative. Employees, associates and customers participated in various service projects nationwide Sept. 14, focused on reducing economic hardship, enhancing greenspace and caring for others. Their cumulative efforts impacted more than 10,000 lives, the company said. Some of the activities included a food drive for local food banks; fruit tree planting, fence building and clearing weeds at Dimple Dell Regional Park in Sandy; volunteering at Pointe Meadows Senior Center in Lehi; running in various races for charity; and fundraising for various causes on social media.

REAL ESTATE

• Fast Stop Travel Centers has acquired three gasoline stations in Northern Utah from Trigon. The properties are in Ogden, Willard and Pleasant View. Financial terms were not disclosed. The announcement was made by Mountain West Commercial Real Estate. Agent Matthew Porter represented both the buyer and seller in the transactions.

RECOGNITIONS

• The Utah Tourism Industry Association recently presented Utah Tourism Trailblazer Awards at its annual Utah Tourism Conference at the Davis Conference Center in Layton. Recipients are Lesha Coltharp, Uintah County Travel & Tourism; Shanna Memmott, Juab County Travel; and Salt Lake City International Airport. The awards are presented to Utah tourism partners who dedicate their talent, time and energy toward building the industry.
• The National Society of Genetic Counselors recently named Ashley Svenson as the recipient of the 2024 NSGC Strategic Leader Award. Svenson is medical policy director, payer markets, at Myriad Genetics. The award is presented to an outstanding individual who promotes the genetic counseling profession as a recognized and integral part of healthcare delivery through avenues such as education, research and public policy.
• Select Health, based in Murray, has announced the recipients of the Select Health Awards, recognizing 10 Utah-based organizations for their exceptional contributions to improving health and well-being across the state. Select Health awarded each with $5,000 to support essential services. Recipients this year are Boys & Girls Club of Utah County (Provo), which helps young people, especially those in need, become productive and caring citizens and leaders; Christmas Box International (Salt Lake City), which supports children affected by abuse, neglect, trafficking or homelessness through inclusion programs and other support services; Comunidades Unidas (West Valley City), which advocates for Latinx immigrants by connecting them to social services and community opportunities; DOVE Center (St. George, which empowers survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence with essential resources as they work toward healing and independence; Girls on the Run Southern Utah (St. George), which inspires young girls through fun, evidence-based programs that build confidence, kindness, and decision-making skills; Grey Beard’s Giving (Logan), which supports underserved communities by promoting prosperity, generosity and community engagement; Maliheh Free Clinic (Salt Lake City), which provides free, same-day urgent medical care to patients with critical needs; Moab Area Community Land Trust (Moab), which develops permanent affordable housing by preserving land held in trust in Moab City, Grand County and northern San Juan County; Neighborhood Connection (Salt Lake City), which fights childhood hunger by supplying supplemental weekend food to children participating in after school meal programs; and Project Read (Provo), which provides one-on-one tutoring to functionally illiterate adults, helping them improve literacy and strengthen their families. Since its inception in 2008, the Select Health Awards have donated over $1 million to organizations across Utah, Idaho and, for the first time this year, Nevada.
• A pair of Utah organizations are among winners of the 2024 Growth Accelerator Fund Competition, Stage Two, presented by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The SBA announced over $3 million in awards, with 44 accelerator partnerships receiving between $50,000 and $150,000 each to advance their work supporting small businesses and startups in STEM and research and development across priority areas including national and economic security, domestic manufacturing and production, and sustainability and biotechnology. A winner in the Domestic Manufacturing and Production category is the Utah Advanced Materials Manufacturing Institute. A winner in the Sustainability and Biotechnology category is Altitude Lab.

RESTAURANTS

• Mo’ Bettahs Hawaiian Style Food, based in Lehi, has named John Konyn as chief operations officer. Konyn joined the company in 2010 as an hourly employee when it had just two locations (it now has 55 stores in seven states). He advanced into other positions, most recently serving as vice president of operations and overseeing the training and development of team members planning to take on GM, DM and DO roles. The company also has opened its 28th location in Utah at 2654 N. 2000 W., Clinton. The company was founded in Bountiful in 2008.

RETAIL

• A grand opening recently took place for the Walmart Fuel Station and convenience store at 2116 W. 1700 S., Syracuse. A $1,000 donation was presented to the Syracuse police and fire departments.

SERVICES

• Mountain America Investment Services, based in Sandy, has added Lucas Montes as a wealth advisor at its West Valley Branch. Montes will offer clients guidance on retirement planning, investment strategies, and comprehensive financial planning, with a focus on building long-term relationships. Montes most recently worked at Fidelity Investments, where he helped clients navigate complex financial landscapes. He is fluent in both English and Spanish. Montes earned a bachelor’s degree from Utah Valley University, where he studied business administration and personal financial planning.
• 401GO, a Sandy-based next-generation retirement plan provider for employers, advisors and individuals, has hired Sue Hardy as head of plan operations. Hardy has worked 20 years in the retirement industry, with most of her career in the ERISA and compliance side of 401(k). She has been a speaker at the NAFE conference and locally for the Salt Lake City chapter of Western Pension Benefits.

TECHNOLOGY

• LVTLVT (LiveView Technologies Inc.), an American Fork-based company focused on life safety and security and a developer and manufacturer of mobile, solar-powered and cellular-connected surveillance solutions and software, has unveiled its next-generation Command Center, designed to give security operators unrivaled control over their video security systems. The company said its 8-year-old VSaaS solution, now available in beta, was rebuilt to empower personnel with unparalleled efficiency and effective incident management capabilities, including a new user experience that reduces the time needed to make informed response decisions. General availability is expected in the fourth quarter.