Industry Briefs 10-28-24

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.

BANKING

• Bank of Utah, based in Ogden, recently marked the completion of the remodel of its branch at 4605 Harrison Blvd., South Ogden. One addition is LED lighting on the building’s exterior, which will illuminate in various colors to celebrate community events. The renovations and improvements were completed by Cameron Construction and TJS Architects. The bank is celebrating the completion of the project with a check presentation to the Salvation Army. The organization is one of the charity partners who will be recipients of monetary donations as part of the bank’s annual “Warm Bodies, Warm Souls” campaign running through Nov. 15. Bank of Utah also has named Kathy Bizek as branch manager at its Salt Lake City Redwood office at 2309 S. Redwood Road, Salt Lake City. Bizek has over two decades of finance experience, starting as a teller and advancing through many roles to branch manager while working at other banks in her career.
• Sunwest Bank, based in Sandy, has named Omar Morelas senior vice president and director of government guaranteed lending. He will lead the bank’s government guaranteed lending portfolio across multiple states. Morel previously was SBA sales leader for Sunwest Bank, where he approved and funded SBA 7(a), SBA 504 and California State Guaranty loans to help businesses grow, expand and purchase commercial real estate. Prior joining Sunwest Bank, he spent four years at American Business Bank as a senior SBA business development officer. Morel also served in the U.S. Air Force for six years prior to starting his banking career.

COMMUNICATIONS

• Wilson Electronics, a Cottonwood Heights-based company focused on cellular signal connectivity technology, has rebranded to Wilson Connectivity. Through wireless connectivity products and services, the company offers indoor and outdoor cellular amplification technology, including for businesses solutions that leverage the 5G spectrum.

CONSTRUCTION

• Big-D Cos., a Salt Lake City-based group of U.S. contractors, has hired Mike Fratianni as regional operating officer, overseeing Big-D mission-critical and Big-D Lindon offices. Fratianni has more than 35 years of leadership experience in the construction industry. He has held top executive positions, including president and CEO of Hunt Construction Group, COO of AECOM Hunt, and managing director of construction at Lendlease.

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

• Utah is ranked No. 1 on a list of states for decorating the most for Halloween, compiled by Lombardo Homes, following an analysis of Halloween decoration Google search terms and a survey. The most popular decoration in Utah is a spider. The study indicates that 82 percent of Americans plan to decorate for Halloween this year, with the average household spending $131 and spending four hours on decorating. The state decorating the least for Halloween is Alabama. Details are at https://lombardohomes.com/most-popular-halloween-decorations-by-state-2024/.
• Thirty-three percent of Utahns say they have been victims of some form of financial or economic abuse, according to a study by CardRates. The national average is 43 percent. Examples of financial abuse include someone using a credit card to pay for items without the cardholder’s knowledge or having contracts taken out in their name for the perpetrator to use (such as mobile phones, credit cards, mortgages, and loans). Some even make their victims change the beneficiary of their will. The state with the highest percentage is Tennessee, at 71 percent. The states with the lowest percentage, 18 percent, are Delaware and West Virginia. Details are at https://www.cardrates.com/studies/financial-abuse-common-among-americans/.
• Meeting tight deadlines is the top work worry among Utah employees, according to a survey by Resume.io. Other common job-related anxieties of Utah employees are (n order) giving presentations, worrying about job security, adjusting to a new role or learning new skills, negotiating salary or asking for a raise, managing relationships with senior leadership, navigating office politics, receiving critical feedback, and asking for flexible work arrangements. Forty-six percent of surveyed Utahns admit they’ve resorted to taking medication or drinking alcohol to calm their nerves before facing a stressful work situation. And when asked what might make them consider leaving their job, the top reasons were feeling undervalued by management (23 percent) and dealing with toxic work culture or conflicts with coworkers (19 percent). Half say they sometimes dread going into work because of the stress, while over half (54 percent) have taken unofficial time off in the past year because they were too stressed to handle the job. Details are at https://resume.io/blog/study-work-worries.
• The preservation of Utah’s national parks is the top cause that Utahns would support if they became wealthy, according to a survey conducted by LotteryTexts. Other choices included promoting the preservation of the Great Salt Lake, and supporting outdoor recreation and conservation in the Wasatch Mountains. The results varied by state, with Californians saying they would want to direct their wealth to fund conservation efforts for redwood and sequoia forests, Montanans to preserve traditional Native American languages and customs, New Hampshirites to restore historic buildings and Michiganders to historic lighthouses. Details are at https://lotterytexts.com/blog/survey-what-philanthropic-causes-would-americans-support-if-they-struck-it-rich/.

EDUCATION

• The Master of Business Creation program at the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business is now being offered around the world with the new MBC Global option for students who are living in other countries. The global option enrolled its first 20 founders from Africa starting in the fall 2024 semester. The MBC program was introduced in 2019 and over 200 founders have enrolled in the program since then. The program is offered in partnership with the Department of Entrepreneurship & Strategy and Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute at the Eccles School.
• Ensign College, a private institution owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has reported a substantial increase in enrollment for the fall 2024 semester. Enrollment at the Salt Lake City campus rose by 4.5 percent. Domestic students come from 15 Utah counties and 37 U.S. states. Forty-four percent of students are international and represent 76 countries. Ensign’s student population is 35 percent first-generation. Sixty percent are 24 years old or older. The average degree-specific class size is 15 students. The fall semester represents the sixth consecutive semesters of enrollment growth for the college. Its more than 5,700 students online worldwide reflects a 38 percent increase.

ENERGY

• Complete Solar Holdings Inc., doing business as Complete Solar, a Lehi-based solar technology, services and installation company, has appointed Dan Myers as executive vice president. Myers will have financial and general management responsibility for the company’s New Homes Division, which supports builders who create new residential communities. Myers has a decade-long track record in the solar industry, having held leadership positions at companies including Vivint Solar and Sunrun. He is a supply chain expert who has also been a technical consultant to several Fortune 100 solar developers and buyers on more than 10 gigawatts of solar projects. Prior to joining the solar industry, Myers served at U.S. embassies overseas.
• Williams, an energy infrastructure company, has opened an office in Salt Lake City at 650 Main. About 150 employees occupy two floors, consolidating what were previously two separate office locations, with additional space to grow. In 2023, Williams acquired MountainWest natural gas transmission pipeline and storage assets, adding approximately 2,000 miles of pipelines across Utah, Wyoming and Colorado, as well as 56 billion cubic feet of gas storage.
• Salt Lake County Library’s Daybreak branch in South Jordan has been certified as the first net zero energy commercial building in Utah, following two years of tracking energy production and consumption. Net zero buildings generate their own renewable energy and minimize their energy consumption. The Daybreak branch opened in 2022 and features a “create” space, outdoor amphitheater, rooftop garden, and meeting and study rooms, in addition to its collection of books and resources.

EXPANSIONS

• The Picklr, a Kaysville-based indoor pickleball franchise company, has expanded into Canada through a master franchise agreement with TPC Development Corp. The partnership aims to deliver more indoor pickleball facilities in Canada. The agreement grants TPC exclusive rights to develop, open and operate all of The Picklr clubs in Canada outside of Quebec. TPC plans to open 65 locations across several Canadian provinces and territories. The first will open in Toronto in 2025. The Picklr has sold more than 390 locations in 42 states, with plans to open at least 30 new clubs in 2024 and an additional 70 in 2025.
• Alsco Uniforms, a Salt Lake City-based uniform and linen laundry service company, has opened a 74,000-square-foot laundry processing facility in Vista, California. It follows the relocation from the downtown location in San Diego. The new plant will produce hygienically clean uniforms, linens, floor mats, and mops while providing first aid and restroom supplies to customers throughout Southern California. Alsco Uniforms maintains a fleet of 20 delivery vehicles servicing more than 1,500 customers across the San Diego area. The new facility will process more than 600,000 pounds of laundry per week.

EVENTS

• The One Utah Summit, which has taken place in the spring in Northern Utah and in autumn in Southern Utah, will take place just once annually in the future. The Northern Utah event will no longer take place, in part because of its cost. Ryan Starks, executive director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, told the GOEO board at its October meeting that GOEO will continue to partner with the Salt Lake Chamber, World Trade Center Utah and other organizations and help sponsor their events. The 2024 autumn summit in Cedar City had a record 1,500 attendees, 39 mainstage presenters and 65 breakout sessions across two days.

GOVERNMENT

• The Utah Department of Health and Human Services has appointed Dr. Stacey Bank as executive medical director, effective Nov. 4. Bank is a family physician with over 20 years of experience. She has a strong background in primary care and serving diverse populations. Bank most recently was a physician lead at Sacred Circle Healthcare and before that was the medical director at the University of Utah Intensive Outpatient Clinic. From 2022 to 2024, she served on the Salt Lake County Board of Health. Bank completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Utah. Bank is taking over the post of executive medical director from Dr. Michelle Hofmann, who will continue to work with the department advising correctional health services for the next six months. Hofmann was recently appointed as interim senior associate dean for University of Utah Health’s new St. George Regional Medical Campus of the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine. In this role, she will develop relationships with regional health systems, community clinics, and other entities to prepare for an exceptional student experience.
• The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food has announced the recipients of the 2024 Utah Food Security Processing Grant. Created in 2022, this grant program is designed to address critical deficiencies in Utah’s food supply chain by increasing processing capacity of locally grown and raised foods. The Legislature initially appropriated $1 million to UDAF for this program in the 2022 legislative session. The success of this program was continued with additional $1 million appropriations in the 2023 and 2024 legislative sessions, totaling $3 million to support the expansion of small meat, poultry, fruit and vegetable processors. The 2024 recipients include 101 Custom Meats, Virgin; 3 Springs Land and Livestock, Kamas; Apple Berry Farm, Logan; Argyle Acres, Liberty; Best Dough Bread LLC, Blanding; Circle V Meat, Spanish Fork; Davis Custom Meats, Ogden; Eskelsen Orchards, Brigham City; Final Cut Meats, St. George; Golden Age Naturals LLC, American Fork; Granato Foods, Draper; Heber Valley Artisan Cheese, Midway; Heber Valley Milk, Midway; Johnson Farms, Benson; Juniper Meat Co., Willard; Payson Fruit Growers, Payson; Ranch 25 Family Farms, Portage; Rhonda’s Fresh Produce, Morgan; Roo Crew Farms, Fielding; Rowley’s South Ridge Farms, Santaquin; Salsa Del Diablo, Salt Lake City; and Utah Beef Producers, Richfield.
• The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved more than $9.3 million in hazard mitigation funding to improve stormwater drainage and flood diversion infrastructure along Box Elder Canyon between Mantua and Brigham City. The grant will fund eligible construction costs to upgrade concrete water mains and steel piping that are more than 50 years old. The stormwater piping system diverts floodwater away from public and private structures in Brigham City, which has experienced historic flooding events in the past two decades. Existing piping will be replaced with higher-quality materials that promote more efficient water flow, and all piping will be buried underground. FEMA is providing 90 percent of the water line upgrade project, a total of more than $9.3 million. The remaining 10 percent of project costs is the responsibility of the local community.

HEALTH CARE

• The Layton Weightloss Clinic has opened at 1785 Legend Hills Drive, No. 140, Clearfield, with a medical doctor and full-time nurse offering medically supported and monitored weight loss programs. The clinic offers 360 BodyScan technology and supports FDA-approved prescription weight loss medications Semaglutide and Tirzepitide. A ribbon-cutting and open house are scheduled for 10 a.m. Nov. 6.

MANUFACTURING

• PharmaLogic Holdings Corp., a Murray-based contract development and manufacturing organization and radiopharmacy solutions provider, has officially opened its radiopharmaceutical production and research facility in Salt Lake City, aimed at delivering life-saving diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals to patients across North America. The new production and laboratory space is designed to support not only the scaling of existing operations but also to foster research and development of novel radiopharmaceuticals.
• YESCO, a manufacturer of custom electric signs, sign maintenance and out-of-home advertising, has fabricated and installed a large hockey puck sign for Smith Entertainment Group’s Utah Hockey Club, displayed on Delta Center’s Main Plaza in Salt Lake City. Standing 14 feet, 3 inches tall, 13 feet wide and nearly 2 feet deep, the sign was constructed primarily from painted aluminum and features an LED lighting system. YESCO also announced it will restore the vintage Rio Grande sign for the Heber Valley Railroad. The sign, originally created by YESCO in the late 1950s, once was atop the Rio Grande Depot in Salt Lake City before being replaced approximately five years ago. The restoration project, slated for completion early December, will involve restoring the sign’s damaged structure and replacing outdated neon elements with LED lights. The restored sign will be mounted on top of the Heber Valley Railroad’s mechanical shop. The overall width of the sign will be 72 feet. The tallest letters are 7 feet, 11 inches tall.

NONPROFITS

• Utah Global Diplomacy, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization promoting respect and understanding between the people of Utah and other nations through citizen diplomacy and outcome-driven international relations, has appointed six new directors to its board: Adam Wardel, integral business counsel, PLLC & Rectify Partners; Anna Maidon, World Trade Center Utah; Dina Sinclair, international NGO leader; Ozwald Hutton, professional connector; Lavinia Taumoepeau-Latu, Fulbright ambassador; and Rick Haskell, Westminster University. Wardel is an attorney with more than 10 years of experience across the legal, technology and banking industries. He has built entire legal departments from the ground up as an in-house attorney and has completed two national and two international acquisitions. His focus areas are global operations, risk management and compliance, growth strategy and corporate governance. Wardel’s education includes earning a B.A. in political science and international relations from Brigham Young University. Maidon has worked and lived in many countries and cultures around the globe as a business executive. She has developed and delivered multimillion-dollar projects focused on cultural brand identity in offices in Doha, Dubai, and Sydney. At World Trade Center Utah, she works with Utah businesses, federal agencies and local organizations, raising awareness about the STEP grant program. Sinclair is a nonprofit leader with over 10 years of experience coordinating regional and international nonprofit projects and events in multiple countries. She has overseen a nonprofit at the U.S. Embassy in Kazakhstan, developed and managed grant and charity activities for an international nonprofit in Ukraine, and helped execute Doctors Without Borders’ humanitarian aid missions. Hutton served a decade in the Marine Corps and nearly as long in the events management industry. Taumoepeau-Latu, is an expert in international emergency and disaster management. Her education includes earning dual Bachelor of Science degrees in political science and international studies from the University of Utah. Haskell is a professor of finance in Westminster University’s Bill & Vieve Gore School of Business and also serves as the director of the Westminster Center for Financial Wellness. His research is centered around asset valuation models and methods and the effects of capital intensity on labor markets. He earned master and doctoral degree in economics at the University of Utah.

PARTNERSHIPS

• Myriad Genetics Inc., a Salt Lake City-based genetic testing and precision medicine company, has announced a collaboration with Flatiron Health, a New York-based health technology company. The collaboration allows physicians to order Myriad’ MyRisk Hereditary Cancer Test and view the results of the test directly in Flatiron’s cloud-based Electronic Medical Record platform, OncoEMR. MyRisk is the first hereditary cancer test to be incorporated into OncoEMR. The integration allows 4,200 providers at over 800 community-based cancer care locations across the U.S. in Flatiron’s network to conveniently order, receive and review MyRisk testing results directly through their daily OncoEMR system.
• American Battery Factory Inc., an American Fork-based battery manufacturer, has announced a seven-year partnership with Tinci Materials Texas LLC to secure a supply of battery chemical materials. The agreement enables ABF to advance battery cell production processes alongside the upcoming construction of the company’s first gigafactory in Arizona. Materials sourced from and supplied by Tinci will be integrated into assembly of the cells, ensuring each unit is properly fit for use. ABF cells will be produced for households, businesses and utilities to optimize energy storage and enhance the power grid. As part of the partnership, both companies agree to cooperate to source and supply materials and manage logistics, update demand forecasts, develop an LFP battery ecosystem in North America and integrate materials directly into cell production for end-user energy storage products.

PHILANTHROPY

• Gabb, a Lehi-based company focused on safe technology for youngsters, and Carry On, a nonprofit organization focused on youth mental health and wellness through skateboarding and outdoor activities, recently presented a “Disconnect to Connect Family Skateboard Night” at Carry On Skatepark in Provo, aimed at offering Utah families an opportunity to take a break from screens, enjoy skatepark fun, and support youth mental health initiatives while promoting safe technology for families in need. The event included skateboard clinics for children ages 4-12, a taco station, games and crafts, a drawing and donation station to support youth mental health and safe technology access for families, and a “phone check” with disposable and Polaroid cameras to capture moments instead. Proceeds from drawing ticket sales and merchandise will go toward providing safe technology for families in need and supporting youth mental health programs.
• Thirty volunteers from Tranont, a Lehi-based healthy lifestyle company, recently spent a weekend building three homes in Tijuana, Mexico, to support Project Mercy’s mission to build solid and secure houses and improve the quality of life for impoverished families in Mexico. The volunteer work is part of Tranont’s “Lift Where You Live” initiative, designed to help people improve their health, create wealth and leave a lasting impact through service projects where employees and associates live. The weekend represented the fourth annual trip made by Tranont employees, during which 11 homes have been constructed.

REAL ESTATE

• Vesta Realty Partners and the Larry H. Miller Co. recently acquired 3715 S. Tracy Hall Parkway, Provo, from STAG Industrial. It is a newly developed Class A, 171,556-square-foot industrial/manufacturing building. Financial terms were not disclosed. The new owners have already executed its first lease with beverage company Swig. The transaction was brokered by Colliers and Woodley Real Estate on behalf of the buyers, with CBRE representing the seller. Eric Woodley of Woodley Real Estate represented Swig in the lease, while Jarrod Hunt of Colliers represented the landlord.

RECOGNITIONS

• Rocky Mountain Power’s Blue Sky program ranked first in overall green pricing sales in a national study by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory. NREL recently released its ranking of leading utility green power programs based on 2023 data and recognized the top 10 outstanding green power programs. For the 22nd consecutive year, Rocky Mountain Power’s Blue Sky program, which includes voluntary customer participation, is being recognized. Rocky Mountain Power scored first in the top 10 list for green power sales, based on December 2023 data. Blue Sky allows participants to match their energy usage with the purchase of renewable energy credits as a way to support renewable energy in the West.