Silicon Slopes | Leaders Interviewing Leaders

Keith Morey of Provo City joins Clint Betts and Garrett Clark for this episode of the Silicon Slopes Podcast. They chat about all things Provo, particularly its pivotal role in Utah's startup world. The evolving cultural landscape of downtown Provo has transformed it into a thriving hub within the state, boasting an excellent restaurant scene. While many businesses start in Provo and ultimately end up leaving for Silicon Slopes, Keith has made it his mission to keep significant companies in the city, adding to its continued growth. Additionally, they also discuss topics including a former president, gold ATMs, and the future of Provo City. "Nobody tells our story but us."

Jaron Erickson joins Clint Betts and Garrett Clark on this episode of the Silicon Slopes Show to chat about founding Sales Dojo and building careers. They start by recapping the results of the 58th Super Bowl and get into issues regarding the current state of the Great Salt Lake. Being able to work in the tech industry is a huge leap forward in one's career and Jaron talks about how that kind of growth attracts high-caliber individuals to the industry. Once out of school, we often forget we have the ability to continue to learn and Jaron's company helps people get back into a career advancing, learning environment where skills grow and confidence gets a much needed boost. They also speak on systematizing processes and finding success within different roles. Tune in to learn more! "We want to help people make more money. We want to help people get a better career path because not all jobs are created equal."

On this episode of the Silicon Slopes show, Clint Betts and Garrett Clark meet with the Founder and CEO of Crew, Gentry Davies. They chat about building a better experience in modern banking for the whole family and Gentry shares the inspiration behind Crew's founding. Crew has a unique business model that parents and kids can both learn from and utilize, and Gentry hints at plans for the future of the company, including increased collaboration with other industry names. Financial literacy is so important for everyone to understand, yet so few have the opportunity to learn about it before they hit adulthood. Gentry's on a mission to increase financial literacy rates and to make banking accessible to everyone, no matter their age. They also discuss other topics like crypto, politics, and current Utah events. Tune in to learn more! "There's a lot of research showing that allowances are incredibly powerful and they're best left disconnected from chores."Show Links:https://www.trycrew.comApple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/silicon-slopes-the-entrepreneur-capital-of-the-world/id1698150372Spotify Podcasts - https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZdYnWYKPXOqH2fgJ2UJ2N?si=5890c63a145a4a3eSocial:Twitter - https://twitter.com/siliconslopesInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/siliconslopes/LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/silicon-slopes/YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8aEtQ1KJrWhJ3C2JnzXysw

Clint Betts and Garrett Clark sit down with Dave Pierce, the Managing Director at GPS Capital Markets, for this episode of the Silicon Slopes Podcast. They chat about the financial services industry and the woes of doing business internationally, including how tech translates beyond borders with ease. Dave has years managing foreign exchange and he shares his experience getting started in this industry and expanding his career to where it is today. They talk about financial literacy and how it's a missing, yet essential, component of education for the youth. So many people struggle to manage their own finances today and Dave shares some thoughts on financial education. They touch on various topics including crypto, as well as the future of Utah City. Tune in to learn more!

Join Garrett Clark and Clint Betts as they sit down with Ryan Westwood, CEO of Fullest and a public and private company director. Tune in to this episode to learn what it takes to live the true entrepreneur’s lifestyle, the importance of surrounding yourself with an all-star team, and the current venture capital community in Utah. In this episode, Ryan shares his career journey from Simplus to becoming the CEO of Fullcast and also shares important life lessons he has learned by being an entrepreneur in Utah.Ryan Westwood is a tech entrepreneur who has successfully exited three companies. Ryan co-founded Simplus, which he grew from $0 to more than $400 million in revenue when merged with Infosys eco systems businesses. Ryan is currently the CEO of Fullcast and a public & private company director. He authored the book “The Five Characteristics of a Successful Entrepreneur”. He has been both Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and Utah Business CEO of the Year. In 2021 he was named as one of the top CEO’s in America for Women by Comparably.Tune in to learn from a great entrepreneur!

Join Clint Betts and Garrett Clark as they sit down with Jonas Harmer, Head of Business Development at Gigg. In this episode, Jonas talks about his previous cryptocurrency job and the interesting things that happened there. They dive into his role at Gigg, what Gigg does, and a unique campaign their team worked on this year. Show Links:https://www.gigg.comApple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/silicon-slopes-the-entrepreneur-capital-of-the-world/id1698150372Spotify Podcasts - https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZdYnWYKPXOqH2fgJ2UJ2N?si=5890c63a145a4a3eSocial:Twitter - https://twitter.com/siliconslopesInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/siliconslopes/LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/silicon-slopes/YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8aEtQ1KJrWhJ3C2JnzXysw

Join Garrett Clark and Clint Betts as they sit down with Alan Wessman, current candidate for Utah County’s Commission. In this episode, they take a deep dive into Utah County: the exponential growth of Utah County, the challenges of building homes and expanding roads, and the strategies in place to ensure that every new homeowner in Utah Country can not only enjoy shopping, but also Utah’s amazing scenery. Alan Wessman also shares his motivations for running for Utah County’s Commission as well as running using a third party—United Utah Party. Tune in to listen to Alan’s unique perspective on non-partisan politics and DEI in Utah.Alan Wessman is a longtime Utah County resident, a career software engineer, and a former and current candidate for public office with the United Utah Party. As a software engineer, he has worked on problems ranging from online learning, to cloud data sync, to election management software, to machine learning and cybersecurity. He has worked for large corporations and small startups, and has volunteered on some open-source side projects as well. In 2022, feeling the call of public service, he ran for his state House seat in Spanish Fork, getting 20 percent of the vote against the Republican incumbent. In 2024, he is running for an open seat on the Utah County Commission.Tune in to learn more!

Join Clint Betts and Garrett Clark as they sit down with Rasesh Patel, President of Vivint Smart Home at NRG. In this episode, they discuss the future of electric vehicles, smart home technology, current events, and Rasesh’s incredible career journey.Rasesh joined NRG from Vivint, where he was Chief Operating Officer, overseeing the company’s operations as well as its technology and product platform.Prior to Vivint, Rasesh spent seven years at AT&T where he served in various executive leadership roles before being named chief product and platform officer for AT&T business. In that capacity, Rasesh was responsible for a P&L with $35 billion of annual revenue, as well as its integrated platforms, products, and solutions including fiber, 5G, Edge, IoT, cybersecurity, collaboration, and cloud connectivity.Prior to its acquisition by AT&T, Rasesh served as senior vice president of customer experience for DIRECTV. Through his focus on developing a seamless omnichannel customer experience, DIRECTV’s NPS improved from third to first in the industry while simultaneously driving significant operating efficiencies.Rasesh received an MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of California, Irvine.Tune in to learn from a great business leader.

Join Clint Betts and Garrett Clark as they sit down with Mike Taylor, Founder of Guru Technologies, a local contract software engineering company that builds mobile and web apps. In this episode, they discuss national events such as the recent NFL games with the Detroit Lions and San Fransisco 49ers, recap Utah Tech Week and describe the various events that took place, and the impact AI can bring in the near future.Mike Taylor started Guru Technologies in 2005 and currently has 50 Utah-based employees. He and his team have built all kinds of software for startups and companies. Outside of Guru, Mike has also built three SaaS startups, two of which were sold. Mike was the tech co-founder of Tukios in 2010 and Municipal Code Online in 2016. The third startup, CrewTracks, is still being run by Mike.Tune in to learn more.

On this episode of the Silicon Slopes Podcast, Clint meets with Utah State Representative, Jefferson Moss. They dive into various issues affecting Utah and share ideas surrounding DEI in the workplace and in education. As Utah continues to grow, lawmakers are actively seeking solutions to potential problems the state may experience with such large-scale growth, including management and transportation. They also discuss the upcoming presidential election as well as the Utah Innovation Fund which supports Utah's startups and entrepreneurs. The future of Utah is in great hands; tune in to learn more about the exciting things happening in this great state! "I think our new board of higher education, you know many of them, I think it's going to do a fantastic job of helping to bring the schools more together. They all bring incredible strengths individually but to see the collaboration amongst them, I think is going to create a lot of new exciting things that we can do as a state."