Business Elevated

Season 5 episode 8: This episode features a conversation with Ryan Starks, the new executive director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity; Brad Bonham, the state’s first entrepreneur-in-residence; and Pete Codella, managing director of business services at the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity.   The Economic Opportunity office facilitates fiscal opportunities for all Utahns by assisting entrepreneurs, retaining and recruiting businesses, and bringing high-paying jobs to Utah. In January 2023, Gov. Spencer Cox appointed Ryan Starks as the new executive director of his Economic Opportunity office. The governor also named Brad Bonham as the state’s first entrepreneur-in-residence.   Starks shared his thoughts when Gov. Cox asked him to take the position as the executive director, Bonham discusses the governor’s approach to economic opportunity and the desire for Utah to be known as the startup state, and the office’s mission–to be stewards of the world's best economy and quality of life–and the facts supporting that claim.  Bonham discusses what the term entrepreneur-in-residence means and his goals for the position, Starks explains how the state’s five targeted industries programs fuel economic opportunity, and the duo discusses what it means to future-proof Utah’s economy. They also discuss the challenges of economic prosperity, how the office strategically supports business expansion in rural areas of the state, and much more.

Season 5 Episode 7: This episode features a conversation with Katie-Rose Skelly, co-founder and chief technology officer at Known Medicine, and Pete Codella, managing director of business services at the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity.  Forbes magazine recently recognized Skelly as one of its 30 Under 30 healthcare professionals. She’s co-founder and chief technology officer at Known Medicine, a company revolutionizing precision cancer drug development to find the proper treatment for cancer patients.  She tells listeners what led her to a career in STEM, the story behind co-founding Known Medicine, and about using tissue from cancer patients to better understand how patients will respond to treatments. Skelly tells listeners about the company’s goal of transferring experimentation from patients into a laboratory setting, explains the overarching mission of the company to find the right drug for every cancer patient, her thoughts about starting a business in Utah, and much more.  

Season 5 Episode 6: This episode features a conversation with Melissa Sevy, founder and CEO of Ethik, and Alecia Hart, Strategic Initiatives program manager with the Utah Innovation Center at the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity..  The company makes positive economic impacts by purchasing handcrafted Ethik products from over 2,500 artisans and partners worldwide. Each order enables craftspeople to maintain important cultural practices and build a brighter future for themselves and their families. As part of the Economic Opportunity office’s Inspire In Utah campaign, Ethik recently received the designation as one of the 100 Utah Companies Championing Women. Listen as she discusses the organization's efforts to champion women in the workforce. Sevy describes meeting with like-minded founders and understanding their challenges, how Ethik helps women in developing economies by supplying consistent work, and how the company goes to great lengths to ensure artisans are paid a fair and livable wage. She shares a story of bringing on a cohort of women in Uganda and them chanting, “Today our children will drink milk.” after she handed out envelopes with cash inside, how Ethik tracks how many people worked on specific orders and how many dependents they are supporting, and the businesses sustainable for-profit business model. Sevy details the company’s flexible work schedules, advises other organizations looking at implementing women-centric policies, and much more.

Season 5 Episode 5: This episode features a conversation with Nathan Rafferty, president and CEO of Ski Utah, and Pete Codella, the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity managing director of business services.  The phrase “The Greatest Snow on Earth” has garnered international attention, and Utah created a license plate touting the phrase. The promise of perfect powder fuels Utah’s skiing industry, with over five million skier visits per year, according to Ski Utah. The organization is a marketing company owned and operated by the Utah Ski and Snowboard Association. It focuses on advancing the Utah winter sports industry, representing resorts, lodging, transportation, retail, restaurants, and other ski or snowboard-related services.  Rafferty tells listeners of his journey from intern to president over his 17-year career at ski Utah, how the ski resorts have reimagined year-round activities, and the not-so-well-known secrets to the state’s snowpack, such as consistency and water quality. He also discusses the decades-long issue of transit options, the possibility of a gondola the Utah Department of Transportation is considering, how the new Salt City International Airport impacts skiing tourism, and the economics of the ski industry. Rafferty tells listeners how the organization is making skiing and snowboarding accessible to locals and not just visitors, shares his views on well Utah is positioned to host another Winter Olympics, and much more. 

Season 5 Episode 4: This episode features a conversation with Heather Brace, chief people officer at Intermountain Health, and Alecia Hart, Strategic Initiatives Program manager with the Innovation Center at Go Utah.  Intermountain Health, headquartered in Salt Lake City, is Utah’s largest private employer with almost 60,000 employees in seven states with the mission of helping people live their healthiest lives possible.  As part of the Inspire In Utah campaign, Intermountain recently received the designation as one of the 100 Utah Companies Championing Women. Listen as the duo discusses the company’s efforts to champion women in the workforce. Brace discusses her role as chief people officer, operationally and strategically, for all things people-related, noteworthy programs and initiatives that support women in the workplace, and the organization’s goal to elevate more females in the leadership ranks. She also discusses Intermountain Health’s remote work strategy, which 60% of women participate in, the ability to live a lifestyle conducive to home and family, and the impact remote work has on the organization. Brace also expands on what female representation on leadership teams looks like at Intermountain, the importance of having male allies, benefits the organization offers its employees such as tuition coverage, her advice to companies looking to implement some of these women-friendly policies, and much more.

Season 5 Episode 3: This episode features a conversation with Ricki Miller, the Human Resources manager at Clearfield City, and Alecia Hart, the Strategic Initiatives program manager with the Innovation Center at Go Utah.  As part of Go Utah’s Inspire In Utah campaign, Clearfield City recently received the designation as one of the 100 Utah Companies Championing Women. Listen as the duo discusses the organization’s efforts to champion women in the workforce. Miller discusses the many benefits of working in the public sector, such as Clearfield City’s ability to champion programs focusing on women, the city’s family-friendly policies, and the significance of the nomination from a city employee. She also tells listeners why it is important for the city to participate in other organizations and associations championing women, Clearfield City’s recent launch of its leadership program, and investing in women-centered programs that cultivate young talent. Miller shares stories of women positively impacted by the city's programs, the realized gains in employee productivity, and much more.

Season 5 Episode 2: This episode features a conversation with Aimee Winder Newton, the first senior advisor and director of the new Office of Families and Pete Codella, Go Utah’s managing director of business services. Last year, Gov. Cox established the office to support Utah families through proactive strategies and policies, including promoting what already makes Utah the best place for children and parents to thrive. The office recommends policies, legislation, and innovation to strengthen families at all economic levels. Winder Newton tells listeners how earning a degree from the University of Utah in communications and public relations helped her prepare for her current role as senior advisor to Gov. Cox, her work on the Salt Lake County council for the past nine years, the goals of the newly-formed Office of Families, and how Utah's families contribute to the strength of Utah’s economy. She also shares the five priorities for her office, the top two challenges facing Utah families, lessons she learned so far in her new role, how the office’s success will be measured, and much more.

Season 5 Episode 1: This episode features a conversation with Tina Hazlett, founder and CEO of Spectrum Recruiting Solutions, and Pete Codella, managing director of business services at the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity. With Utah’s astoundingly low unemployment rate of 2.2%, finding talented and experienced employees is a serious assignment. Spectrum Recruiting Solutions partners with engineering and manufacturing companies to find exemplary talent for professional-level positions. Its match-making, unicorn-hunting team of experts specializes in finding ideal matches in the engineering and manufacturing job market. Hazlett tells listeners about her passion for volunteer work and giving back to the community - notably the American Heart Association, founding Spectrum Recruiting Solutions in 2018, and the story of how she met with a recruiting firm and how they ended up hiring her. She tells about the satisfaction she receives when finding the right person for the position, why the recruiting company chose to focus on engineering and manufacturing, and the challenges her business faces with Utah’s historically low unemployment rate. Hazlett also shares her advice for job seekers, the trends she notices, what differentiates her recruiting company from others, and much more.

This episode features a conversation with Michelle Flynn, the executive director of the nonprofit The Road Home, and Pete Codella, Go Utah’s managing director of business services. The nonprofit organization provides emergency shelter, supportive services, and housing assistance to help individuals and families step out of homelessness. Flynn tells listeners why she has been with The Road Home for more than two decades, what first drew her to a service-oriented career, and shares the organization’s long-standing and rich history. She informs the public what the organization is doing to combat the affordable housing situation in Utah, the number of individuals The Road Home assists annually, and how the coronavirus pandemic impacted the organization. Flynn shares how the Salt Valley compares to other metropolitan areas regarding homelessness, tells listeners how they can get involved during this season of giving, and much more.