Business Elevated

Season 5 Episode 23: This episode features a conversation with Derrick Porter, CEO of Beauty Industry Group, and Pete Codella, managing director of business services at the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity. The governor’s Spring 2023 One Utah Summit has a long-standing tradition of presenting awards to honor individuals and companies contributing to Utah’s economic opportunities, local communities, and industries. The One Utah International Business of the Year is Beauty Industry Group. Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Beauty Industry Group sells products in 165 countries to over 100,000 stylists and salons worldwide. Its impressive and continued growth has created hundreds of jobs in Utah and thousands worldwide. The company embraces BIG® ideas to increase opportunities and deliver true beauty to the world. Porter discusses how his nontraditional approach to education prepared him for his current role and describes the company and its product lines. He also shares what it was like when the company started to do business internationally and how his experiences with World Trade Center Utah helped Beauty Industry Group jump-start its international expansion. Porter informs listeners of the lessons learned as an entrepreneur, what receiving the 2023 Utah International Business of the Year means to him, and much more. 

Season 5 Episode 22: This episode features a conversation with the finalists of the 2023 One Utah Summit Startup Pitch competition. Listen as Pete Codella, managing director of business services at the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, interviews the three award winners – Pam Sitterud, co-founder of Dentacōr (first place and people’s choice), D.J. Potter, CEO of Sawtooth (second place), and Greg Scott, CEO of SRT Labs (third place). The governor-sponsored Startup Pitch competition is an entrepreneurial speed-pitch challenge where judges rank the best ideas, and the audience selects a people’s choice award recipient. The Utah Innovation Center, part of the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, presents the Startup Pitch annually. Kinect Capital powers the competition in partnership with Weber State University’s Hall Global Entrepreneurship Center. Sitterud, co-founder of Dentacōr, a company that brings dental exams to the workplace or home, informs listeners what led her to start the company, what piqued her interest to enter the Startup Pitch competition, and the mentoring she received to prepare her for competition. She also discusses the importance of entrepreneurs being able to listen, the status of trademarking Dentacōr’s equipment, and much more. Next, Potter, CEO of Sawtooth, a company that provides high-quality, durable truck Tonneau covers, tells listeners why he decided to participate in the competition and what he gained from the experience. He elaborates on the company’s intellectual property, his aspirations for the company, its challenges, how he plans to use the prize money, and much more. Scott, CEO of SRT Labs, a service robotics and technologies company, explains what the company’s software does and the impetus for creating it. He also tells listeners about his experience participating in the competition, why he decided to start his business in Utah four years ago, his one piece of advice for entrepreneurs, and much more.      

Season 5 Episode 21: This episode features a conversation with Kenneth Boggs, the recipient of the Cameron Russell Williams Rising Impact Award, and Ashley Okawa, public information officer at the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity.  The Kenneth Boggs Group received the Cameron Russell Williams Rising Impact Award at the 2023 One Utah Summit for its philanthropy work. The award is given by the Cameron Russell Williams Foundation to honor Cameron’s lasting impact and legacy characterized by his rallying cry of, “Dream big. Then bigger than that.” The award honors black business and technology entrepreneurs poised to unite diverse people and provide opportunities that create prosperity for Utahns. Boggs discusses the importance of family and the selfless and giving culture he has witnessed in Utah since moving from California. He also tells listeners about the story behind every art-inspired Kenneth Boggs suit. The fashion architect gives listeners suggestions for turning their passion into a career and the important role social media played in founding his company. Boggs describes his passion for working with children, why he chose Utah to start his business, what it means to him to receive the Cameron Russell Williams Rising Impact award, and much more.

Season 5 Episode 20: This episode features a conversation with Brock Blake, founder and CEO of Lendio, and Pete Codella, managing director of business services at the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity. In this episode, we talk with Blake, the recipient of the 2023 One Utah Business of the Year. Founded in 2011 with headquarters in Lehi, Lendio is a marketplace for small business loans where lenders compete for business. It partners with over 75 lenders to offer small business owners access to working capital to start or grow their businesses. In 2021, Glassdoor ranked Lendio the No. 8 Best Place to Work. Blake discusses earning a degree in entrepreneurial finance from Brigham Young University and entering an eight-week boot camp competition, how he founded Lendio to give small business owners access to capital, and what differentiates his company. He discusses his experience contributing to the small business sections on Forbes.com and the company’s designation as one of 100 Companies Championing Women. Blake also talks about how work has changed since the pandemic, what receiving the 2023 One Utah Business of the Year award at the recent One Utah Summit means to him, and much more.

Alex Dunn, managing partner at The Larry H. Miller Company, talks about the company's next business areas, including investments, sports/entertainment, senior health, and real estate. He also discusses the possibility of bringing Major League Baseball to Utah and the company's recent designation as one of 100 Utah companies championing women. They also explore the importance of philanthropy and the best things about living and working in Utah.

Season 5 Episode 18: This episode features conversations with recipients of the Utah Governor’s Medal for Science and Technology. The three medal winners are Lora Gibbons (K-12 education), Dr. Julie Valentine, Ph.D., RN, SANE-A, FAAN (Academic/Research), and Dr. David Bearss (Industry). Listen as Pete Codella, managing director of business services at the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, interviews the award winners as they discuss their background, experience, and what it means to be recognized this year by Gov. Cox with the Governor’s Science Medal. Gibbons informs listeners about how she became involved in STEM education in elementary schools and her experiences helping students assemble science fair projects. She also elaborates on how the gender gap in STEM has narrowed, how more women are earning degrees than men, and what receiving the 2023 Governor’s Medal for Science and Technology in the K-12 education category means to her.  Next, Valentine tells listeners how her experience as a nurse and her groundbreaking research on sexual assault is influencing statewide improvements to address sexual violence and shares what changes she has seen in Utah due to her research. She also discusses how Utah compares to other states regarding sexual assault and what being recognized with Gov. Cox’s Medal for Science and Technology in the academic and research category means to her. Bearss explains how he became involved in researching and developing new therapeutics that enhance lives and what area of his research has been most impactful. He also tells listeners what lessons he learned from participating in clinical studies, details his work with the Huntsman Cancer Institute, and shares what receiving the Governor’s Medal for Science and Technology in the industry category means to him.  

Season 5 Episode 17: This episode features a conversation with Paul Allen, founder and CEO of Soar, and Pete Codella, managing director of business services at the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity. In this episode, we talk with Paul Allen about his success with Ancestry.com as one of its co-founders. Instead of looking to the past, his latest venture as founder and CEO of Soar is future-focused. It's about artificial intelligence, and Allen has assembled a world-class team of technologists to ensure that humans can self-determine their relationship with AI. Allen tells listeners how his bachelor's degree in Russian from Brigham Young University, and his passion for learning, led him to found successful technology companies. He talks about his positive experiences and lessons learned at Ancestry.com and elaborates on his experiences as a strengths finder coach helping individuals live their best lives. He shares details about the mission of his current company, Soar, to realize the scope of potential that is unique to everyone and its opportunity to help shape the deployment of AI in positive ways, and much more.

Season 5 Episode 16: This episode features a conversation with Jill Koziol, co-founder and CEO of Motherly, and Pete Codella, managing director of business services at the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity. In 2022, Motherly was named an Inc. 5,000 Fastest Growing Private Company and a Parity.org Best Company for Women to Advance. It engages over 40 million readers and viewers monthly with on-demand parent education classes, Webby-award-winning videos, podcasts, essays, and articles.  Koziol tells listeners how having a master's degree from Georgetown University prepared her for the role as CEO of the all-in-one parenting platform, the inspiration for founding Motherly, and how the company supports working mothers. She also talks about her experience raising $5.4 million in Series A funding in 2020 and what she hopes readers take away from the two books she authored. Koziol also mentions the platforms and advertising partners Motherly works with, her advice for other entrepreneurs, and much more.

Season 5 Episode 15: This episode features a conversation with Trina Limpert, co-founder of Tech-Moms, and Alecia Hart, strategic initiatives program director with the Utah Small Business Credit Initiative at the Economic Opportunity office. As part of the office’s Inspire In Utah campaign, Tech-Moms 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. Since launching the first group of cohorts in September 2020, Tech-Moms has helped hundreds of women to recognize that you can have a rewarding career and still make it to your kids’ soccer games. It has provided hope and inspiration to many women who couldn’t see a path forward by giving women confidence in their abilities through education, professional development, and a supportive network. Limpert discusses what led her to start the nonprofit company, the distinction that tech jobs are mom jobs, and how COVID-19 redefined flexible work schedules. She talks about how the company offers graduates a job when they complete the program and how Tech-Moms views productivity for work-from-home moms. Limpert also explains the benefits the company realizes from student placement work, how there is a fit for anyone in technology regardless of their background or education level, and much more.