All Ears: Waving the Flag of Empathetic Listening
For the past five years, Katie Cheesman has had a front-row seat to the power of empathetic listening. In her nursing career, she switched to home health so she could have more time to listen to her patients tell life stories. She became especially fond of one patient and his wife. “They were the most […]
Making History: Waving the Flag of Courage
When Deidre Henderson finished her eighth session as a state senator representing Spanish Fork, she filed to run again for a third term. But within hours, Spencer and Abby Cox invited Deidre and her husband, Gabe, to visit them in Fairview — but they didn’t want the Hendersons to help them move pipe or take […]
Faces of the Future: Utah Valley BusinessQ’s 2020 40 Under 40
By Briana Stewart Photography by Dave Blackhurst Let’s face it. It’s been a year. (And we’re only halfway through, kids.) But this crew — all born in 1980 or later — are stepping up, standing tall, and speaking out. Be it pandemic, social injustice, or natural disasters, these 40 business pros have innovated their businesses […]
40 Under 40: Britnee Nuehring
Crumbl Cookies • Orem • VP of Marketing • Age 27 Britnee Bromley Nuehring knows how the cookie Crumbls. After earning her PR degree at UVU and working as a marketing manager at Avalaunch Media, she’s come full circle with her role at Crumbl Cookies. Armed with iconic pink boxes and Nuehring’s marketing prowess, the […]
40 Under 40: Heather Hammond Cruz
Nu Skin • Provo • Director of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability • Age 38 Heather Hammond Cruz is a jill of all trades. After graduating in flute performance, she worked at Stanford University in their MBA program. She then worked for Cisco Systems in the Bay Area doing global events, as well as participated in […]
40 Under 40: Jensen Warnock
Alpha Secondary Fund with Mercato Partners • Managing Director • Age 34 Jensen Warnock is a capital captain. After earning a degree in computer science from BYU and an MBA from Carnegie Mellon, he worked as an engineer at National Instruments, as well as doing freelance development work. He then founded Auxano Funding, a revenue-based […]
40 Under 40: Jon McBride
BYU • Provo • Media Relations • Age 37 Jon McBride is hashtag-important. He’s the social media manager at BYU and has been in charge of growing the university’s main accounts. With thoughtful initiatives, he’s tackled crucial topics such as sexual assault, consent, racism, sexism, homophobia, conflict resolution and mental health awareness. And last year, […]
40 Under 40: Sarah Tyau
Sarah Tyau • Provo • Founder • Age 36 Sarah Tyau has been living that DIY life. As a young married mom, she started upcycling old, outdated clothes and posting the vintage chic wardrobe items on her blog. Today? That blog is read by millions of readers monthly, she has nearly 200k followers on Instagram, […]
40 Under 40: Andrew Stone
Utah Valley University • Orem • Associate Vice President • Age 38 Dr. Andrew Stone has been giving it the old college try — and our university community is better for it. Stone completed a master’s degree in education in 2010 and a Ph.D. in 2014 (both from the University of Utah). He started working […]
40 Under 40: Sydni Sorensen
Lulu and Roo • American Fork • Founder + CEO • Age 35 Sydni Sorensen knows wear it’s at. As a mother, she understood the desire for stylish — but kid-friendly — children’s clothing. So five years ago, she and her business partner set out to design clothes kids could “run, play and nap in.” […]
40 Under 40: Danny Villarreal
Wink Naturals • Pleasant Grove • Founder + CEO • Age 37 Danny Villarreal is a natural. After graduating in communications from BYU in 2008, he co-founded Zarbee’s Naturals (vitamins/supplements) and is the founder and CEO of Wink Naturals (skin care/CBD patch/sleep products). Throughout his career, Villarreal has developed and launched dozens of consumer packaged […]
40 Under 40: Afa Ah Loo
Afa Ah Loo LLC • Founder + Fashion Designer • Orem • Age 34 Afa Ah Loo is a total seam stealer. Born and raised in Samoa, Ah Loo started his singular fashion brand there and then moved to the U.S. four years ago. He’s shown his collections at fashion weeks in Fiji, L.A., Utah, […]
40 Under 40: Shannon Ellsworth
Provo City Council • Councilmember • Provo • Age 31 Shannon Ellsworth knows the lay of the land. In 2019 she was elected to the Provo City Council as the youngest-ever member (!!) and sole female. She has a degree in environmental planning and landscape architecture from USU and earned her MBA at BYU. Ellsworth […]
40 Under 40: Brian Lesser
CIT Electronics • American Fork • Founder + President • Age 39 Brian Lesser is more than impressive. He’s worked in the tech industry for 17 years as an executive at mid-size and Fortune 500 companies. Seven years ago, he started CIT Electronics, which processes over 75,000 devices monthly, sells in more than 30 international […]
40 Under 40: Megan Warnick
The Pointe Academy • Highland • Director • Age 25 Megan Warnick has always been on point. She’s been a dancer for more than 20 years and been a teacher for nine. She’s performed around Europe, did a 10-month national tour, and has worked on music videos, commercials, and corporate work. She’s currently the director […]
40 Under 40: Kevin Joseph Banks
Fifth Water Company + UCCU • Provo • Co-founder + VP of Marketing • Age 39 You can bank on Kevin Banks. Back in his BYU days, he started as a teller at UCCU in 2003. Now he’s the VP of Marketing and has been “money” when it comes to playing a role in UCCU’s […]
40 Under 40: Zach Sivertson
Prelude Venture Fund at Mercato Partners • Managing Director • Age 32 For Zach Sivertson, it’s everything ventured, everything gained. He’s held positions at Blue Coat Systems (sold to Symantec for $4.6B); WorkFront; and Aplifi (sold to iPipeline). He ran I.T. operations at Sentry West Insurance, and started multiple companies spanning ed tech and consumer communication. […]
40 Under 40: Tiffany Pritchett
Pritchétt Bridal + Salon Pritchétt • Orem • Owner • Age 24 Here comes the bride boss. Tiffany Pritchett has dreamed about all things bridal and all things beauty since she was a little girl. So after graduating from cosmetology school, she married those two dreams and created Pritchétt Bridal — a wedding gown boutique […]
40 Under 40: Tristen Persons
Tristen Ikaika • Orem • Founder + CEO • Age 21 Tristen Amal Ikaikamaikai’ikaneokalani Persons is quite the ring leader. He started making rings out of spoons when he was just 12 years old. (Yes, spoons!) Fast-forward to when he turned 19. Persons dreamed of traveling the world, so he sold his spoon-fed rings to […]
40 Under 40: Kassidi Henrie
Braid Workshop + Prenda • Provo • Co-founder + Financial Controller • Age 30 Kassidi Henrie’s work has been right on the money. She was pursuing her plans to become a financial planner when her husband asked her to join the DevMountain team (he was co-founder). The company was in its early stages, and Henrie […]
40 Under 40: Jessica Jones
Qualtrics • Provo • Public Relations Manager • Age 30 Jessica Jones’ career went from numbers to words. After earning her master’s degree from Columbia University and working as an accountant at Ernst & Young, Jones was jonesing for a gig in public relations. A firm in Austin, Texas — Tech PR — took a […]
40 Under 40: Dan James
Black Diamond Experts • Orem + SLC • Founder + CEO • Age 37 Dan James’ business started with a spark. After spending a summer doing electrical work, he set his sights on a career as an electrician. Then, after the 2008 recession hit, James set his sights on being a self-employed entrepreneur. In 2009, […]
40 Under 40: James Dotter
MX Technologies • Lehi • CFO • Age 37 James Dotter has the MX factor. He’s been their CFO since 2014, where he’s led their go-to-market operations through a significant phase of more than 5x growth. Prior to MX, Dotter ran operations and finance at InsideSales.com, where he was responsible for driving market cap from […]
40 Under 40: Andrew Redpath
Kiln • Co-founder + COO • Lehi + SLC • Age 39 Andrew Redpath is a world-class entrepreneur. Born and raised in Australia, he went on to earn his bachelor’s degree at Deakin University and his MBA at Oxford. He worked for EY in London, PwC Mergers and Acquisitions in Australia, The Global Fund in […]
40 Under 40: Casey Cloward
Raykon Construction • Owner • Salem • Age 39 What a foundation. Casey Cloward is a third generation General Contractor. He learned the trade (and integrity of the trade) from a young age. And after graduating in Construction Management from BYU, he made it official. His company, Raykon Construction, is a prominent player in Utah’s […]
40 Under 40: Emily Jackson
IVL Collective • Founder + CEO • Draper + Alpine • Age 31 Emily Jackson is in the fast lane. After graduating in Communications from UVU and becoming a popular lifestyle/fashion influencer (with 374k followers on Instagram), this mother of four decided to blend two loves of her life: fashion and fitness. She created IVL […]
40 Under 40: Andrew Van Buren
Aventus Wealth + Nitty Gritty Podcast • Founder + Co-host • Orem • Age 35 Andrew Van Buren is walking the walk and talking the talk. THE WALK: started the Snack Shack at age 6; started 3 businesses before college; did 5 years in door-to-door sales; is a celebrated financial advisor (top 10 in U.S. […]
40 Under 40: Bailey Jenkins
Rapid Reboot • Co-founder + COO • Lindon • Age 26 Bailey Jenkins has many titles: valedictorian, student body president, homecoming queen, pole vaulter, volleyball player, and summa cum laude graduate from GCU. Now she’s added another to that list: entrepreneur. After working at a pain clinic in college, and being an athlete herself, Jenkins […]
40 Under 40: Ethan Moore
Freshly Picked • CEO • Lehi • Age 31 After graduating in business from BYU in 2012, interning at Kickstart Seed Fund, and then joining McKinsey in Dallas, Texas, Ethan Moore was ready for some risks and rewards. So he moved back to Utah, where he promptly met Freshly Picked founder Susan Petersen — queen […]
40 Under 40: Colby Bauer
Thread Wallets • Founder + CEO • Provo • Age 30 Colby Bauer may have become an entrepreneur in high school, but he ain’t kidding around. His wakeboarding-inspired apparel brand, Wakeology, sold successfully in retail. He later developed an app called Pic Play while attending BYU. And now — along with his wife and co-founder McKenzie […]