October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Altabank recognizes domestic violence awareness and prevention as one of our core public issues.

In this episode of Altabanking, Stan sits down with Jill Anderson from CAPSA, Gillian Penhalee from the Dove Center, Ashley Taylor from the Refuge, Lindsay Boyer from South Valley Services, and Carol Earnshaw, a survivor of domestic abuse.  

One in 3 Utah women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime which means, someone you know is either experiencing or deals with domestic violence. Our panellists discuss the efforts being made to raise awareness, provide support, and help survivors, emphasizing the importance of recognizing different forms of domestic abuse and how to support victims.

The role of family, friends, and employers in assisting survivors is vital in so many cases to a survivor getting the help they need. Survivors so often leave their homes with nothing to their name and need the support of these great organizations to find housing, make a safety plan, and take the steps needed to move forward.  

#dvam2023 #dvam #domesticviolenceawareness #standagainstdomesticviolence

Throughout the year, Utahns participate in an array of outdoor activities. You’ll find us hunting, fishing, boating, hiking, skiing, just to name a few. One of Utah’s most unique features is the Great Salt Lake. It pulls in tourism and many activities mentioned above can be participated in around the lake. It plays a significant part in Utah’s ecosystem. If we do not preserve the Great Salt Lake and its ecosystem, the entire state of Utah will be impacted.

In this episode of our Altabanking Podcast, we are joined by three panelists to discuss the Great Salt Lake. Max Malmquist is the engagement manager for the National Audubon Society, Dr. Bonnie Baxter is a Westminster University professor of biology and a director of the Great Salt Lake Institute, and Natalie Gardner is the leader of the University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. All three of these individuals care for the Great Salt Lake. They discuss the role of the lake in Utah’s ecosystem. They highlight its impact on agriculture, the economy, and wildlife. They emphasize that urgent preservation efforts require collaboration to protect Utah’s unique environment and outdoor activities. The message is clear: safeguarding the Great Salt Lake is crucial for Utah’s well-being.

Starting a business during uncertain financial times can be a challenge. Kenny Knight, who opened his business, Rage Fitness, on the eve of the recession in 2008, knows that all too well. Still, even in a recession, and later, a pandemic, Kenny has found ways to keep challenging himself and growing his businesses, even as the possibility of another recession looms ahead.

Kenny credits the discipline he learned in the Marines, as well as the obstacles he’s faced as a Black business owner for the success he’s had at Rage Fitness and in his other business ventures. Rage Fitness has built a reputation as a no-nonsense training center, but at the end of the day, it’s “still love” as Kenny explains to Altabanking host Stan Sorenson, Altabank’s SVP & Chief Marketing Officer.

With high energy and a passion for self-improvement and helping others on their personal journeys, Kenny describes how he’s grown his business after his days in the military and another career as a truck driver.

Trade professions and the businesses that support them have long been a staple of industry here in Utah. However, as the entire business world grapples with the challenges of staffing issues, supply chain disruptions, and a housing crisis, those who work in the trades are also finding new ways to adapt. 

Jennie Tanner, who owns and operates her family’s business, Tanner Glass & Hardware, has seen many of the issues now facing many small businesses. What makes running the day-to-day of Tanner Glass & Hardware even more interesting are the specialized skills and know-how required to supply the trade labor workforce. Leaders like Jennie have been searching for new ways, not only to expand their businesses but also to recruit new talent, including reaching out to young women who may want to work in construction. 

Right now, construction is a vital industry to the future of our communities. But getting construction and trade workers up and running with the supplies and knowledge they need is an important part of the equation, as Jennie explains to explains to Altabanking host and Altabank SVP & Chief Marketing Officer, Stan Sorensen. 

As the President and CEO of one of the most popular ski resorts not only in Utah, but in the entire world, Dave Fields has a lot on his plate. In addition to providing a world-class outdoor recreation experience year-round for guests, Fields also has oversight of Snowbird’s workforce, sustainability efforts, discussions with government leaders over infrastructure concerns and just about everything else you could think of.

Just as well as anyone else, Fields is well aware of the issues that face Utah’s landscape such as climate change, population growth, and an ongoing discussion regarding a proposed gondola system in Little Cottonwood. Still, as he explains to Altabanking host Stan Sorensen, there is a lot to be proud of in our community and the future is very bright.

If you can imagine how much Utah has changed in the last 50 years, try to imagine how much the state will transform in the next half-century. Jake Boyer, CEO of the Boyer Company, a full-service real estate development group based in Salt Lake City, has seen a stunning amount of growth in the community for a while now. However, Jake believes the biggest growth is still yet to come.

The Boyer Company has deep interests not only in the bustling Silicon Slopes area at the Point of the Mountain, but also in the explosive demand for multifamily housing in downtown Salt Lake City. As Jake explains to Altabanking host, and Altabank SVP & Chief Marketing Officer, Stan Sorensen, what is happening now is “unlike anything we’ve ever seen.”

While the growth is exciting, it also presents a number of challenges for the community. Being aware of what issues may arise from a huge influx of construction projects and developments is the first step in meeting any difficulties head-on, as Jake explains to Stan.

It's Small Business Month this month. And today, it is my great pleasure to sit down with long-time Altabank customer Fred Titensor, who is the president of Valley Implement & Irrigation up in North Logan, Utah. We will talk about agriculture, farming, machinery, leading a business in a time of high inflation and high priced commodoties. 

In this year’s first episode of Altabanking, a business podcast geared toward elevating your financial future, Altabank’s Stan Sorensen sits down with Natalie Gochnour, director of the Kem C. Gardner Institute at the University of Utah to discuss the Governor's Economic Report for 2021. 

Natalie shares an important outlook from an economist's perspective on how Utah can sustain continued growth, the state's population growth and how it will affect the state's national parks, and how to correctly gauge the outlook of our economy.