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Jim Davis to be inducted into Utah Food Industry Hall of Fame

Forty-six years after starting his career as a bagger at Safeway, Jim Davis is being inducted Tuesday into the Utah Food Industry Association's Hall of Fame.

Now the owner of Davis Food & Drug, which has four stores in Utah, Davis is being honored for his contributions to the industry at its annual meeting at the Davis Conference Center in Layton.

"I have enjoyed being involved in the grocery business," he said. "To receive an award and recognition of this level is indeed flattering."

Davis opened his first grocery stores in 1988 in Vernal and Roosevelt. Working today with his sons Lee and CJ, Davis has expanded the operation to LaVerkin in southwestern Utah and West Valley City.

He joins Associated Food Stores' retailers Gerald Day, Stan Barrett and Ken Macey in the Hall of Fame.

SCORE will now have offices at SLCC's Sandy campus

SCORE, a nonprofit business group that aims to educate entrepreneurs and help small businesses grow, now will have offices at the Miller Business Resource Center at Salt Lake Community College's Sandy campus.

Beth Colosimo, the business resource center's executive director, said SCORE has "an excellent reputation and their services complement the offerings we already have," citing a business incubator and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program.

Ron Baron, president of SCORE's Salt Lake chapter, said his volunteers get excited to see the "documentable impact" that they have on the local business community. He noted that SCORE has receive a national client education award for the "meatiness, relevance and expansion of education and workshop activities in the area."

Employment growth in July ties Utah for second best in nation

Utah businesses employed 43,800 more people in July than a year earlier, a 3.2 percent growth rate that tied for second best in the country.

"Utah remains one of the best states in the nation for job opportunities," said Carrie Mayne, the Department of Workforce Services' chief economist, noting the state tied with Idaho and Oregon. "As businesses expand, jobs are created. This keeps our unemployment rate relatively low and our overall economy growing at a healthy rate."

July's unemployment rate dipped one-tenth to 3.9 percent, in a four-way tie for 10th lowest in the country. The national rate is 4.9 percent.

Nine of 10 industry sectors had year-over-year job gains, Mayne said, highlighing job prospects "in a wide range of career fields."

Construction posted impressive gains, growing by 7.3 percent or 6,400 jobs. Education and health services added the most jobs (8,900), representing 5.0 percent growth.

Roughy 8,000 jobs were created by trade, transportation and utility companies, while the financial activites sector added 5,300 positions, a 6.7 percent jump.

Utah business people on the move

Bank of American Fork has hired Richard Mortensen as manager of its soon-to-open branch in Bountiful. A 30-year industry veteran, Mortensen previously worked for Zions First National Bank and JP Morgan Chase. The bank also promoted Sherri Nelson, a company employee since 2001, as operations manager.