This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Four Foods Group raises $35M to grow R&R Barbecue in West
American Fork-based Four Foods Group said it recently raised $35 million and is going to use the money to develop and grow R&R Barbecue throughout the West.
Created by brothers Rod and Roger Livingston, R&R Barbecue has won nine championships in barbecue competitions in Utah, Idaho and California. It is dubbed a "fast-casual restaurant."
Four Foods Group, which has 1,900 employees at 43 restaurants, helps would-be restaurateurs on real estate, development and construction, operations, financial facility management, hiring managers and staff, and sustaining success.
"The owners not only have a passion for quality food but they have promoted a culture and vibe," said Four Foods Group CEO Andrew Smith.
Interior design group gives Sen. Escamilla its 'Legislator of the Year' award
The International Interior Design Association gave state Sen. Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City, its "Legislator of the Year" award for sponsoring a certification bill that allows interior designers to submit their documents for building permits. Association CEO Cheryl Durst said the change will expand business opportunities in Utah, particularly for women, who dominate the profession.
Black Diamond taps Walbrecht as boss
John Walbrecht is the new president of Holladay-based Black Diamond, Inc. He has been president and CEO of Mountain Hardwear, which manufactures high-tech, active outdoor clothing, equipment and camping accessories. He also has worked for Fenix Outdoor, Spyder Active Sports, Timberland and Dr. Martens.
Windstream enters S.L. Valley offering bandwidth services
Windstream Communications has entered the Salt Lake Valley market, offering businesses high bandwidth telecommunications services.
Based in Cottonwood Heights, Windstream offers companies fixed-wireless access with ethernet connectivity through a dedicated microwave wireless connection.
"Salt Lake City is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. But that growth can challenge the infrastructure of a city and many businesses struggle to access network services they need," said Chris Nein, Windstream's regional president of sales. Fixed wireless access, he added, will give businesses "true high-bandwidth alternatives that both complement and replace existing fiber options in a reliable and secure manner."
Seritage submits a 'recapture notice' to Sears in Jordan Landing
Seritage Growth Properties is taking back some commercial space it provided to Sears in Jordan Landing Shopping Center and replacing it with a Burlington Stores outlet and smaller retail operations.
The company said it submitted a "recapture notice," which landlords give to void a tenant's lease for all or part of a premises, to convert much of a Sears Grand store and Sears Auto Center into a Burlington store. What's left will remain a Sears store, a Seritage spokesman said.
Burlington runs 560 no-frills retail stores in 45 states, four in Utah — Murray, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Orem.
Construction is expected to take much of 2017.
Utah business people on the move
• Vidya Jwala is now senior vice president of demand fulfillment at Overstock.com. A former vice president of merchandising and operations for Wal-mart, she will oversee sourcing, merchandising, supply chain and customer care.
• Ryan Smith, CEO of Provo-based research software company Qualtrics, was 12th in Fortune magazine's "40 Under 40" list of young business executives. The 38-year-old's profile noted he got rid of lunch meetings, doesn't wear socks and has a circular dinner table to boost conversation with his wife and five children.