The Chase Hudson Show: Recent Episodes
Chase Hudson
The Chase Hudson Show showcases the greatest entrepreneurs, CEOs, and investors across all industries in one place. Each week we’ll sit down with top tier individuals to gain insights into their success and discuss how you can take better control of your life and began to build your own legacy. It’s time to level up! Subscribe and leave a review for this podcast on any platform. You can follow me at @officialchasehudson on Instagram.
Alex Jolley and Max Broman are the co-founders of FRDM Turf, a fast-growing artificial turf company based in Utah that provides low-maintenance, sustainable landscaping solutions across the Mountain West. Prior to starting FRDM Turf, both Alex and Max built their careers in sales and operations. Alex held leadership roles at companies like Vivint, Lumio, and Vantage Marketing, where he managed and trained door-to-door sales teams across multiple regions. Max began his career in enterprise sales and business development, including roles at Oracle and Rescale, where he focused on partnerships, and scaling enterprise relationships.
Brian Treu is the founder and CEO of Intelvio, a nationwide allied-health training company that began as a phlebotomy school more than 30 years ago. Brian built Intelvio on the foundation of his own clinical background — performing over 300,000 blood draws and working on more than 250 clinical research trials — and has grown it into a platform serving students across the country. Intelvio offers a range of medical-training courses, including phlebotomy, ECG technician, pharmacy technician, and clinical medical assistant programs, all designed to help students enter healthcare quickly and without the burden of a traditional four-year degree.
Mike Bennett is the Managing Partner of Crewe Capital and a Founding Partner of Crewe Advisors. He has held senior roles at three investment banking firms and completed more than 100 transactions across mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, and fundraising. His expertise spans real estate, private equity, and private credit, with a focus on providing capital solutions to middle-market companies and alternative investment advisory to institutional clients. Mike serves on multiple boards, is active in charitable organizations, and holds degrees from Brigham Young University and the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford.
Case is the Founder and former CEO of CircusTrix (now SkyZone), the world’s largest trampoline park operator with over 300 locations, 5,000 employees, and 50 million annual guests. Recognized as a pioneer in Active Entertainment, he’s been featured in Forbes and The New York Times, and was named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year (2017) and Utah Business CEO of the Year (2019). Case teaches Entrepreneurship and Experience Design at BYU’s Marriott School, speaks frequently on leadership and entrepreneurship, and competes in pickleball. In 2024, he ran for Congress in Utah’s 3rd District. He holds a JD from Duke and a BA from BYU, and lives in Mapleton, Utah with his wife, Kerri; they have six children and two grandchildren.
Jase Allen is a native of Cache Valley, Utah and attended Logan High School. He went to college at Utah State University and graduated with honors in finance and economics. He then attended the University of Nebraska College Of Law where he studied wills, trusts, and estate planning. He is an attorney-member of the Utah State Bar’s Estate Planning Section. Jase is also a third generation funeral home professional in the family business of Allen-Hall Mortuary. Being involved in the funeral industry has given him a unique perspective on the importance of having ones affairs in order through proper planning. Prior to founding ALLEN LAW OFFICE PLLC he was an associate attorney at a firm in Salt Lake City, Utah and in Logan, Utah. He was recently named a top “40 under 40” attorney by a nationally recognized lawyer organization and volunteers with “Wills for Heroes” assisting law enforcement personnel with their estate planning.
Michael Baird serves as CEO and Founder of Accelerate Dental, a next gen Dental Partnership Organization which empowers dentists to be the primary beneficiaries of the financial upside on their practices. Prior to that, Michael served as CEO for Henry Schein One, the world leader in dental practice management software. Prior to Henry Schein One, he was founder and CEO of Avizia and served as President of Amwell after Avizia was acquired in 2018. Michael led Amwell to become the largest provider of telehealth technology and services in the country and a successful IPO in 2020. Additionally, Michael is the winner of the 2018 E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year award. Michael holds a BS degree in accounting from Brigham Young University, an MBA with distinction from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Conner Atkin is the co-founder of Tagg-N-Go Car Wash, which he helped launch in 2013. Since then, he has been instrumental in its expansion, growing the company to over 20 locations across three states and a team of more than 300 employees. Conner earned his degree in accounting from Dixie State University.
Tyler Howells is the founder and CEO of home luxury brand Cozy Earth, specializing in luxury bed linens, loungewear, sleepwear, bath linens, and more. The brand has been named one of "Oprah’s Favorite Things" 5 times in 5 different product categories. Their products are a favorite of celebrities, interior designers, and billionaires worldwide. The brand boasts over 2 million customers and continues to grow. Their aim is to deliver for their customers ultimate sanctuary through life-changing luxury.
Eric Nielsen is the Co-Founder and President of Sunder Energy, a national solar provider founded in 2019. Prior to Sunder, Eric helped grow sales teams at Vivint, Pinnacle Security, and LGCY Power. Eric earned his bachelor’s in finance from Utah State University and an MBA from The Ohio State University.
Travis Kimball is a co-founder and the Chief Experience Officer of Quick Quack Carwash. Founded in 2004, Travis has played a key role in its growth, helping it expand to more than 250 locations across five states. Travis holds a degree in communications and an MBA from BYU.
Steve Zolman is the CEO of SafeStreets, a nationwide ADT Security Authorized Provider with 300 trained consultants covering more than 90 percent of the United States. Steve has enjoyed a successful career in the security industry. He founded Pinnacle Security in 1998 and later merged with a company called Homeland Protection. By 2013 Pinnacle had secured more than 500,000 homes and was purchased by Protection One. Thereafter Steve served as CRO of EVO Alarm, a Top 10 ADT authorized dealership. In addition, Steve and his wife Annie are the founders of Tiny Hero, a charitable organization with a mission to help congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) families find the best care, a supportive community, and a hope-filled future.
Steve Price is the founder of Price Real Estate, a fully-integrated commercial real estate company with properties ranging from undeveloped “shovel ready” parcels of land to master-planned business parks. Founded in 2002, The Price Portfolio has grown to an institutional grade portfolio of master-planned developments and properties, strategically focused on distribution/warehouse, manufacturing, medical and lifescience, e-commerce, and emerging and related supply chain options.
Marc Chenn was the Co-founder and Chairman/CEO of SaltStack, a leading provider of cloud and security automation solutions. In October 2020, Marc led SaltStack through a successful acquisition by VMware. Marc was recognized as a top entrepreneur in the State of Utah and was named a Peak 100 Winner by the Utah Venture Entrepreneur Forum.
Prior to SaltStack Marc worked with FinTech SaaS provider Compliance11 and prior to that Marc enjoyed a career in finance with Morgan Stanley in the investment management division.
Marc currently serves on the Board of Silicon Slopes and is passionate about sharing his journey as an entrepreneur, and enjoys advising other entrepreneurs and startups as a Board Member and Advisor. Marc holds an MBA in finance and an undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University where he was an All-American High Jumper.
Nick Greer is the co-founder and CEO of Built Protein Bar and Brands, which is on a mission to build the best tasting protein bar on the planet. Built has become a favorite on-the-go snack due to its exceptional nutritional profile, optimized BUILT Protein™, and a vast array of mouthwatering flavors. Prior to Built, Nick founded One on One Marketing, a technology and marketing company which was later acquired by a private equity company. Additionally, Nick co-founded Skipio, which provides sales automation software for local businesses to enhance their sales and retention activities. Nick and his wife, Deborah, also created the Five12 Foundation that feeds thousands of children in his community every week.
Cole Painter is the founder of New Primitive, a company that specializes in premium outdoor sauna and cold plunge kits. Prior to New Primitive, Cole had a successful career in the door-to-door sales industry.
Blake Modersitzki is a managing partner at Pelion Venture Partners. He has served on several public and privately held company boards. He was managing director of Novell Ventures and vice president of corporate development for Novell. Blake previously held global sales and marketing positions at WordPerfect. He earned his bachelor's degree in economics from BYU.
Dan Lofgren, founder, president and CEO of Cowboy Partners and its sister company Cowboy Properties, has been professionally involved in real estate development, construction and management since 1975 when he joined the Salt Lake City based Prowswood organization, where he was president from 1987 to 2001. As president of Prowswood Dan directed development and acquisition/rehab activities in the company’s primary markets of Utah and Southern California, as well as Colorado and Washington. In 2001 Dan founded Cowboy Partners and Cowboy Properties and was joined by most of the former Prowswood organization in a spin-off from Lend Lease Development, the former parent company of Prowswood.
Under Dan's direction Cowboy Partners and Cowboy Properties have been involved in real estate development and/or management in Colorado, Nevada, Idaho, Washington, California, and Utah. These projects include office, for-sale residential, mixed-use, luxury rental communities, mixed-income multifamily communities and affordable housing. Cowboy Partners has special emphasis on development and management of housing as a component of urban mixed-use development with particular focus on the inclusion of affordable housing in these communities. Dan is acknowledged as a pioneer in the development of mixed-income communities and mission-driven affordable housing.
Dan has been recognized by the Utah Apartment Association with its Lifetime Achievement Award and he is a former Builder of the Year as recognized by the Homebuilders Assoc. of Utah.
Roger is the President and CEO of Clifford Capital Partners, an independent investment management firm, providing separate account management to institutional and individual clients globally. Clifford builds portfolios of individual securities, primarily equities, based on their proprietary fundamental research with a mission is to build long-term wealth for their clients. Enjoy the episode!
John Richards is the CEO and Founder of Startup Ignition, an entrepreneur bootcamp that prepares entrepreneurs, founders, and teams to properly launch a company and take the right steps towards mitigating risk and increasing success. Prior to founding Startup Ignition, John founded and successfully exited multiple ventures and was an award-winning and highly-rated entrepreneurship professor at Brigham Young University. In addition to Startup Ignition, John is a managing partner at Startup Ignition Ventures, a pre-seed fund focused on early-stage ventures.
In 2008 – John S. Pennington Jr. co-founded a family of private equity funds that by the time of his retirement – grew to well over $28 billion of Assets Under Management (AUM). During his tenure and before obtaining partner emeritus status, he served on the board of directors, held signing authority on over 1,200 bank accounts as the deputy chief financial officer (DCFO), was president of over 100 corporations, was the Anti-Money Laundering Officer (AMLO) for all companywide feeder funds located in the Cayman Islands and oversaw all U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission regulatory requirements as chief compliance officer (CCO). In 2021 – he retired with the company listed on the NYSE. In 2004 and 2007 – John co-founded Bridge Loan Capital Fund I and II. In 1988 – John earned a degree from the University of Utah in economics. He and his wife, Jane, have three sons, two daughters-in-law with five grandchildren and have been married for over thirty-eight years.
John Sperry is the entrepreneurial force behind Halosight, bringing a combination of creativity, technology, and practicality to every opportunity he encounters. He serves as the CEO bringing a focus on growing people and investing in the company's culture. In 2010, John joined the ranks of the V100 as one of the top entrepreneurs to lead a new venture to success. That same year, he was named Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young for the Utah Region. Under John’s leadership, the company has enjoyed strong growth, claiming a spot on the Inc. 500/5000 for five consecutive years. In 2016 he was named CEO of the Year by Utah Business Magazine. John’s abundant energy and passion is focused toward continual innovation. His philosophy, which highlights the importance of valuing each employee, client, and consumer individually, is core to everything he creates—from companies to new technology. Before founding Halosight John founded InMoment, a leader in the CX/VOC space. He grew the company for 17 years with offices in 6 countries and over 400 employees. He had a successful exit selling InMoment to Madison Dearborn. He headed up the design and implementation of enterprise technology solutions for leading insurance, financial services, and automotive brands. He served as senior vice president at SunGard, a billion-dollar company that provides mission-critical software and services to the financial services industry.
Vess Pearson co-founded Aptive in 2015, and today it serves customers in more than 5,000 cities across 34 states and ranks as the 4th largest residential pest control company in North America (out of more than 20,000 competitors). Prior to Aptive, Vess’ leadership was instrumental in building and selling two previous pest control ventures and he is now focused on building Aptive as a legacy brand that will disrupt the 100-year-old industry. Vess’ heavy emphasis on elevated employee culture led to him being named 2021 EY Entrepreneur of The Year in the Utah Region.
Scott is a Co-founder and a Managing Partner of Rev Road Capital, an early-stage seed venture capital firm that scales founders faster. Scott is also the Founder and Executive Chairman of Omadi, a cloud based, mobile platform for field services management that currently serves the towing, transportation, and insurance industries. In addition, Scott was the executive director of the Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology in the Marriott School of Business at BYU from 2017 to 2020 and managing director from 2010 to 2015. Scott has founded or co-founded 6 other companies and currently has significant ownership stakes in several other businesses.
Zacc is the President of Capita and a CFP® professional. He began his financial services career at Fidelity in 2007 and joined Capita in 2015. Zacc’s personal mission is: Deliver superior financial planning to as many households as possible. This mission is accomplished through guiding Capita’s advisors and distributing The Financial Call podcast of which he is a co-host. Zacc loves coaching soccer, mountain biking with his dog, and spending time with his family.
Ryan Janeway has built and sold four companies in the medical software and services space. His current companies include RHJ Enterprises, MediPro Direct, and Alliance DNA Laboratory. Outside the office, Ryan is an avid learner, basketball player, paintballer, mountain biker, traveler, and hiker. He has 5 children and lives with his family in Alpine, Utah.
Hayden Wadsworth is the co-founder and CEO of HydroJug, a company with a sole mission of helping others live healthier lives by making it easier to drink more water and be hydrated. Hayden’s biggest focus is creating better products and customer experiences and helping his team become the best they can be. HydroJug is located in Ogden, Utah, and was founded in 2017.
Eric is the founder of Brighton Wealth Management, a fee-only fiduciary financial firm that focuses on building strong collaborative relationships with their clients to deliver comprehensive, sophisticated, and holistic wealth management plans. Eric is also the founder of Flex Fleet, a leading truck rental company that provides nationwide 4×4 truck delivery.
Jason is the CEO and Co-Founder of PACS, which provides skilled nursing, health care, and rehabilitation services at more than 175 facilities in California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Colorado, Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina, and Ohio. PACS also provides a wide array of back-office support services to skilled nursing facilities, reducing administrative burdens on facilities so that their local leadership and care teams can focus more of their efforts on the care, well-being, and quality of life of their patients and residents.
Jeff has started, run or been an early investor in over 15 companies in tech & real estate valued at over a billion dollars, lost a challenging race for Governor amidst COVID 19 in his home state, is an adjunct professor of entrepreneurship, served on 20+ boards, lived in the Middle East & traveled to over 50 countries while earning two degrees. He is a Founder and Chairman of Peak Capital Partners, a $5B+ real estate investment firm located in Provo, UT, which was named the 2nd fastest growing company in Utah and one of the 500 fastest privately held companies in the United States by Inc. Magazine. Jeff also launched Peak Ventures (now Album), which has three early-stage funds that back the brightest and most inspiring entrepreneurs in Utah and throughout the US. Early Investor @ Spotify, MetaMask, Route, Pattern, Pura, Podium, Mosyle, Giddy, Neighbor, Entrata, Divvy, MX, Homie, Weave, Kizik, Taxbit, Gabb, Andela, Degreed, Stance, Lucid, Owlet, Baller TV, Lendio, Angel Studios, Breeze Airways & Filevine.
After graduating, then starting and selling several businesses, Dave founded Paragon Wealth Management. Over 35 years later, his company has survived and thrived in some of the most difficult investment markets in history. Paragon Wealth Management has received numerous awards including Advisors with Heart, NABCAP Premier Advisor five times and the Best of State Investment Advisor thirteen times. In addition to managing Paragon, on January 3rd, 2022 Dave was sworn in as Mayor of the City of Orem. Dave is the father of five children and grandfather of ten. He has traveled extensively around the world. He enjoys hunting, fitness, adventure travel, the outdoors and spending time with his family.
Brian Murphy is the Co-Founder of Portfolio Advisors, a middle market private investment firm with over $38 billion in assets under management. Founded in 1994 to serve institutional investors, Portfolio Advisors offers a variety of innovative investment solutions across private equity, private credit and private real estate. The firm manages a broad range of strategies including direct, secondary, and primary investments and junior and senior credit. Portfolio Advisors also provides institutional clients customized discretionary and non-discretionary portfolio management across its core strategies. Most recently, Portfolio Advisors launched its MVP Private Markets Fund, a registered private equity fund with more than $500 million in assets, which is structured for both wealth management and institutional clients. Portfolio Advisors merged with FS Investments in 2023.
Cydni Tetro is recognized as an innovator of experience, a growth leader, technologist, STEM advocate, author, and speaker. Creating immersive customer experiences through technology and product innovation for business growth and market leadership is woven through her career. Cydni is the former CEO of Brandless, a technology-based consumer platform that is building the largest digitally native roll-up of mission-based brands. Prior to that she was CEO of ForgeDX, a customer acceleration platform used by companies like Verizon, Adobe, Microsoft, Dell and other large tech companies to transform customer experience. She also founded and was the CEO of 3DplusMe, which was acquired by Whiteclouds, and was a 3D printing personalization platform, where you could become an Ironman action figure and more in partnership with Marvel, Star Wars, NFL, MLB and Hasbro, Walmart and Target. She spent 5 years at Disney in Imagineering leading technology commercialization and building technology businesses inside Disney, including with Theme Parks, ESPN and ABC. She is also founder and President of the Women Tech Council a non-profit that that amplifies the economic impact of women in tech, she teaches in the Goldman Sachs 10K Small Business Program, Babson and BYU, sits a number of boards including the Intermountain/SelectHealth Healthcare board and has been recognized as Women of the Year, Contributor of the Year, Top 10 Coolest Entrepreneurs, received Stevie Awards for Entrepreneur of the Year and Innovator of the Year and been recognized as a Most Successful Businesswoman to Watch. She holds a master’s degree in business administration and a bachelor’s in computer science from BYU. Enjoy!
James Fletcher is an experienced Emerging Markets portfolio manager. He's the CEO and founder of Ethos Investment Management, a $100M boutique EM fund. Prior to founding Ethos Investment Management, James was the Director & Senior PM of the EM SMID Cap fund at APG Asset Management, where he managed a ~$1.2B portfolio based in Hong Kong, one of the largest EM SMID cap funds in the world. APG is the largest pension fund manager in the Netherlands and a global leader in ESG investing. Before that, James was the Lead PM at Kayne Anderson Rudnick’s EM Small Cap fund (ticker VIESX), a Morningstar 5-Star rated fund and a Senior Analyst at Westwood Global Investments from 2005-2013. James is a CFA charter holder. James is also the founder of the global non-profit, Young Investors Society, a non-profit that teaches financial literacy and investment principles to high school students. As of March 2023, Young Investors Society serves over 1,700 high schools in 71 countries and over 10,000 students per year. James has an undergraduate degree in Finance from Brigham Young University and is fluent in Portuguese and proficient in Spanish and has lived in Brazil and Hong Kong. We hope you enjoy this episode!
Brooks Kirchheimer is the co-founder of Leave Room for Dessert Eateries, a Utah based restaurant group designed to thrill their guests. Their restaurants include Urban Hill, Hearth and Hill, and Hill’s Kitchen.
Eric Parker is a tech junkie and crypto aficionado. And in 2021, he decided to combine his two passions with Giddy, an app that helps people tap into the rewards of decentralized finance and guide them through investing in this new financial frontier. Giddy was founded by a team of engineers with decades of experience in mobile app development, security, finance, and cryptography. And in January of this year, Giddy announced $8 million seed funding led by Pelion Venture Partners. The round includes local entrepreneurship all-stars the likes of Blake Murray of Divvy, Jeremy Andrus of Traeger, Davis Bell of Canopy, “Brand Whisperer” Shaun Neff, serial angel investor Scott Paul, real estate mogul Brandon Fugal, Scan founder Kirk Ouimet, Chamber Media founder Travis Chambers, and Jeff Burningham of Peak Capital.
Sadie & Abby are the co-founders of SadieB Personal Care, a girl-centered personal care brand with a mission to flip the script on beauty messaging and meet the needs of “girls getting things done.”
Co-Founder of LoanPro, a software designed for lenders to automate workflows, provide access to real time date, and create API-integrated, end-to-end solutions.
Lowell Crabb is the founder of Drive Wealth Advisers, an independent wealth advisory firm that specializes in serving business owners, corporate executives, and high net worth individuals.
Brian Reeder is the co-founder and CEO of Vessel Kitchen, a Utah-born restaurant redefining the concept of casual dining across the state. Founded in 2016, Vessel pushes the envelope of culinary innovation by offering an upscale vibe and quality meals at a fast-casual price and convenience. Vessel currently operates 6 locations with a 7th opening later this year in the SLC airport.
Kurt Workman is the co-founder and CEO of Owlet Baby Care, the creator of the Smart Sock baby monitor as well as the Owlet Cam, and the Owlet Band. As its co-founder and CEO, Kurt has been an advocate for infant health since founding the venture-backed company in 2013. Forbes has called Owlet the “Next Billion-Dollar Startup.” Entrepreneur included it on their “100 Brilliant Companies” list. Owlet has also won “Best Wearable” and “Tech to Change The World” at the Consumer Electronics Show. Kurt studied Chemical Engineering at Brigham Young University.
Four years ago, he quit his stable job with Google in Salt Lake City to follow his daring DJ dream. Since then, he’s DJed in states all over the country and all over Utah. He’s jammed with Utah power families like the Coveys and the Osmonds. He’s DJed for popular influencers like Mixhers, Freshly Picked and Ring King Tristen Ikaika. He’s brought the house down at weddings. And he’s dropped sick beats at stadiums, basketball games and dance arenas for the top colleges in the state. The beat goes on, man. And so will Ricky.
Sam Alexander is the CEO and owner of PMD Beauty and has over a decade of experience in the skin care and digital marketing industry. The PMD company is now a well-known premier beauty brand with its products sold globally in high-end retailers including: Nordstrom, Sephora, Ulta, Bloomingdale's, Harrods, and Saks. Sam graduated from BYU with a degree in History and earned his MBA from the University of Utah.
Cameron Gunter founded PEG Companies in 2003, now one of the fastest-growing commercial real estate development and investment firms in the country. Currently, PEG’s robust $2.4B AUM includes assets in multifamily residential, single family rental communities, student housing, office, mixed-use, and hospitality throughout 27 states and two Canadian provinces. PEG Companies employs more than 1,100 employees nationwide.
Jeremy Andrus is President & CEO of Traeger Grills, the original wood pellet grill brand that has taken the outdoor cooking world by storm. He and a financial partner acquired the company in 2014, transforming it from a small, regional, 26-year-old business into a multi-hundred-million-dollar brand. Prior to Traeger, Jeremy was CEO of Skullcandy, the headphone and wearable electronic brand, which he helped grow into a $300m public company. Jeremy was named EY Entrepreneur of the Year in 2016 and holds an MBA from Harvard.
Mikey Lucas is the co-founder of the American Energy Fund, an investment fund focused on American energy infrastructure and technologies. Mikey has over a decade of experience in sustainable energy, business development, and marketing across several business sectors. He has started multiple 8 figure residential and commercial solar companies and has consulted over 200 companies in his career. In addition to his speaking and mentorship work, Mikey is also the host of a popular podcast, Road to the Golden Door, where he shares his insights and experiences on money and success.
Clay Olsen is a passionate social entrepreneur that has dedicated his life to changing lives and spreading good messages. In 2009 he co-founded Fight the New Drug, a campaign to raise awareness of the harmful effects of pornography. Their mission is to decrease the demand of pornography through science, facts, and personal accounts. In February of 2013, he founded and lead the development of an online addiction recovery program called Fortify, to help individuals overcome their struggle with compulsive sexual behaviors. Most recently, Clay founded Impact Suite, an ecosystem of specialized digital wellness tools. Clay’s successes have been featured on ABC Nightline, Dr. Drew, CNN, National Public Radio (NPR), and others.
Evan Teshima is the CEO and Co-Founder of foreUP, a cloud-based golf management software solution which provides solutions to golf courses across the county. Evan founded foreUP in 2011 while in his senior year at BYU. With his co-founders they bootstrapped foreUP to over 100 employees and grew to provide services to over 1,100 golf courses throughout the United States and Canada.
Sam is the founder of The D2D Association, created D2DCon, is the author of “ABC’s of Closing”, is a podcast host, is a public speaker, and the CEO of The D2D Experts. He built a 7-figure consulting business in under 3 years, has consulted over 150 businesses nationwide and is passionate about creating, implementing, and growing door-to-door programs. In addition, Sam has founded two successful tech platforms Recruit-O-Matic and Vanilla Message and is an Avid Real Estate and Crypto Investor.
Mike Littledike is the founder of Capita Financial Network, a wealth management firm that focuses on building lasting relationships with individuals, families, and business owners through comprehensive financial planning. Founded in 2008 Capita Financial Network continues to grow as the company fulfills its mission to "create the optimal wealth management experience" for its clients. Mike spends most of his time building the company, finding strategic partnerships, and building adventure packed events for likeminded business owners to synergize together.
Sarah and Brady Davies are the co-founders of The Piano Place, Utah’s fastest growing private music lesson studio, which offers customized lessons in Piano, Guitar, Voice, Violin, and more. The Piano Place currently has over 10 locations throughout Utah and Idaho.
Michael McHenry is the founder of the McHenry Group, a Utah-based boutique restaurant group focused on experiential concept creation and forever challenging the industry’s status quo, one brand at a time. A home grown, self-made trailblazer, brand story teller, and concept gangster. Michael is a man who has a strong commitment to quality and has carved a name for himself in the culinary industry and our beloved community here in SLC. A few of his restaurant concepts include Dirty Bird Chicken, Sunday’s Best, Oak Wood Fire Kitchen, and his most recent collaboration sparked up in St George, Utah called Pica Rica BBQ.
Matt Riley is the founder of Stanza, a marketplace that connects remote teams looking for office space with companies nearby that have empty offices they can rent out. Matt began his tech career in the early 2000s working in sales and marketing for Silicon Valley giants Symantec and Cisco. In 2013, he moved to Utah to join Vasion (originally called PrinterLogic) as one of its earliest employees. While there, he helped build the Direct and Channel sales teams, and spent two years living in Germany managing international affairs for the company. Matt shares his experience of seeing past the data smokescreen to discover the real need for workspace rentals, and how his innovative start-up helps anyone anywhere find affordable, flexible workspace.
Andrew Smith is the co-founder of the Savory Fund, a private equity fund that specializes in partnering with restaurant concepts to deliver necessary capital, industry knowledge, and operational prowess to facilitate growth into multi-unit brands. Some of these brands include Swig Drink, R&R BBQ, and the Crack Shack. Prior to Savory, Andrew co-founded Four Foods Group, a multi-brand restaurant operations and investment company that built and operated 170 restaurants across the U.S. Andrew has raised over $520 million in funding, generated over $1.7B in sales and created over 32,000 jobs which remains his #1 focus. Andrew is also an EY Entrepreneur of the Year winner.
Trent Ogden is the CFO of Ogden’s Flooring & Design, Utah's most trusted, full-service flooring company. Trent also co-founded QFloors Software, a software designed to streamline all aspects of the business for flooring companies across the country.
Mitch Mathews is the founder of Anthem Pest Control, a pest control company based in Orem, UT. Mitch is also a former NFL player who played college football at BYU, where he is known for one of the most exciting plays in college football history with a last second Hail Mary catch against Nebraska. Mitch is not only a phenomenal entrepreneur, but also a fantastic leader. In addition to Anthem, Mitch started a leadership group called Young Entrepreneurs Club, which has a goal to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Eric McNeil is the founder of McNeil X, which handles the business, brand, and wealth management for athletes and entrepreneurs. McNeil X helps families protect and grow generational wealth and helps athletes and entrepreneurs to build and scale their income and influence. He is also the host of Breaking the Huddle, a podcast focused on the intersection of business, money, entertainment, and sports.
Zack is currently a Regional Sales Manager at Vivint. He leads his team, Meraki, which is one of the top producing teams in the company. In addition to his role at Vivint, Zack hosts a podcast titled Todays the Day, which centers around the experiences and mentors Zack has had that have led him to be a success.
Jason Haugen is the founder and CEO of the Haugen RV Group. Jason has been an entrepreneur since the age of 18. Starting first in network marketing, where he built a team of thousands and was the top earner and speaker in that company. In 2018 Jason founded the Haugen RV Group, which is doing over $100M in annual revenue and has over 200 employees across 3 states. Jason is also a speaker and host of the Culture Camp podcast, where he interviews business owners, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. Jason has a passion for building great teams and wants to share that passion with as many people as he can.
Brandon Andra is the founder of MPWR Solar, a door-to-door solar sales and marketing company, which prides itself on helping sales reps not only achieve financial freedom, but better themselves while doing it. Brandon also hosts the Sovereign Podcast, a podcast for those striving for strong and meaningful self-development in all avenues of life.
Rich Day is the founder of Rich Day Group, a real estate investment firm that focuses on multifamily and industrial projects across the intermountain west. For the last decade Rich has sponsored the acquisition, development, and/or construction of more than 4,000 apartment units, 250 townhomes, and three million square feet in industrial and office space. Currently, Rich is developing nearly 1,200 apartment units, 250 townhomes, and another 500,000 sq ft of industrial real estate. Rich is an active philanthropist and sits on the board of the Tony Finau Foundation and Intermountain Healthcare Philanthropy Board
Roger Comstock is the founder and CEO of 0 Dollar Startup, a company which teaches individuals how to start recurring revenue businesses without Venture Capital, Debt or Real Estate. Roger is a serial entrepreneur, and in addition to 0 Dollar Startup, is the CEO and founder of Flipr, Comstock Consulting and Tuple. Roger also founded the annual G3 summit in Utah, which is a conference featuring top-tier entrepreneurs and influencers help people achieve fulfilment in business and life.
Paul Poteet is the CEO and Founder of Surge Development, a real estate development company focused on multifamily projects across the country. Over his 5-year career in development, Paul has personally led the entitlements for over 3,500 units spread across 40 projects and 7 states totaling in excess of $55M in land value. Surge currently has over 10 deals in various stages of development, totaling over 1,000 units. Paul’s day to day role at Surge includes overseeing acquisitions & entitlements for all projects, maintaining and creating relationships with capital partners, overseeing construction, setting goals for the company, and ensuring company alignment with its core values.
Steve Hutchings is the founder of X-Development, a real estate development company founded in 2016 that focuses on buying and developing premium retail, office, and industrial sites. X development oversees the entire development process from land entitlement, vertical construction, and leasing management. Notably, X-Development brought the first TopGolf to Utah County.
Jimmy Rex is the founder and CEO of the We Are The They coaching program and social movement. He is also the host of the top-rated podcast, The Jimmy Rex Show, and author of the best-selling book "You End Up Where You're Heading,". In addition, Jimmy is a real estate expert, having sold over 2500 homes in his career, and currently owns over 30 real estate properties in his personal portfolio. Jimmy is a serial entrepreneur, having been involved as an investor and founder of over 20 companies and 32 restaurants. He is always down for a new adventurer and has traveled to over 85 countries in the past 6 years.
Chase is the co-founder of Thrive Development, a real estate development firm focused on multifamily, office, and medical office projects across the intermountain west. Chas Johnson is responsible for all Commercial Development and Asset Management in Thrive’s real estate portfolio. He has worked in the construction and real estate development industry since 1998, previously working for Rockworth Companies and Rimrock Construction. Throughout his career, Chas has specialized in medical and professional office development; successfully developing over 1,000,000 square feet of commercial real estate.
Jeremy is the founder of Uncommon Education Trading, a day-trading education platform which teaches individuals to profit on the stock market through short term trading strategies. In addition to Uncommon Education, Jeremy is a VP of Sales at Proof Pest Control.
Casey is an active investor, operator, board member, and advisor. During his 13-year tenure at Vivint, Casey played a critical role in helping grow revenue from $30M to $1B+ leading to a control investment by Blackstone, and successfully taking the company public. Casey is currently the Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Sandlot Partners, a private investment firm that partners, which has deployed over $350M since inception. In addition to Sandlot, Casey is also a co-founder and partner in Vineyards Group, Green Light Restaurant Group, and several other ventures. Casey is regularly sought out by young professionals and students for his ability to mentor enjoys teaching entrepreneurship as an adjunct professor at BYU to undergraduate students.
Nicole Tanner is the founder of Swig, the fastest growing soda and treat shop in the country. Nicole started Swig in 2010 with its first location in St. George, Utah and eventually grew the brand to 16 locations before partnering with Four Foods Group in 2017 (now known as Savory Fund) to grow Swig to over 40 locations in Utah, Arizona, Idaho, Oklahoma, and Texas. In November 2022 Larry H. Miller Company acquired a majority stake in Swig, with Savory Fund and Nicole maintaining stakes in the business. Nicole has been featured in dozens of articles for her success including being named marketer of the year from Business Q Magazine. Nicole has 5 children, is a breast cancer survivor, and enjoys the outdoors.
Jared Taggart is an entrepreneur, founder, and investor. In 2013 Jared founded LimeLush.com, a global e-commerce brand curating women’s clothing and apparel as a one-stop shop for their fashion needs. In addition to LimeLush, Jared is a partner in Zyia Active, a fitness apparel brand based in Draper, UT, as well as a board member of Boutique Brands, a multi-brand online retailer.
Casey is the founder of G2G Protein Bar, a leader in the protein bar industry with a focus on natural ingredients and no preservatives. Founded in 2010, G2G Bar was one of the first refrigerated protein bar companies in the industry, a big differentiator to the typical protein bars packed with preservatives that sit on grocery store shelves. Today, G2G Bars can be found in over 1,500 store locations nationwide including Costco, Albertsons, Maverik, and more. Prior to G2G, Casey played college baseball for the University of Utah and professional baseball for the Anaheim Angels organization.
Jason B.A. Van Camp is a Forbes Business Council Member, a Wall Street Journal, Amazon, and USA Today best-selling author, a decorated US Army Green Beret, a world traveler, and an entrepreneur. Jason is the founder of Mission Six Zero, a leadership consulting firm comprised of Medal of Honor recipients, U.S. Army Rangers, Navy SEALs and other Special Operations Forces team members, which he founded in 2009. Jason is also honored to be the Founder and Executive Director of Warrior Rising, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to helping veterans achieve success in business through instruction, mentoring, funding access, and maintaining the veteran community.
Kirk is the founder and CEO of BGZ Brands, a leader and innovator in the mobile device protection industry. Kirk founded BGZ in 2002 as a screen protection company for the original handhelds and PDAs. It grew quickly with the evolution of smartphones and has become the powerhouse parent company to three distinct brands providing mobile device protection: BodyGuardz, Lander, and Moxyo. In addition to BGZ, Kirk founded Relief Haven in 2015, a nonprofit charitable organization which enables individuals to become self-sufficient through large scale relief projects.
Jason Walton is the founder of Moxie Pest Control, a national pest control company with over 30 offices across the country. In addition to Moxie, Jason has founded four other pest control brands, all of which are known for exceptional pest-control results and premium customer service. Jason is also the host of the Jason Walton Live It Podcast, a show focused on helping you becoming the best version of yourself.
Tejas Konduru is the founder and CEO of Via, a mobile marketing platform for ecommerce brands. The son of Silicon Valley engineers, Tejas started Via to help retailers engage with customers on the device they carry around all day: Their mobile phone. Via puts together campaigns on mobile-native channels like apps, text and direct messages on Facebook and Instagram. Via has raised over $75 million from various private equity firms, including Tiger Global, Peterson Partners, and others. Tejas was also recognized this year on the Forbes 30 under 30 list for Retail & Ecommerce.
Michael is the co-founder of The Perry Group, one of the top-producing real estate agencies in the state of Utah and across the country. With over $1B in real estate transactions, Michael is verified in the top 1% of all Utah Real Estate professionals. Michael has a team of over 50 real estate professionals and specializes in luxury real estate in the Salt Lake Valley.
McKay is a business leader, author, professor and podcast host. He is currently the CEO of a major non-profit organization, Thanksgiving Point, which serves children and youth in his local community. Christensen’s career began at Procter & Gamble after graduating with an MBA and a Masters in Accounting from BYU. He has held various other leadership positions in business including Director of Strategic Planning for Holiday Worldwide, President and Chief Strategy Officer for Melaleuca, Inc., and Managing Director of Advancement at BYU. McKay earned a Ph.D. in Adult and Organization Learning and teaches business strategy at the BYU’s Marriott School of Business. He co-authored the book Open Your Eyes and also hosts a weekly podcast by the same name, which focuses on helping people discover steps to lasting change on their path to personal and business growth.
Bennet is an entrepreneur, investor, founder, and podcast host. Bennett is the founder of Dirty Dough – a incredibly popular cookie company that is rapidly growing its presence throughout the intermountain west and beyond. Prior to founding Dirty Dough, Bennett started and sold his solar company, Switch to Solar, all within a 15-month time-frame; and prior to that, he led sales teams at various solar, security, and pest control companies. In addition to all of his business ventures – he is the host of Deeper than Dough, a podcast focused on finding real fulfillment in life.
John is a Co-founder and Managing Partner of GRIT Marketing, a sales and recruiting organization that trains reps for the pest control industry. Founded in 2020, the company — which has become a servicing partner to some of the largest pest control companies in the industry — did more than $30 million of top-line revenue in its first year of business and has grown to over 500 sales reps. Prior to founding GRIT, John was a VP of Sales at Greenix, a leading pest control company in the US.
Sean is the founder and CEO of Cold Rush Express, a trucking & logistics company based in Salt Lake City that provides innovative shipping solutions to its clients. He also serves concurrently as the President of ShipEX Logistics. Prior to founding Cold Rush in 2019, Sean was the Founder and CEO of Interide Logistics, which was ultimately acquired by XPO Logistics in May of 2013. Before Interide, Sean served as the founder and President of C.R. England Logistics which he grew to over $300M in revenue prior to his departure.
Eric Kandell is an entrepreneur, founder, and investor. Eric started his career in the mortgage space in 2000 and 13 years later founded Low VA Rates, a full-service mortgage provider with a special emphasis on veteran loans. Low VA Rates funded over $2B in VA mortgages in 2020 alone. In addition to Low VA Rates, Eric is an active investor in storage units, start-ups, and amongst various other ventures, which we dive into on this episode.
Ryan Flint, SIOR, is a commercial real estate expert, entrepreneur, investor, a highly sought-after speaker, and one of the most respected and decorated commercial real estate executives in the country. One of the most accoladed professionals in the business, with nearly $3 billion in sales and leasing throughout his career, Ryan has been featured in multiple publications and earned multiple top-performing awards for the thousands of personally managed transactions. Ryan’s life mission is to share his gifts with the people around him. He is not just a businessman, but a family man. Ryan is surely one of the most thoughtful, loving, and fun executives around, hence why he was given the name from his peers, “The Lifestyle Broker”.
Mitch Casey is a serial entrepreneur and Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Dime Beauty Company, a skincare, wellness, and beauty brand based in Draper, UT. In addition to Dime Beauty, Mitch has founded several other ventures, including apparel, manufacturing, and product brands. On this episode, Mitch tells us the story of founding Dime Beauty Company and how he has grown it to be one of the fastest growing cosmetics brands in the country. He describes the risk, the rewards, and the lessons learned in the life of an entrepreneur.
Braxton Davies is the Co-Founder and COO of Brooks Pest Control, a rapidly growing pest control company based in Orem, UT. Brooks Pest Control recently sold a portion of their business in an extremely successful exit, which we dive into on this episode. Braxton shares his journey of starting from nothing and growing it into a highly successful business, as well as the tradeoffs of risk versus playing it safe.
Brandon Fugal is a prominent business leader and recognized as a real estate expert nationwide. He is a previous EY Entrepreneur of the Year award winner and currently holds the position of Chairman and co-owner of Colliers International in Utah, one of leading commercial real estate firms in the world. Before merging and partnering with Colliers International, Brandon was co-founder and owner of Coldwell Banker Commercial Advisors, which he grew to 30 offices in 11 states, and where he was recognized as the #1 agent globally. In addition to his commercial real estate endeavors, Brandon is an active entrepreneur and investor, co-founding and leading multiple companies. He is also the star and executive producer of one of the most popular shows on the History Channel and Netflix, the Secret of Skinwalker Ranch.
Dave Allred had a 17-year career with one of the nation’s largest security companies, Vivint Smart Home. He served 8 years as a regional vice president of sales, followed by 3 years with Vivint’s sister company, Vivint Solar where he led hundreds of sales reps. Dave contributed to Vivint ultimately going public at a multi-billion-dollar valuation. Dave has over 15 years of real estate investing experience and is the co-founder and managing partner of Axia Partners, a real estate investment firm based in Salt Lake City. He built his personal investment portfolio of more than 1,000 residential units before age 40. In addition to his business endeavors, Dave has created his unique Lifestyle by Design which helps individuals create a life of freedom and purpose.
Ryan Relf is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Dime Beauty Company, a skincare, wellness, and beauty brand based in Draper, UT. In addition to Dime Beauty, he is also the Co-Founder and CEO of SMPL manufacturing, SMPL ventures, and Black Hat Capital. On this episode, Ryan tells us the story of founding Dime Beauty Company and how he has grown it to be one of the fastest growing cosmetics brands in the country. He describes the risk, the rewards, and the lessons learned along the path to an ultimate sale of the company.
Chase Hudson is Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Parkwest Real Estate and oversees the firm’s commercial platform. Prior to forming Parkwest in 2022, Chase worked as a Vice President with Dakota Pacific Real Estate, a regional developer based in Salt Lake City. While with Dakota Pacific, he managed over 900K square feet of operating assets and was involved in the development, capital raising, and execution of over 1M square feet of commercial real estate, totaling $200M in total capitalization. Prior to joining Dakota Pacific, he worked with J.P. Morgan in the Real Estate Americas group in Los Angeles, one of the largest open-ended funds in the United States. While with J.P. Morgan, Chase was responsible for acquisitions and asset management, including overseeing a portfolio of multifamily, office, and retail properties valued at over $500 million on behalf of institutional clients. Chase earned a B.S. in Accounting from Brigham Young University and is an active member of the Urban Land Institute.