The State of Good: Recent Episodes
Salt Lake Chamber
The institution best equipped to make a difference in our community? Business. That's why we launched the State of Good, the official podcast of Utah Community Builders, the Salt Lake Chamber's nonprofit social impact foundation. Hear how businesses are moving the needle on poverty, mental health, and family friendly policies.
The success of a business is reliant on the success of its employees, and a critical element of that success is their well-being. When company leaders strive to enhance the culture related to mental health in the workplace, it not only results in increased productivity but also nurtures the wellness of employees. In this episode, Sentari Minor, Vice President of Strategy & Chief of Staff at evolvedMD, discusses the responsibility of the business community in addressing employee mental health.
The goal of inclusion is to create the kind of Utah where families of all different shades can move here and feel welcome to stay. By becoming engaged in that process, the business community can play a part in achieving this. In this episode, Equality Utah Managing Director Mindy Young shares her insights on the importance of Utah's belonging and inclusion efforts.
Close to one in three Utahns have a criminal record of some sort; however, many of those records are old, resolved and eligible for expungement. Unfortunately, that process can be complicated and expensive. Noella Sudbury, Founder and CEO of Rasa Public Benefit Corporation, joins us to explain how second chances can be beneficial not only to those with criminal records but also Utah's economy.
Mental wellness in the workplace has long been a very real and pressing issue for Utah families and communities. Luckily, business leaders can play a part in reducing the stigma around mental health care and providing their employees with the resources they need to be resilient. This episode features Michelle Hill, Director of Total Rewards at Clyde Companies, as she shares her insights on how businesses can proactively address mental health concerns and create a nurturing environment for team members.
When it comes to child care, affordability, quality and accessibility are big concerns for Utah parents. What’s more, child care issues impact businesses and our economy as well as just families, resulting in an estimated $1.36 billion loss annually for Utah’s economy. What does this mean for the business community, and what can be done to help? On this episode, we are joined by Anna Thomas, Senior Policy Analyst at Voices of Utah Children and Elizabeth Garbe, Vice President of Public Policy at United Way Salt Lake, to discuss what a recent report has revealed about child care issues in Utah.
Public education is essential for families, because when children are in school, their parents can go to work knowing their kids are in good hands. However, traditional education methods can be difficult for students with disabilities. Luckily, the Children First Education Fund provides scholarships and other aid to those who need it most. On this episode, Executive Director Ronnie Daniel explains how donations from both individuals and businesses can make a positive impact on Utah families.
Poverty in Utah profoundly impacts families, exacerbating financial instability, limiting access to quality education and health care, and hindering opportunities for upward mobility. The cycle of poverty also creates challenges for families, often resulting in intergenerational effects that can perpetuate the cycle for future generations. On this episode, we discuss what businesses can do to help with Michelle Crawford, Executive Director of Circles Salt Lake.
Hope Corps is a statewide network of interns all committed to helping the private sector move the needle on social impact issues. Listen to one of the Hope Corps interns recap his experience, and how the business he worked with made a difference on mental health.
For every one death on a construction site, there are six suicides among construction workers. This staggering statistic, plus a growing body of evidence, has prompted the construction industry, and all businesses, to do something about workforce mental health. Learn more from employees and leaders in one of Utah's most prominent construction businesses.
Businesses are scrambling to find talent, just as parents are seeking a new normal for work/family balance. On this episode, we discuss how new approaches to family friendly workplaces can address both of these concerns at the same time.
In our inaugural episode, we explore why the business community - perhaps moreso than any other institution - is well positioned to make a difference on community issues ranging from mental health and family policy to poverty and upward mobility. Learn from Clark Ivory and Derek Miller about the creation of Utah Community Builders, and what's next in the world of business social impact.