Utah Valley Business Blog » Cary Snowden

Zions Bank Trade & Business Conference In SLC

Cary Snowden — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:09:02 +0000

Zions Bank is hosting the Trade & Business Conference next Wednesday, May 23 from 8:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Salt Lake Marriott Downtown at City Creek.

Featured speakers include Carly Fiorina, Max Boot, Stephen Moore, and David Neeleman.

Registration is required. Contact your Zions Bank banker, or visit http://www.zionsbank.com/conference

Here is the flyer:

TaleSpring And The Day I Became A Pirate

Cary Snowden — Sun, 13 May 2012 07:19:53 +0000

My book titled The Day I Became A Pirate has reached #8 in the App Store. Here is some of the story…

TaleSpring.com is a local book app publisher that has an online software platform that makes it relatively easy and inexpensive to create a book app and publish to the App Store on iTunes.

I was speaking with Jason Izatt almost two years ago when he started the TaleSpring business and told him of my excitement for the platform because I have several books that I want to publish. I had long been looking for a publisher for my material, but was getting frustrated; you see, finding a publisher in the children’s book market is not quite as rare as stepping foot on the moon, but probably comes in as a close ‘second’.

As Jason described his new publishing platform, my eyes grew wide and what can only be described as ‘the Fourth of July’ was going off in my brain. I stood there, holding my iPad and felt both embarrassed that I hadn’t thought of this before, and exhilarated that I was suddenly making plans to publish my own material to the App Store for the iPad.

With plans to publish within a month of our discussion, I soon became painfully aware that publishing my books in the iPad environment would take more effort that a weekend or two could contain.

I searched the world over for an illustrator and finally partnered with Zach Clough, who caught my eye with a previous pirate drawing and really grabbed me with an exciting and vibrant color palette that I thought would be perfect for a children’s pirate adventure book. Zach and I got to work. I created an extensive-but-crude layout of the book complete with square block drawings of each page, and Zach set to work giving my (very) rough vision life with a crew of characters that literally developed their own personalities as we continued creating each successive scene.

One and a half years later, and just over 300 hours of combined time, we finished our book and published with TaleSpring to the App Store.

That was last Monday. Our book app went live in the App Store Monday evening and we watched as it started to gain popularity. I began checking off tasks in my marketing plan and jumped on a few opportunities earlier than expected based on some early interest. Our first couple of days were a little more exciting than we anticipated and we seemed to jet out of the gate. That was before Friday morning…

Friday morning I received a text message at about 7:30 a.m. from Jason at TaleSpring. His message simple asked ‘are you seeing this?’ I was fully engaged in making breakfast for my children, so I naively replied ‘No, what?’ His response had me (almost) doing cartwheels in the kitchen; he told me we had reached #23 on the iPad Book list. I couldn’t believe it.

I rushed the kids through breakfast and even drove them to school before getting to my office to check in. By the time I had arrived to check my iTunes, my book had reached #12. I hadn’t felt like that since seeing Rocky in 1976. Well, including marriage and four children, that isn’t entirely true, but it certainly ranked as one of the most exciting moments of my life.

Imagine how I felt when we hit #8 later that morning. It was a mind-blower, to be sure.

The book has been hovering in and out of the top ten since, and has held positions above 12 for most of the weekend. It has been a lot of fun and is certainly a thrill to have a book on the market. Publishing is an exciting adventure, and I am glad TaleSpring was able to make it such a possibility for me.

We’ll see how the book progresses. I have already started four others based on stories I wrote for my children several years ago. The iPad environment is a perfect place to tell my stories and a wonderful way to bring them to life with sounds, actions and animations.

If you have a moment to check it out, look up The Day I Became A Pirate in the App Store. Read it to your kids and let me know how it goes.

—Cary Snowden, …Author (!)

UTC Hosting Utah Innovation Awards 2012

Cary Snowden — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 19:21:41 +0000

Register today to attend the 10th annual Utah Innovation Awards Luncheon on Tuesday, May 1, 2012 at the Marriott City Center. To register, click here by Tuesday, April 24, 2012. Twenty-seven finalists and honorable mention recipients will be honored, and a winner in each of the program’s eight categories will be announced.

The Utah Innovation Awards program, presented by Stoel Rives LLP and Utah Technology Council, is the first statewide innovation awards program of its kind, and is sponsored by Utah Business magazine, KUER 90.1, Webb Audio Visual Communication, and Stage 12.

More than 300 representatives from Utah’s technology, business and academic communities are expected to attend the Awards Luncheon to honor and recognize the finalists and winners.

When: Tuesday, May 1, 2012
11:00 a.m. – Noon: Innovation Showcase
Noon – 1:00 p.m.: Awards Luncheon
Where: Marriott City Center
200 South State Street
Salt Lake City, Utah

Registration: Click here to register to attend by end of day on Tuesday, April 24, 2012.

Cost: $50 for UTC Members
$70 for non-UTC Members
$450 for a Table of Ten

Program Contacts:

Nicole Kershaw
Program Manager
Stoel Rives LLP
(801) 715-6657
nkershaw -at- stoel.com

Melanie Williamson
Program Coordinator
Stoel Rives LLP
(801) 715-6662
mwwilliamson -at- stoel.com

Women Tech Council Spring Event With Disney

Cary Snowden — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:45:13 +0000

The Women Tech Council is holding their annual Spring Networking Event. The perfect place for both networking and a great technology discussion.

This year we have Disney technologists and Imagineers coming to town to talk about media and entertainment technology trends, how they use technology, create playtests and make Magic in the parks.

Mark your calendars for the Magic.

Date: April 26th 2012
Time: 11:30-1:00
Location: Zion’s Bank Tower 18th Floor
One South Main, Salt Lake City
Members $35/Non-Members $45

UVEF Accepting Nominations For Top 25 Under Five Awards 2012

Cary Snowden — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 16:31:44 +0000

Celebrating its 23^nd year, Utah Valley Entrepreneurial Forum (UVEF) announced today that they are accepting nominations through June 1st for this year’s ‘Top 25 Under Five’ Awards.

Nominate Your Company for the UVEF Top 25 Under 5

Top 25 Under Five spotlights outstanding Utah entrepreneurs and emerging companies from across the state. Award recipients will be recognized at ceremonies on July 12^th.

“UVEF Top 25 Under Five provides a launch pad for rising Utah startup successes,” stated Matt Bowman, UVEF Chair. “Last year’s winners added more than 800 jobs in Utah. We look forward to celebrating job creation and revenue generation by this year’s winners.”

—You are invited to nominate your company, or any another company.
—In order to qualify, the company must have no revenues prior to January 1, 2007.
—All information that is submitted will be treated confidentially.
—Nomination Deadline: Monday, June 18, 2012

Recipients will be announced at the annual UVEF Top 25 Under 5 Awards Ceremony, to be held this year on Thursday, July 12, 2012. Mark your calendar.

UVEF’s Top 25 Under Five Awards have recognized the development of more than 200 individuals and companies, including Skull Candy, Imagine Learning, Agel Enterprises, Lendio (Funding Universe), Simply Mac, Entice Labs, Kynetx, ZAGG, and InterbankFX among many others. Companies five years old or younger throughout Utah are invited to apply at www.UVEF.net . Applicants are judged based on revenue and job creation.

The Utah Valley Entrepreneurial Forum (UVEF) is a volunteer non-profit support group linking entrepreneurs to Money, Markets, and Mentors. Celebrating 23 years of new business success, UVEF empowers current and future business leaders to thrive in today’s competitive market. UVEF provides real-world, practical education and valuable resources on how to access needed capital, attract new customers and tap into industry experts. For information on upcoming meetings, speakers and exclusive membership benefits visit www.UVEF.net.

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=97343

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=39397279826

Twitter: @UVEF

Press Contact:

John Pilmer

PilmerPR

(801) 369-7535

jpilmer@pilmerpr.com

Doing Business With China Conf at UVU

Cary Snowden — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 22:15:40 +0000

The Woodbury School of Business at UVU is hosting a conference on Doing Business With China.

May 10, 2012

The Doing Business with China conference will create opportunities for businesses to interact with local and nationally experienced business leaders from both the United States and China. This conference also provides business managers from Utah networking opportunities with officials from the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), the most important and the largest institution for the promotion of foreign trade in China.

—Registration information coming soon

For more information, keep an eye on http:www.uvu.edu/businesswithchina

Here’s the flyer…

Attention Golfers – ServePro Charity Golf Classic

Cary Snowden — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 22:42:29 +0000

SERVPRO has announced their 2nd Annual SERVPRO Charity Golf Classic coming up on Tuesday, September 11, 2012.

It’s a ways away, but watch for more information regarding this event in the next month. Contact your local SERVPRO rep if you have any questions.

UVEF Sponsoring Free CrowdPitch At UVU

Cary Snowden — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 16:25:00 +0000

UVEF is sponsoring a FreeCrowdPitch on April 3rd at UVU from 3:00 to 5:00. See you there!

Free Entrepreneur CrowdPitch Event – April 3rd At UVU!

Enjoy Free Food, Networking & Watch Utah’s Hottest Startups Pitch Their Ideas!

Be our guest. Enjoy free food, networking and watch three of Utah’s hottest Digital Media startups pitch to a panel of experts and investors (think “SharkTank”). Learn from investor feedback and see how they make their decision. Also, invest “CrowdCash” in the business of your choice and win valuable gift certificates if you invest in the winning business. If they win, you win!

Pitching Entrepreneurs

Winners of the Digital Media “Concept to Company” Innovation Contest

Panel of Judges

Angel Investors
Digital Animation Experts
Game Industry Executives

DETAILS

When: Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012

Time: 3:00-5:00

Cost: FREE – Including Food! (RSVP is Required)

Where: Utah Valley University, Orem, UT

More Details/Register At: http://crowdpitch12.eventbrite.com/

About CrowdPitch & Grow Utah Ventures

Grow Utah Ventures, is a privately funded Non-Profit Organization dedicated to stimulate, unlock and develop the entrepreneurial talent and early stage business opportunities for value creation across Utah. Grow Utah Ventures has acquired the CrowdPitch events formerly run by Lendio (Funding Universe) and will now host them throughout Utah.

For more information about Grow Utah Ventures and other upcoming events, visit www.GrowUtahVentures.com

Forward This Email

Grow Utah Ventures

450 S. Simmons Way

Suite 500

Kaysville, UT 84037

info@growutahventures.com

UVEF April: UVU Superstar Entrepreneurs

Cary Snowden — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 19:36:09 +0000

UVEF Presents for April: UVU Entrepreneurial Superstars

Join the Utah Valley Entrepreneurial Forum for an April luncheon featuring an insider’s look into the burgeoning entrepreneur community at the UVU Business Resource Center with special guest student entrepreneurs from Kisstixx and The PowerPot.

You may have recently seen Kisstixx on The Shark Tank. They won a deal. They’ll be on hand to tell us about it.

This April 12th UVEF will hear briefly about UVU’s business development strategies from Steve Roy, VP of Economic Development at UVU.

Also on hand will be Roger Andrus, UVU’s Director of the new Business Resource Center speaking on the BRC’s role in developing Utah Valley business, and from Shauna Theobald, Director of the Entrepreneurship Institute, on cultivating the entrepreneurial mindset on and off campus.

Special guest student entrepreneurs include Dallas Robinson & Mike Buonomo of Kisstixx, who will share their Shark Tank experience, and Caleb Light, who launched The PowerPot, a remarkable new energy technology.

Join UVEF for a first-hand experience with UVU and a few of their superstar entrepreneurs for an exciting look at how UVU is helping to lead Utah Valley’s entrepreneurial success and gaining national attention for our local talent and innovative spirit.

Questions? Contact Michelle@cedo.org or 801.226.1521 ext.101
No cost for this event to current UVEF members. $25 for visitors.

About UVEF

The Utah Valley Entrepreneurial Forum (UVEF) is a volunteer non-profit support group linking entrepreneurs to Money, Markets and Mentors. Celebrating 20 years of new business success, UVEF empowers current and future business leaders to thrive in today’s competitive market.

UVEF provides real-world, practical education and valuable resources on how to access needed capital, attract new customers and tap into industry experts.

UVU 2012 Business Development Conference

Cary Snowden — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 23:21:50 +0000

UVU is hosting the 2012 Business Development Conference tomorrow, Friday, March 9. The event will go all day ending at 4:00 p.m.

Tickets are on sale now. Visit the RSVP page for more information and to purchase your tickets.

The event will be held at UVU at 800 W University Parkway, Orem, UT 84058.

Here is the flyer: