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“The national Chamber of Commerce recently joined the list of those recognizing Utah as a top five spot to grow an entrepreneurial startup,” said UVEF 2011 chairman Cary Snowden. “Today’s UVEF winners demonstrate that Utah’s business climate is geared to launch world leaders in diverse industries from internet marketing to medical technology to cleantech.   This bodes well for our state’s great economy.”

Serial entrepreneur and mentor John Pestana emceed today’s event. Pestana is most noted for co-founding Omniture, which sold to Adobe for $1.8 billion. However, his tireless efforts support budding entrepreneurs through Utah schools as well as organizations such at BoomStartup and Utah Student 25.

“Utah is prime real estate for growing scalable new business ventures,” Pestana said. “I’m so pleased to associate with these entrepreneurs who take great personal risk in their quest for the American dream.”

This year’s other award recipients are Simply Mac, Qivana, CampusBookRentals.com, SEO.com, Experience Dental Studio, Fifty Films, mediaFORGE, KT TAPE, BizVision, CFOwise, The Sweet Tooth Fairy, iApplicants, Orabrush, Professional Cable, LLC, DrivingSales, ClearCenter, Avantar, Omnia Alliance, Bluehouse Ski Co., Launch Leads, Zylun, Izatt International, BambooHR, and EcoScraps.

This is UVEF’s twelfth Top 25 Under Five competition. UVEF has highlighted more than 200 companies through this competition, including Utah success stories like Omniture, Skullcandy and Xango, among many others.

About UVEF

The Utah Valley Entrepreneurial Forum (UVEF) is a volunteer non-profit support group linking entrepreneurs to Money, Markets, and Mentors. Celebrating 22 years of new business success, UVEF empowers current and future business leaders to thrive in today’s competitive market. We provide 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.

Press Contact:
John Pilmer
PilmerPR
801-369-7535
jpilmer@pilmerpr.com

The Daily Herald

In the interview, John discusses the plight of the entrepreneur in recognition of the sacrifices that are made in order to grow a company. He also addresses questions about whether we are about to see a boom in entrepreneurial ventures, an what factors may be driving this including employment rates, age, and funding.

Treat yourself to a moment of insight from one of our local leaders: Local Entrepreneurs Battling Recession

A few of my favorite quotes from the article:

…I’ve known entrepreneurs who started by living on Top Ramen and sleeping on a mattress in their business office, and made sacrifices for many years to bring that dream to fruition.

…The No. 1 thing investors look at before investing is the experience of the management team.

…It’s a grievous error to turn down money just because investors want a bigger chunk of the company, especially if the entrepreneur could have grown the company with that funding. If someone is willing to give you money in this environment, take it.

…At some point in the next 10-20 years, the next Google or Yahoo! will come out of Utah County.

…Entrepreneurs who survive at a time like this will have much better chance of thriving when the economy recovers.

…It’s a great time to start a business now because it’s cheaper to build the business.

Hosted by UVEF chairman Roger Andrus and emcee’d by Rick White of Fusion-io, the event featured a keynote address by Utah Leutenant Governor Gary R. Herbert with comments and insights from Alan Ashton, founder of WordPerfect, and event sponsors Steve Grizzel of Innoventures and Rona Rahlf of the Provo Daily Herald. 25 award plaques were presented to the winners. The exciting event was punctuated with Rick White’s energetic humor, drawings for gifts, and an extravagant buffet lunch will well-appointed table settings.

Here is a YouTube video of the event, with winners and links listed below in reverse order:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here are the winners of the UVEF Top 25 Under Five 2009:

25 | CFOwise

CFOwise provides executive-level expertise on a flexible budget by offering businesses of any size a part-time, outsourced Chief Financial Officer (CFO). CFOwise is based in Pleasant Grove.

24 | Isis Dei

Named after the Egyptian goddess of protection, Isis Dei offers creative, practical accessories for all types of electronic devices. Isis Dei is based in Provo.

23 | The Ready Project

The Ready Project simplifies the preparedness process. Their line of gourmet food storage meals are delicious and easy to prepare and are sold through several different distribution channels – Online, Local Retail and Direct Sales. The Ready Project is based in Pleasant Grove.

22 | Big Brainz

Big Brainz develops the most powerful, effective educational video games ever created by combining the most compelling technology from “real” video games with the cuttingedge methods of interactive instruction. Big Brainz is based in Provo.

21 | Rocketship, Inc.

Rocketship is a multi-disciplinary industrial design and product development firm, providing creative product development solutions across a wide range of categories. Rocketship is based in Provo.

20 | Spoon Me

Spoon Me is a fun, fresh, exciting and truly “green” frozen yogurt and smoothie franchise with stores in Utah and Arizona that focuses on creating remarkable experiences for our customers and a life changing business for our franchise owners. Spoon Me is based in Provo.

19 | Jive Communications, Inc.

Jive provides full-featured, affordable IP telephone systems to clients nationwide. Their virtual platform offers a wide range of features for businesses of any size. Jive is based in Orem.

18 | Castlewave, LLC

CastleWave was initially started in March 2007 as a test-case to prove out entrepreneurial principles that were written in a book authored by 2 of the managing partners.  They followed the book, chapter by chapter, as they developed CastleWave, a Search Engine Optimization business, and were soon landing large customers and starting to see some growth.

17 | SEO.COM

SEO.com provides search engine marketing and optimization consulting services. They help companies of any size show up at the top of Google and get more leads and sales for their businesses. SEO.com is based in the Provo Technology Center at Novell

16 | IntelliSchematic

IntelliSchematic is an industrial training company focused on training programs for industries utilizing motion control and power transmission equipment for production and operation. IntelliSchematic is based in Alpline.

15 | Snapp Conner PR

Snapp Conner PR is a specialized agency that provides all aspects of strategic and tactical PR execution for companies in the technology space. Snapp Conner PR is based in South Jordan.

14 | Infuse Medical

Infuse Medical is a medical education agency that develops comprehensive training programs for medical device manufacturers. Infuse Medical is based in Lehi.

13 | Rockwell, Inc.

RockWell, Inc. is a manufacturer of one-piece decorative window wells for the residential construction industry. RockWell is based in Utah County.

12 | Pfadt Race Engineering

Pfadt Race Engineering is focused on the design and manufacture of high-end performance suspension products for 1997 and newer Corvettes and the 2010 Camaro. Pfadt Race Engineering is based in Salt Lake City.

11 | iTOK

iTOK offers Help Desk tools and services to optimize your home computer for better performance and to protect it from virus attacks and spyware. iTOK is based in Lindon.

10 | FamilyLink.com

Family Link helps families connect online primarily through it’s ‘We’re Related’ Facebook and iPhone application. Family Link is based in Provo.

9 | ZenPrint

ZenPrint is a leading developer of web-to-print applications helping businesses and social networks promote and monetize their brand. ZenPrint is based in Salt Lake City.

8 | InsideSales.com

InsideSales.com is the first provider of on-demand Lead Management software to integrate a powerful suite of marketing tools that include dialers, voice messaging and nearly two dozen other productivity-enhancing ‘power tools’. InsideSales.com is based in the Provo Technology Center at Novell.

7 | LaneLinks, Inc.

LaneLinks is a team of dedicated transportation professionals that utilizes proprietary tracking tools to create and manage customized partnerships between private fleets and shippers. LaneLinks is based in Provo.

6 | Navigator Business Solutions, Inc.

Navigator Business One Solutions is a leading SAP Gold Partner that offers SAP products and services to small and mid-size companies to help manage their growth. Navigator Business One Solutions is based in Pleasant Grove.

5 | Aribex, Inc.

Aribex is the worldwide leader in innovative handheld x-ray products. Aribex develops X-ray products for the dental, veterinary, forensic, security, and industrial verification markets. Aribex is based in Orem.

4 | Allegiance, Inc.

Allegiance offers a suite of web and phone-based Enterprise Feedback Management solutions to provide companies and organizations with a way to collect, manage and act upon customer and employee feedback to improve their business performance. Allegiance is based in South Jordan.

3 | OrangeSoda

OrangeSoda’s specialty is in helping small and medium-sized businesses who don’t have massive advertising budgets show up when potential local customers search for companies or services like theirs online. OrangeSoda is based in American Fork.

2 | Imagine Learning, Inc.

Imagine Learning was founded with one goal in mind: to teach English to the children of the world. Today Imagine Learning English is being used by tens of thousands of students globally. Imagine Learning is based in Provo.

1 | ZAGG, Inc.

ZAGG designs, manufactures, and distributes protective clear coverings and accessories for consumer electronic and hand-held devices, worldwide. ZAGG is based in Salt Lake City.

Congratulations to all on a job well done! The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in Utah, helping to reduce the impact of our ailing economy and establishing Utah as one of the best places to start a business in the United States.

My special thanks and appreciation to the UVEF board of directors for their collective effort to make this year’s event the most well-prepared and recognized event to date.

Read other stories about the award ceremony here:

Provo Daily Herald: 20 Utah County entrepreneurs honored by the Utah Valley Entrepreneurial Forum
PilmerPR: Top 25 Under Five | Entrepreneurs Honored By UVEF

Featured on Local FoxNews:

Click here to view the embedded video.

For more information about the Utah Valley Entrepreneurial Forum, or the annual Top 25 Under 5 Awards, contact any member of the UVEF Board of Directors, including myself.

-Cary

Utah businesses with fewer than five years in operation are invited to apply for the UVEF Top 25 Under Five Awards, sponsored by the Utah Valley Entrepreneurial Forum. All Utah companies, five years old or younger, are invited to apply electronically at www.uvef.net.

Applicants will be judged based on revenue and job creation. Nominations are now being accepted through June 19th. 2009 marks the eighth year of the UVEF Top 25 Under Five Awards program. This is a great opportunity for young organizations to be recognized for success and growth. There is no fee to apply.

UVEF’s Top 25 Under Five Awards have recognized the development of more than 200 individuals and companies, including Utah success stories like Agel Enterprises, Interbank FX, Seastone, Altiris, Omniture, and Xango among many others. 2009 award recipients will be recognized at ceremonies on July 9th.

Pass the word along; post this to your Facebook or Twitter accounts by clicking the badges below and let’s get the word out!

As Fusion-io’s Chief Marketing Officer and one of the company’s founders, Rick White is responsible for planning and implementing the company’s marketing strategies and is part of the energy driving the company. Rick is presenting at the Utah Valley Entrepreneurial Forum on Thursday, May 14 at Noon in the Novell Cafeteria.

Rick will present on his marketing experience at Fusion io, and how our fears may be getting in the way of accomplishing success.

Register to attend.

Fusion-io announced in April 2009 that it closed $47.5 million in Series B funding from a group of investors led by global venture capital firm Lightspeed Venture Partners. Fusion-io is a leading provider of enterprise solid-state technology and high-performance I/O solutions that unlock a world of possibilities for performance-starved applications, closing the gap between processing power and storage performance.

The UVEF luncheon will be held on Thursday, May 14, 2009 from Noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Novell Cafeteria.

Since UVEF’s founding in 1989, business in Utah and in Utah Valley has undergone a revolution. That year, email was a luxury enjoyed by only a few. The World Wide Web on the Internet was still five years in the future. WordPerfect held dominant market share. Geneva Steel still had ten years of life left. Since then, Utah Valley’s population has almost doubled to nearly half a million. UVU (formerly UVSC) has tripled in size to 26,000 students. Businesses have grown in areas that did not exist in 1989.

The new UVEF chair, Roger Andrus has helped secure over $100,000,000 in capital for entrepreneurs in new business ventures. Currently, he serves as the Executive Director of the Business Development Corporation (BDC) of Provo, a non-profit entity sponsored by Provo City’s Economic and Redevelopment Agency.

“Entrepreneurship in Utah is one of our greatest strengths,” said Andrus. “Utah entrepreneurs have created tens of thousands of jobs in past years. This has softened the effects of the current recession and contributed to Utah’s high ranking relative to other state economies. We believe this creative, resilient entrepreneurial spirit will lead our state back to prosperity.”

Also serving on the 2009 UVEF board: Steve Grizzell, InnoVentures Capital Partners; Kyle Bowen Love, Direct Controls, Inc; Les Pardew, Alpine Studios; John Pilmer, PilmerPR; Dr. Mark W. Lund, PowerStream; Bryant Armstrong, Squire & Company; John Richards, Centers for Entrepreneurship & E-Business, BYU; Tim Hunt, Certiport; Steven Roy, USTAR; and Stephen D. Clark, Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at UVU.

The Utah Valley Entrepreneurial Forum (UVEF) is a volunteer non-profit support group connecting entrepreneurs to Money, Markets, and Mentors. Celebrating 20 years of new business success, UVEF empowers individuals to thrive in business through potent education and networking. Its mission is to provide effective tools and create synergy between members and business experts. For information on upcoming meetings, speakers and membership visit www.uvef.net.

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Press Contact:
John Pilmer, APR
PilmerPR
801-369-7535
jpilmer@pilmerpr.com
www.pilmerpr.com

“These recipients demonstrate the power of ideas coupled with sound management,” stated Shauna Theobald, chairman of the board, UVEF. “These companies and individuals represent the highest character and spirit that personify the term – entrepreneur.”

2008 Winners include:
Utah Entrepreneur of the Year – John Edwards, Move Networks
Most Innovative Product – Hand-held X-Ray, Aribex
Ronald K. King Social Entrepreneur of the Year – Warner Woodworth
Community Service Award – Todd Manwaring
Greatest Contribution to Entrepreneurs – Paul Allen, Provo Labs
Utah Valley’s Best Kept Secret – Reflect Scientific

At ceremonies held last month, UVEF named Dr. Bill Jordan Pope and BYU Center for Entrepreneurship as 2008 Hall of Fame Inductees.

The UVEF is a non-profit support group working to share knowledge and experience. As a nonprofit organization founded in 1989, the UVEF promotes the development and growth of entrepreneurial ventures by: providing networking opportunities, promoting recognition of business accomplishments and contributions, sharing business experiences, and by encouraging free enterprise.  Information on upcoming meetings, speakers, and membership can be found at www.uvef.net.

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Press Contact:
John Pilmer, APR,
PilmerPR
801-369-7535
jpilmer@pilmerpr.com
www.pilmerpr.com

UVEF will present awards in five categories: Entrepreneur of the Year; the Most Innovative Product; the Social Entrepreneur of the Year; Utah Valley’s Best Kept Secret; and Greatest Contribution to Entrepreneurs.

There is no cost to UVEF members; all others $25.

RSVP to tiffany(at)cedo.org or info.uvef(at)gmail.com or call 801.226.1521 or visit http://www.uvef.net

As a “serial entrepreneur” leading two Utah companies onto the Inc. 500 list of fastest growth companies in the US, and landing 4 times in the top 10 fastest growing companies in Utah, Jim Pack has learned to adapt and succeed in an ever changing marketplace.  Among his different business experiences, he has served as CEO of AdvancedMD, CEO of IGS-Cubed, President of Easy Dental Systems, Vice President of Strategy, Sales and Business Development at Dentrix, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for SilverPlatter and a variety of other management, sales, marketing and consulting positions.

Jim has a BS in Economics from Brigham Young University and an MBA from the University of Michigan and several advanced degrees from the School of Hard Knocks.

Please join UVEF on Thursday, November 13th from 11:45 to 1:30 at the Novell Cafeteria in East Bay, Provo. Register today online at  www.uvef.net.  Any questions, email tiffany-at-cedo.org, or call CEDO at 801-226-1521.  No cost to UVEF members.  All others, $25.

The forum will provide insights on building world class management teams from Dennis’ understanding of which human resource practices offer the greatest return on shareholder value.

Dennis leads vSpring’s human capital practice. Prior to joining vSpring, Dennis built an executive search practice in technology and finance at The Diestel Group, a boutique executive search firm. He worked nationally and was instrumental in helping organizations expand their operations and succeed by attracting and retaining world-class talent.

To register for the forum, visit: http://www.uvef.net/

Details:

Title: Utah Valley Entrepreneurial Forum
Location: Novell Cafeteria
Register: Click here
Description: Glean insights on building world class management teams and learn from Dennis’ understanding of which human resource practices offer the greatest return on shareholder value.
Start Time: 11:30
Date: 2008-10-09
End Time: 13:30