The new Legacy Building breaks ground this summer and is scheduled for completion by 2028. Northrop Grumman directly employs over 11,000 Utahns and, according to a recent study, supports more than 46,000 jobs across the state, generating over $12.4 billion for the economy.

Sixth building in six years

Northrop Grumman’s Roy campus has grown fast. In late August of 2019, the Woodbury Corporation and Hunt Companies broke ground on the new 200,000 square foot Roy Innovation Center to serve as the future headquarters for Northrop Grumman’s nationwide team and support the national Ground Based Strategic Deterrent program.

About a year later, in September of 2020, Northrop Grumman and was awarded a $13.3 billion defense contract to build the Sentinel system as a replacement for the aging Minuteman III missile, with the work centered in Utah. That growth came with a $60 million tax incentive provided by the state, as a post-performance tax credit over 20 years. Six years and five buildings later, the campus now serves as headquarters for the Sentinel program’s engineering, digital design, supply chain and program management work.

“We as a company have about 5,200 employees working on the Sentinel program, and we’re continuing to grow as we’re maturing the design and as we’re getting ready to transition that design into the test program, which will start next year, and then into production so we can support deployment into the early 2030s,” says Ben Davies, corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman Defense Systems.

Growth comes as Sentinel’s price tag balloons

The expansion arrives as the Sentinel program itself faces sharp cost and schedule pressure nationally. On January 18, 2024, the U.S. Air Force notified Congress that the Sentinel program exceeded its baseline cost projections, resulting in a critical breach under the Nunn-McCurdy statute, with total program costs now estimated at $140.9 billion, up 81% from the previous estimate in September 2020.

The restructuring process is expected to delay the program by several years. The Pentagon has since recertified Sentinel as essential to national security, allowing the program — and the Utah campus that anchors much of its engineering work — to keep expanding even as costs are restructured.

Utah’s aerospace and defense sector has grown alongside that federal spending. Utah’s aerospace, defense, and security industry had a total economic output of nearly $100 billion in 2023, according to a report from EDCUtah and 47G, Utah’s aerospace and defense trade association.

“Aerospace and defense represents just under 20% of Utah’s GDP, and we are the fastest-growing aerospace and defense economy in the country,” says Kori Ann Edwards, chief strategy officer at 47G. “We have all four division sectors and over 11,000 employees at Northrop Grumman here in the state of Utah. They are a massive contributor to our ecosystem, and they are building our national security.”

Over the past five years, Northrop Grumman has invested $13.5 billion in infrastructure and R&D, including $2 billion dedicated to solid rocket motor capacity and capabilities tied to Sentinel and the broader strategic deterrence and space launch industrial base.

Gov. Spencer Cox attended the groundbreaking. The state’s ability to land repeat expansions from Utah’s largest defense employer, even as the broader Sentinel program undergoes federal restructuring, will remain a marker of Roy’s staying power as a hub for the Air Force’s next-generation ICBM work through the building’s 2028 completion and beyond.

This article was adapted from a press release by an automated tool and reviewed and edited by an editor for accuracy before publication.

Many Americans grew up dreaming of becoming astronauts or fighter pilots, yet certain terminology — “a man on the moon” or “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” — may have unintentionally left some women wondering where they fit into the narrative.

Fast forward to 2026, and Utah has increasing influence in national and international aerospace and defense, with countless brilliant women at the helm. From serving in military intelligence to producing fuel on Mars, these Utah women have had careers that have taken them, or their technologies, quite literally to the stars.

We asked about their journeys, their proudest contributions and how they hope to inspire the next generation of women.

Women to Watch 2026

“I was originally drawn to aerospace and defense through my Army service. … I experienced firsthand how much quality, reliability and performance matter when people’s lives and missions depend on equipment working exactly as intended. That perspective stayed with me and ultimately pushed me toward building technologies that operators can trust. … Many innovations originally developed for defense applications eventually shape industries and everyday life far beyond their initial purpose.

“We need to bring women into the action earlier and give them more direct exposure to the mission, technology and problem-solving that define this industry. … The more we connect students with mentors, real engineering challenges, internships and leadership opportunities, the more we will build a generation of women who see themselves not only participating in this industry but also shaping its future and the broader advancement of science and technology.”

Caroline Chapdelaine

Co-Founder & CEO | Northstar Photonics

Caroline Chapdelaine is the co-founder and CEO of Northstar Photonics, a manufacturer of advanced optical equipment for aerospace and defense. In addition to receiving an MBA, she served as a U.S. Army Military Intelligence officer, leading combat and intelligence missions including assignments in Korea, Thailand and Afghanistan.

“A childhood fascination with the space program drove me to study mechanical engineering, where I was captivated by the sheer complexity and diversity of aerospace challenges. … I remain incredibly energized by collaborating with over 500 innovative organizations to redefine the art of the possible and solve the next generation of problem sets.

“The most critical step [to inspire and prepare the next generation of women] is actively demonstrating the real-world impact and deep sense of purpose a career in aerospace and defense offers. Aerospace and defense work is done best through strong teams, and we must make it clear that their unique perspectives and talents are not just welcome but absolutely critical to developing the best possible solutions for our most complex, evolving challenges.”

Misty Dawson | CTO | ARM Institute

Misty Dawson is CTO of the ARM Institute (Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing). She has led the successful delivery of complex solutions for flight hardware, precision optics and simulation products across fast jet, rotary, space and fixed-wing platforms, serving top-tier defense contractors and commercial airlines worldwide.

“I’m most proud of my contributions towards developing our company’s culture of continuous improvement. I’ve helped support the efficient production of reliable products used in critical aerospace and defense applications. What keeps me excited today is knowing that continuous improvement efforts directly contribute to product quality, mission success and the advancement of technologies that have a real-world impact.

“To inspire the next generation of women to enter this industry, young women need opportunities to see themselves in technical and leadership roles through mentorship, hands-on STEM experiences and direct connections with women already succeeding in aerospace and defense.”

Jessica Lohse | Lean Six Sigma Leader | Nammo Composite Solutions

Jessica Lohse is a Lean Six Sigma Leader at Nammo Composite Solutions. She uses the knowledge gained through her Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification to drive process improvement, focusing on data-driven decision-making to enhance efficiency. Joining as a process engineer in 2017, Lohse is a catalyst for data-driven improvements and was recognized among Utah’s prominent women in advanced manufacturing.

“My proudest contribution is one still in progress, … a NASA-funded follow-on to the MOXIE experiment. … Our new project … [produces] propellant — oxygen and methane — from the Martian atmosphere itself so that future astronauts have the fuel they need to return home.

“Young women might self-select out of industries like clean energy, aerospace and defense because they never see themselves reflected in the room — not just in the engineers, but in the people running programs, writing proposals, managing partnerships and shaping strategy. The message they receive, often unintentionally, is that you have to be technical to belong. … I don’t come from a technical background, and I work on some of the most advanced electrochemical and synthetic fuel systems in the country.

“The idea that a small team in North Salt Lake, Utah, is contributing to the infrastructure of interplanetary exploration is something I find genuinely thrilling, and I don’t think that feeling will ever get old.”

— Emily Pilstl | Director, Project Management | OxEon Energy

Emily Pilstl is the director of project management at OxEon Energy, an advanced technology and equipment manufacturing company that produces solutions for sustainable synthetic fuels. She leads the execution of cutting-edge projects in sustainable aviation fuel production and solid oxide electrolysis for space applications.

Steven Doolan is the president of the Americas division for Salomon, a heritage sports brand known for its shoes, apparel and gear. Founded in the French Alps in 1947 and now with customers worldwide, the company runs its Americas operations from Ogden, Utah.

Christoph Gorder: Travel essentials for doing good

Since taking the helm in 2023, the job regularly keeps Doolan traveling across the globe. Regardless of where he finds himself working — from his office, hotel or home — Doolan has intentionally crafted rhythms and routines that keep him grounded, regardless of the time zone. It is a life that requires consistency and personal discipline.

“I’m actually a person of ritual,” Doolan says. “Over the course of the next two weeks, I will be in Mexico City, Berlin, Miami and New York. Travel is the thing that happens all the time, but there are certain things that I do really religiously.”

The role requires a balance between quiet moments of contemplation and jetting off to corporate boardrooms. Maintaining this balance requires a thematic element of ritual, which allows Doolan to “recover, recharge and be present.”

A hearty breakfast

“I always make 45 minutes to an hour in the morning for breakfast. If I’m traveling, it’s simply in a hotel, and I’ll take the time to sit down and reflect on the day. If I’m at home, I make breakfast from scratch. … I think the process of getting up and making an omelet or making a burrito or just getting the day going, … having the opportunity to look at the calendar and think about what’s going to go on over the course of the day, is grounding in some ways.”

Take a nap

“One of the other things I actually do quite a bit is nap — 10 to 12 minutes is the limit. With a day like today, I won’t get one until the end of the day. [As soon as] I get home at 5:30 or 6, I’ll lie down and put my phone on silent. Usually, before the 10 minutes, I wake up, and I feel instantaneously refreshed. … During the day, it’s really hard. If I’m working from home, it’s actually quite easy.”

Get outside

“When I get the opportunity, [I try] getting outside. And even if it’s walking around the block or taking 20 minutes to walk a mile. Jet lag is a real thing that … I have tried all sorts of tricks. But sun on your face goes a long way. I don’t know if it’s connecting with nature or maybe there’s a momentary digital detox component. But having your phone in your pocket — not in your hands and not in front of your face — and walking along and seeing what’s out there has real value.”

Consistent bedtime

“Get to bed at the same time, if at all possible. I’ve realized, maybe it’s a reflection of aging, the value of seven or eight hours of sleep is critical in terms of being present, at least for me. I think there’s also a component of defense, whether it’s getting sick or getting run down. … At 8:15 p.m., my phone tells me it is time to start winding down, and at 9, my phone goes to sleep mode. It’s easy to miss, right? You get six, seven, eight nights in a row, … then you’re out with a team, you’re traveling, you land late or you’re out with clients. And the next thing you know, it’s 11:30 p.m. when you get back to your hotel or you’re getting home and you go to bed. Giving yourself grace that it’s OK, and just getting back into the rhythm immediately is the key piece there.”

Salomon Aero Glide 4 GRVL shoes

“When you’re traveling, you try to travel light, but one of the challenges is shoes take up space. The pair of shoes that has the most consistency in the rotation for me is our Aero Glide 4 GRVL. As cheesy as this may sound, it has the functionality of being able to run in New York City down a concrete sidewalk or … go and trail run in the same pair of cushioned shoes with our proprietary quick-lace system. The shoes are just amazing. They’re super comfortable. And that is the go-to shoe for travel for me today.”

Life partners as business partners

Managing work-life balance is difficult for anyone, but when your business partner is also your life partner, the lines become far more blurry and the off-switch nonexistent.

Across Utah, power couples are redefining what it means to have shared aspirations.

A texture problem only magic can solve

Jason and Meradith Christensen, co-founders of Blue Unicorn, produce the “unicorn” of protein bars with a mix of culinary art and protein chemistry. Their mission is simple but ambitious: create plant-based, allergen-friendly nutrition that tastes as good as it performs.

Traci Edwards and Bill Young are the photography team behind Adventure and Vow, which specializes in outdoor-centric elopement weddings from the rugged landscapes of southern Utah to the glaciers of Alaska and beyond.

Crista and Matt Vance are the leaders behind Mobrium, an employer reputation platform that improves public ratings, supercharges employer branding and maintains a competitive edge in recruiting and retention. Crista and Matt work together not only as co-founders but also as co-hosts of The Culture Profit Podcast.

How do you handle the transition from business partners to life partners at the end of the day, or do you embrace the idea that the two roles are blurred?

Blue Unicorn — Meradith: Lines are so blurred they’re nonexistent! We go to bed at night talking about our kids and Blue Unicorn and everything in between. Sometimes I wake up at 3 a.m., and I can tell he’s awake too, so I try to strike up a conversation. He pretends to be asleep because, as it turns out, that helps you actually go back to sleep.

Adventure and Vow — Traci: This is one we’ve been getting a lot better at and working consciously on. Our business is built on our passion for photography, and because it’s not only our work but also our art, learning how to put boundaries around that has been challenging. So we’ll go with the two roles are blurred currently, but working on defining a line somewhere.

Mobrium — Crista: At one point, we attempted to create boundaries like, “No talking about business-related things after 10 p.m.” We soon realized that it made more sense to take it case by case. Sometimes we have an epiphany and need to talk about it in that moment. Sometimes, one of us is too exhausted to talk business. We give and take, and are considerate of each other’s urgency and fatigue.

When you’re at a stalemate on a business decision, how do you break the tie?

Blue Unicorn — Meradith: One bonus of marrying your polar opposite is that we have very separate strengths and stewardships in our company, much like we do in our personal lives. So honestly, there isn’t much we butt heads about in the company. … We probably hit stalemate more at home because parenthood is a shared stewardship — and no joke.

Adventure and Vow — Traci: This has developed over the years. I started the business, so at the beginning, it was 100% me leading the way. With Bill stepping into more roles as we’ve grown, it’s become a creative process of putting our ideas out there and having them critiqued when and where needed in order to find the way forward.

Mobrium — Matt: Some decisions are significant enough to justify a deeper conversation. Other smaller decisions are not. We trust each other for decisions within our respective lanes of responsibility. On big issues, we care enough to disagree and seek to fully understand the other’s perspective. … This system works well for us.

What’s one thing your partner is amazing at that makes the business better?

Blue Unicorn — Meradith: Jason takes follow-through more literally than anyone on planet earth and blows zero smoke. So, if he says he’s going to do something, he’s going to do it, come hell or high water. This is just who he is at the core. … I think people can immediately sense his dependability and steadiness, which is an attribute that can’t be overstated.

Adventure and Vow — Bill: Traci is amazing at photography and reading people. Few people have her list of photography awards. Traci: Bill is strong with strategic thinking and seeing the bigger picture. His analytics and my artistic eye blend together for a really productive combination.

Mobrium — Crista: Matt always errs to the side of generosity … for our employees, clients and is quick to donate to our charitable efforts, even when we weren’t profitable yet. Matt: Crista is very rational and grounded. When I’m riding the rollercoaster of startup emotions, she stays focused on the long game and sees the bigger picture. Her presence keeps me balanced.

What is the best part of being business partners?

Blue Unicorn — Jason: The responsibility for everything and everybody within a growing company has often felt lonely and burdensome in the past. It is comforting to have someone to share that burden with. The best part is sharing in the process of creation — starting with a shared vision and working together to manifest it into something real and tangible that positively affects other lives.

Adventure and Vow — Traci: We get to travel to amazing places and spend all of our time together. For some people, that would be a lot, but we’ve lived in tiny vans … and still spend most of our year in a 20-foot trailer. Our job has brought us onto glaciers in Alaska, the Swiss Alps and this summer, the Dolomites of Italy. … We really love each other, so we’re grateful to spend so much meaningful time together.

Mobrium — Crista: Winning and losing as a team. His wins are mine, and mine are his. We support each other, lift each other when we’re struggling and talk openly about how we’re feeling without there being a disconnect. … It is so fulfilling to have shared goals and vision in everything we do.

Women to Watch 2026: Crista Vance

Last month, Utah Business hosted a roundtable conversation sponsored by Parakeet Risk and moderated by Johnny Ferry, the CEO and president of the Utah Manufacturers Association. The roundtable discussed the current state of the manufacturing industry in Utah.

Roundtable: Why construction offers a promising future in Utah

What’s top of mind for you right now, in both your company and the current manufacturing environment?

Dan Fermon | COO | Torus

In terms of using an international supply versus a domestic supply, there could be benefits with low-cost wages in other countries versus what we have here. But there are geopolitical risks. There’s the activity regarding tariffs. There are longer lead times associated with procuring goods for our products to be made. That’s the challenge. The good news is when you find the right talent locally, you can be so much more effective at that.

Danielle Zeiler | Plant Leader | Owens Corning

Cost pressure is [top of mind] for us. We supply the residential homebuilding industry. Homes are already extremely expensive, so we’re facing a lot of pressure. We actually get most of our raw materials from the local region, but even they are facing stricter regulations for processing and mining. We convert sand and stone into insulation, so as those regulations increase and costs increase on their end, we’re feeling that.

Art Santana | Operations Manager | Paramount Machine

We are the busiest I have ever seen a manufacturing machine shop in my life. … Who’s going to be building all these flying taxis that the governor is bringing? Who’s going to be making all the mini nuclear reactors? … We can make a little bit of that, but we cannot make more. It’s just too many.

What is the current state of the manufacturing workforce pipeline, and what is your company doing to improve employee retention?

Troy Asberry | COO | Lion Energy

Our group is young, but they are a group that hits the clock at 7:30 a.m., and when that bell rings at four o’clock, they’re running out. It’s the mature group that stays longer, whose work ethic and attention to detail are spot on. For young people, you have to tell them, “Don’t bring your phone on the floor. It’s a distraction. [We] don’t want you to get hurt.” And as soon as they get a chance, … they’re trying to get to their phone.

Art Santana | Operations Manager | Paramount Machine

We gave up trying to [stop phone usage on the shop floor], because people will quit or not come back to work. As long as they don’t abuse it, they can use their phones on the floor. That has worked for us because people continue to come and work. … [If] you fire somebody, there’s nobody to replace them with, especially on our end. So we’ve got to work with it. Hopefully, they get better at it, but it’s not getting any better.

Kari Kovar | CEO & President | Cottonwood Millwork + Cabinets

We have a truly multigenerational workforce. When I got here, I had a gentleman who was 80 years old who worked part time. … What we’ve tried to be really intentional about is putting training in place, which is really hard when you’ve got an old guard that doesn’t want to give that information out because somehow they might not be relevant. You have to create that level of trust and have them be part of the process, … having our more tenured employees teach our younger folks. The beautiful thing that has happened is we have also had reverse mentorship; [the younger generation] is now training and coaching the 50, 60 and 70 year olds.

Philip Bollam | Plant Director | Swire Coca-Cola

We offer a very inclusive work environment. It really comes down to work-life balance, and that’s going to mean something different for every employee. … They’re humans, they’re people first, they have families, they have lives and there are a lot of things outside of our control that we need to support them with. And really, the team likes to win. We want to create an environment of winning, especially for those technical folks. Because they’re the ones who put the cape on every day and get the plant up and running.

Danielle Zeiler | Plant Leader | Owens Corning

The biggest thing I hear from my employees is safety. Unfortunately, a lot of our employees have come from employers … where [they’ve been] either burned, electrocuted or some other injury. … It feels like table stakes for a lot of us to be providing a safe workplace for our employees, but don’t take it for granted. Even though some of our guys are coming off the fields, coming off the mines, they’re like, “I have to wear gloves to do this?” … Once people get into that culture and realize we truly want them to go home in the same condition they came in, that has helped us stand apart in central Utah.

For frontline workers, mid-level workers and your managers, how are you bridging generational gaps and communication?

Jamie Lewandoski | Director, Supply Chain | Minky Couture

I’ve noticed we have some younger managers, and they don’t have the skills to talk to other people and lead. We do micro-leadership meetings like, “How would you handle this situation? What would be the best option?” We talk about it in a group so we can figure that out because honestly, [you will eventually need] to talk to someone about something that you don’t want to talk to them about. It’s difficult. And a lot of times, they don’t have those managing skills.

Tyler Ploeger | Chief Strategy Officer | HydroBlok

I think [having workers] two generations apart creates massive conflict because the old guard says, “Just do it,” and the young people say, “Why?” … You almost have to shrink the gap with a person in between. Instead of asking these guys to come down two generations, you have to find somebody who can, I hate to say, play referee between those two generations.

Kari Kovar | CEO & President | Cottonwood Millwork + Cabinets

Two weeks ago, we took all of our managers and leads and we had them offsite at UMA. They did a day and a half [training], and it was everything from leadership styles to personality traits to emotional intelligence and critical conversations. … I told [our employees], “I want you to do this training because I believe it will help you not only professionally, but personally, with your wives, kids, significant others, community, whatever the case may be.” Every one of them came back and said, “That is so true.” [One employee] got teary-eyed and said it was life-changing because he now knows some of the ways he shows up isn’t necessarily helping his team, but he now has a new point of view and perspective that he can use, which is pretty awesome.

Dan Fermon | COO | Torus

We have what’s called 100-day demo days, where each group has their top projects, and they’re typically cross-functional teams. You’ve got a wide variety of teammates that are involved. … These are the things that the business is focused on that’s going to help us achieve our objectives for the year, but breaking them down into chunks of roughly every three months.

In what ways are you integrating automation and AI into your manufacturing shop floors and elsewhere?

Troy Asberry | COO | Lion Energy

Our new stuff is all over-the-air updates, … and we’re all used to it, because if you have an Apple product or an Android product, they’re pushing stuff to you. … A lady called and said, “Hey, when I use a Vitamix, my lights flicker.” What do we do? We go out and buy a Vitamix and say, “Oh yeah, it does flicker.” We made a firmware update and sent it out. Now nobody has that problem anymore. For us, it’s the ability to look in and see what our batteries are doing. If we can fix that with a firmware update, that’s exactly what we’re doing. We’re not rolling the truck out to you. We’re not asking you to return it. That old school way of doing business is done. If you have hardware you’re sending out, you have to have an LCD screen and over-the-air updates. If you are not moving toward that technology, you will not be in business long.

Philip Bollam | Plant Director | Swire Coca-Cola

I think there are a lot of folks who are scared of AI and automation, [that] it’s going to take our jobs. We’re looking at it as a tool for our frontline teammates. Whether that’s analyzing our safety data and coming up with safety plans based off of that, or even downtime prediction we’re rolling out to make our teammates’ lives more efficient. We’re leveraging it to make our teammates’ lives easier and safer.

Jamie Lewandoski | Director, Supply Chain | Minky Couture

We’ve hired [an AI] systems integrator because we had 20 different systems that 20 different people were using. We brought in someone who actually analyzes our systems and is creating AI with that, with predictability on ordering, using our KPIs, fine-tuning so that we’re getting visible boards up for our employees to see.

What are the biggest risks in your manufacturing operation, and how are you managing them?

Danielle Zeiler | Plant Leader | Owens Corning

We melt sand and make glass. I think it was 2021 when a massive power outage took out half the state. If our melters don’t have electricity, they solidify, and glass is this magical product that, when it’s solid, it insulates. When it’s liquid, it conducts. We were without power for 16 hours and were within about 45 minutes of losing our melters. … We would have lost at least $16-20 million. People wouldn’t have had their jobs for 18 months. Energy reliability is a huge issue for us to the point where I was on the phone with Sen. Owens saying, “You need to figure out how to power your state, or we’re taking our business elsewhere.” … What has been reassuring is the state is taking the energy grid very seriously. We now have three grids that feed the Nephi line versus the one that was taken out.

Clint Murray | President | Prime Machine

For us, the risk of health insurance continues to increase at 18%, 21%, 25%. I made the decision three years ago to go to a captive [insurance] where we’re taking the majority of that risk as a company, and then we’re trying to manage that risk. We’ve gone to captive insurance on our healthcare, our general liability, our automotive and we’ve done it under workers’ comp, because I can manage that risk at 8%, 9% of annual increase versus the 15 to 25% that the big insurance carriers are trying to pass on right now.

Tyler Ploeger | Chief Strategy Officer | HydroBlok

You have to go outside the state for a lot of the money because private equity venture firms all want to be in three-, five-year exits, which manufacturing companies are generally not; they’re a lot longer tails. There is a bit of that risk for us to figure out when the right time is to build another plant. I look at … how much do we have to automate? I have risks tangential with people, and if I can avoid people, the risk profile goes down. If it costs us $100 million or $50 million to build a plant, when is the right time to deploy that capital? Where and what is the constraint on the growth curve with building products and other things to understand that?

How do you manage growth and capacity planning, particularly when deciding where to expand your operations or build new facilities?

Michael Simons | VP, Manufacturing | Bullfrog Spas

The hardest thing for us is our competition has gone to low-cost countries. Most of the big spa hot tub manufacturers are manufacturing in Mexico or China, and other places, and that’s where our competition is. With tariffs, it’s easier to import into Mexico, add some value to it and get it … tariff-free than me paying a 15% tariff on a raw material. There are a lot of difficulties that we have compared to our competition, which is penalizing us. Not just labor.

Clint Murray | President | Prime Machine

We’re located in the Granary District, so we are downtown. It’s good for the workforce. People like to come into Salt Lake, but the restrictions ... I’m getting letters from Salt Lake City saying, “How are you retaining your water? What are you doing about your waste?” They’re asking a lot of different questions that they’ve never asked before. It’s becoming more difficult to operate downtown.

If you could change one thing today in manufacturing to improve it for the next decade, what would it be?

Tyler Ploeger | Chief Strategy | OfficerHydroBlok

How do we make every manufacturing company become the next SpaceX, where everyone wants to create the next SpaceX? How do we make [the next] generation of kids believe that creating a manufacturing company is just as sexy as a software company that can grow at 10x year over year? To me, that comes with a shift in policy with private equity, the funding of companies and the exit strategies. It’s a little bit tangential to where money flow is going to be, but because we have more predictable cash flows than most software companies now, I believe it will become the new industry of choice.

Greg Robbins | Sales & Customer Service Manager | Lion Energy

I’d say local and federal incentives on domestic manufacturing, rather than trying to go for the cheapest thing, let’s outsource it. It’s incentivized with the younger generation, but also increases cash flow to build here and source here.

Troy Asberry | COO | Lion Energy

I don’t want us to turn our back on globalization. We have to think and act locally, but we want to be global. We don’t want to be isolationists. There’s a big world out here, there are big parts of this world that we can all benefit from, and we have to understand what parts of the supply chain and manufacturing process we do well and what things we don’t do well. I want us to continue to look at the globe, but we do have to take care of home and think local as well.

Philip Bollam | Plant Director | Swire Coca-Cola

All manufacturing companies should be good stewards toward their communities and the environment. It shouldn’t be dictated by the states or the local government, or the federal government to do the right thing. Over the next 10 years, I’d like to see more companies do the right thing when it comes to the usage of water, how we manage our labor and the other raw materials we are using to make products.

Jowanza Joseph | Founder & CEO | Parakeet Risk

Energy abundance will be key to having a strong future of manufacturing, also transportation infrastructure. Those are some of the biggest barriers to building, and especially getting started building. Hopefully, in the future, our electrical bill is 10 cents.

Roundtable: Benefits and compensation in the age of AI and a changing workforce

At the Trucordia headquarters in Lindon, moderator Heidi Barnett kicked off the conversation, saying that from her experience, compensation and benefits used to be more of an administrative function. “But I feel like more and more, it’s becoming a strategic function,” she says. “Nearly half of employers say that compensation is their top HR concern right now. At the same time, employee expectations are evolving. That’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to talk about it today.”

Roundtable: Lessons and advice from experts on achieving sales and marketing synergy

What innovative benefits or perks are you implementing to stay competitive in today’s talent market?

Thien Nguyen | CRO | IsoTalent

In a previous life, I was a VP of people ops. Part of our benefits package, I think it’s a big dynamic in your benefits package, you have to tie two things together: culture and people’s lives. … What we did was provide a “Love Work, Live Life” benefit. … That new car, that housekeeper, the dinner on Friday nights, all that was provided through our Love Work, Live Life benefit.

Jeff Wright | Total Rewards Sr. Director | Weave

One of the things that we started offering a few years ago was professional development. A lot of the companies we had talked to where I’d worked in the past, [we’d tell them], “Hey, we’re going to do tuition reimbursement or student loan repayment.” But we got feedback from our employees that were like, “I’m not in that stage of life anymore. That doesn’t benefit me.” They wanted access to professional-level [benefits] where they could attend conferences, different trainings and classes so they could use it for tuition.

Drew Shaw | Business Performance Advisor | Insperity

Know your employee base and what their needs are. … One thing we offer is education assistance. At the same time, caregiver assistance has really been popular. And then adoption and fertility assistance, if that’s the kind of stage of people that we have with the company. People want choice, if you can afford it; the more choices that cater to your people, that creates retention.

Ann Johnson | VP, People & Culture | Joyce University

When we were all in one location, we were known for our perks like massages, gym memberships, donuts and all the things that you can only get while being together. … So, we have a wellness scholarship that our full-time remote employees can apply for. It’s a way for them to pay for their own perks. … That has really helped us make our remote employees feel more a part [of the team]. … We have a leadership academy that’s open to everyone in the organization … and [we’ve] adopted the philosophy that everyone is a leader and has influence. It doesn’t matter if you’re the brand-new receptionist or a vice president on the senior leadership team; anyone can be a leader.

What role is AI and automation playing in your compensation management and benefits administration?

David Alsop | CHRO | Ultradent Products Inc.

One of the biggest challenges we’re having isn’t trying to stay at the cutting edge of the AI space; we’re trying to stay behind the lawsuit stage of it. … One of the things I really encourage my HR team to do is to be always at the top edge of AI and the tools that we’re creating to be able to hold the hands of our employees to get there, and not necessarily just hand it off to them and put them in a space where they revolt against it. … We’re playing a middle ground role to help bridge that gap to get people there so we don’t leave them behind.

Debra Fiori | Chief People Officer | PROG Holdings Inc.

We created [an AI assistant called] Piper. … Tech is building onto Piper, but HR was the first. I’m really proud of that in our company. They’re going to have ticketed service for basic tech questions and connect to Confluence so that it can respond to password resets. … It’s also allowed me to repurpose talent in the function to other higher-value work.

How are you addressing pay equity concerns within your organization? Is there anything that you are doing to make this feel equitable and to earn the trust of your employees?

David Alsop | CHRO | Ultradent Products Inc.

We moved away from merit increases, and we call it a pay assessment. … We’re seeing our employees and our managers stop complaining and comparing about, “Why didn’t I get an increase?”, to more of a conversation of, “Am I being paid appropriately?” With that, there’s only a certain amount of budget that they get, and they have to manage that. With that, we call it a pie. If you pay someone too much in the pie, you can’t get other people to be equitable in that pie.

Alison Pickett | Chief People Officer | Kenect

As a woman in Utah, … don’t say pay equity matters in your business if it doesn’t, because there are women who are looking. You have women throughout your business. You have other women leaders. Oftentimes, they’re in your HR department. … If you’re not there, it’s OK to talk about and that you’re working towards it.

What mental health and wellness benefits are proving most impactful for your workforce?

Ann Johnson | VP, People & Culture | Joyce University

One of the most important things that we do is robust manager training on mental health. … The person who’s “quiet cracking,” they can recognize that before anyone else. [We’re] helping our managers learn how to live into the values, how to recognize signs when something’s wrong. … You’re not managing tasks. A lot of times, you’re managing emotions. You’re managing the people who are doing the tasks.

Jake Oyler | VP, Benefits | Larry H. Miller Company

As of January, we have a health center at the Larry H. Miller Company. … What they’ve said so far is on average, they see about 10% uptake on month one, and then that goes to 20% to 30% month over month. We’re at month two, and we’re at 65% capacity.

Scott Allen | SVP, HR | MetaSource

I push hard, probably harder than most, to create transparency between my team and our broker to make sure that what we know is happening, in terms of a care need, is actually closed by care delivered. For me and my team, that’s what we’re trying to make sure that we’re bringing — as close to a one-to-one relationship as possible. We realize that some people may say, “Hey, I now know I have the safety net, but I haven’t needed to use it yet.” But what’s worse is we know that there’s a need that’s not being met from a care perspective.

What metrics are you using to measure the effectiveness of your compensation and your benefits programs?

David Alsop | CHRO | Ultradent Products Inc.

Our executive team has dashboards that are reviewed every week. And for HR, we’ve got a responsibility for profit per employee, gross sales per employee, our EMPS score and then our retention. Those blend together for accountability downward, because, this is going to sound like I don’t have great culture because of my style of HR, but I believe my job is to help the company deliver the best results, profitability and sales-wise, for the least amount of cost. Those measures help us understand and hold ourselves accountable to, “Are we growing sales faster than we’re growing people costs?”

Debra Fiori | Chief People Officer | PROG Holdings Inc.

Our workforce is changing really fast with AI. … it’s a new metric that we all have to start paying attention to in our roles … because [AI is] impacting our workforce more than anything else. …Our workforce is changing. It scares me that I don’t even know how fast it’s happening. I believe that we should be on the front of it; our function is absolutely on the front of it, partnering with tech.

What retention strategies involving compensation and benefits have been most successful?

Jared Olsen | Chief People Officer | JobNimbus

Proactively going to your top performers and giving them money before they even ask. … You can’t wait for them to come to you because then you’re just going to be in a bidding war and as soon as somebody verbalizes, “I’ve taken another offer,” or “I’m considering this offer,” they never get that out of their heads. … I don’t think it has to come through the form of just base salary. It can be, “This project you did was so good. Here’s a one-time bonus.”

Thien Nguyen | CRO | IsoTalent

Our average employee life cycle was roughly two years and four months. The first six months are generally good. People are generally content. The last six months are generally when people gripe the most; they want out. Finding the compensation point that was important to us to solve was roughly before the year mark. If we waited for the year mark, employees felt entitled to ask for a pay increase because it’s an event, it’s a milestone; but [since] we did it before the year, we were seen as proactive.

How is your organization leveraging AI to enhance your recruitment processes, and what impact has it had on your candidate selection?

Alison Pickett | Chief People Officer | Kenect

I’ve got a good friend who runs HR for a tech company in San Francisco, and they tried to adopt the AI screener and people just refused. They were like, “You want me to what? No, if you can’t bother showing up for the interview, I don’t want to participate.” They had varying degrees of who would show up and participate and who wouldn’t, and so they ended up scrapping it.

Brian Oscarson | VP, Global Head of Human Resources | ZAGG

One thing I’ve seen where it can be pretty effective is if you have [someone] perfect on paper, people can identify that, and AI agents can dial that in, but how do you find those skills that aren’t obvious on paper? … Look at LinkedIn recruiters with their AI agent. As you dial it in, it can do some of those things that are cool, where you can save a lot of time. The first time I tried it, I hated it because it’s just dumping everybody in because I didn’t have it dialed in.

What are the biggest challenges you’re facing with integrating AI technologies into existing HR systems?

Alison Pickett | Chief People Officer | Kenect

Our premier product is an AI product. We’re finding that there is this AI FOMO where people quickly adopt AI, but don’t know how to utilize it within their ecosystem, so they quickly back out. … It’s so hard right now to know if you’re spending ROI dollars in something that’s actually going to help move the needle.

Scott Betts | VP | DMBA

In HR, we deal not just with FOMO, but the fear of messing up. … The difficulty we’re dealing with is taking all of the knowledge base that we have as we train new staff who do benefits support, and to get that out of a system into a new system that AI can actually do well in, and then put the guardrails on so that we can use the effective value of what AI can do, but not create lawsuits at the same time.

What are the most requested flexible work arrangements, and how are you adjusting compensation to accommodate these preferences?

David Alsop | CHRO | Ultradent Products Inc.

As we’ve been talking about remote work and the challenges with it, we’re an on-site workforce, obviously because of manufacturing, but most of our workforce is not manufacturing-based. We went through that challenge coming back from the pandemic. … We had to help people understand that if you show up and you honor, respect and work with us, you’d be amazed how flexible we are. … So much of [what’s talked about with] flexibility is about being remote, and that’s not what flexibility truly is.

Ann Johnson | VP, People & Culture | Joyce University

We have flexible PTO. … It used to be knock-down, drag-out fights in December. … I’ll hear my team talking, “I want to be gone this day. Are you here that day?” Or, “I got Thanksgiving, you take Christmas.” And it’s been an amazing change for our culture. It’s worked. We are finding that flexibility is the number one factor that our employees say drives their retention.

Advancing mental health research: The impact of Utah’s upcoming Translational Research Building