CEO of the Year 2023
Each year, we celebrate Utah’s most accomplished professionals—the CEOs who have led their organizations with strength, courage and endurance and have made it their mission to change the way we do business in Utah. Congratulations to this year’s honorees.
Andrea Mazzocchi
Co-Founder & CEO | Known Medicine
What is the most rewarding thing about your job/industry? Why?
Almost everyone I speak to has been affected by cancer in some way: as a caregiver, family member, friend or patient. We have a tremendous community behind us in our mission to find the right drug for every cancer patient. I get to work with brilliant scientists, physicians and patients united by the common belief that what we have right now is not good enough.
What does success look like to you?
Being able to see the impact of my work on patients’ lives. While working on my Ph.D., I was able to see so much potential in organoid technology, but I knew that my work would not be able to translate to better drugs for patients in an academic setting. That frustration led me to start Known Medicine.
Brandon Floyd
CEO | Rubicon
What is your go-to business strategy? Why?
Attitude + Effort > Skill, confirm their “why,” and influence for good. I find myself focusing around assessing individuals “why” as it relates to their attitude along with their observable effort. I’ve consistently found that these team members are the ones creating more value than their counterparts.
What does success look like to you?
Going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm. It’s inspiring to observe others’ personal drive, ability to maintain momentum and focus as they push towards their goals, and it is human nature to compare to others. Maturity allows each of us to remain grateful, motivated and driven to continue enjoying the process (including the down moments) and the relationships we make along the way.
Brandon Newman
Founder & CEO | Xevant
What advice do you have for your younger self?
First, it’s OK to be vulnerable and not have all the answers. Your team, board and even your customers do not expect you to have perfected the role of CEO. They want you to be you. They want you to laugh at yourself and admit you have flaws and make mistakes. They want you to be real and authentic while doing your best to learn from your mistakes and remain committed to progress. Second, people are all that matter. All the products, systems, software and solutions combined pale in comparison to the “power of we.” By empowering and trusting your people to create and execute a plan, your business will take on an unquantifiable power that achieves exponentially more than you could ever imagine on your own.
If you weren’t a CEO, what would you do?
The only role that is more challenging, time-consuming, gut-wrenching and impossible to perfect is the role of dad. If I weren’t a CEO, I would pour every second into my wife and five kids. Nothing is more rewarding than raising five kids, from diapers to wedding rings, with all the challenges of human development, self-discovery and eventual independence. Our family motto is “suck less,” which works well for us when heckling wakesurfing kids from the helm of the boat, but it sets the tone in our home that it is ok to suck at things (even if we try to suck just a little less).
Brett Barlow
CEO | Everee
What is the most rewarding thing about your job/industry? Why?
I love building businesses and products that disrupt the status quo. It’s a fast-paced and challenging environment. We’ve been able to hire great people that believe in our mission, which is to pay people as soon as they earn their wages, which can change our customers’ lives for the better.
What advice do you have for your younger self?
Find something that you love, then figure out a way to make a living doing that. If you love what you do, it doesn’t feel like work. Surround yourself with people that think differently than you and seek out mentors. I feel that most people are generous with their time and are willing to share lessons they’ve learned. Treat people with kindness and don’t be a jerk. It just makes the world a better place.
Chip Childs
President & CEO | SkyWest, Inc.
What is the most rewarding thing about your job/industry? Why?
Simplifying the chaotic world to focus on the top five most important things. If you do the five most important things exceptionally well, most of the other things resolve themselves or disappear.
If you weren’t a CEO, what would you do?
I think I’d enjoy working as an environmental economist. Despite what the world would like to think, the two words are not mutually exclusive. I’d love to secure real-world, valid solutions to climate impact.
Chris Gibson
Co-Founder & CEO | Recursion
What is the most rewarding thing about your job/industry? Why?
The potential to positively and radically impact the lives of patients and their families by creating transformative new medicines or treatments. Biology is complex. Making progress requires working with incredibly bright Recursionauts across many different fields and areas of expertise, which is also extremely rewarding.
What does success look like to you?
Radically improving the lives of as many people as possible through our work.
Davis Smith
Founder & CEO | Cotopaxi
What is your go-to business strategy? Why?
Do good first and foremost. People want to be part of great causes and noble ideas. They will join your team, and they will support your business when they believe in you and your mission.
What challenges have you overcome to get here today?
A failed business before Cotopaxi, a failed partnership in my previous business and dealing with lots of rejection in the early days of Cotopaxi.
Eric O. Leavitt
Executive Chairman & CEO | Leavitt Group
What is the most rewarding thing about your job/industry? Why?
I work with great people who are devoted to serving stakeholders. I love our industry because it is built around the value proposition of protecting precious assets and serving others in their most vulnerable time.
What advice do you have for your younger self?
When you make pleasing others the highest priority, even when doing so is against your and their interests, you won’t ultimately please them.
Jared Perry
President & CEO | Make-A-Wish Utah
What is the most rewarding thing about your job/industry? Why?
I’m fortunate to work with talented staff, board members, volunteers and generous donors that tend to be very altruistic. We believe we can change the world through our wish-granting mission. Working collaboratively with these individuals is by far my most professionally rewarding experience. It’s amazing what we accomplish when we all come together to support critically ill children.
Who inspires you most? Why?
The children we support truly have the most inspirational stories. The obstacles and challenges these children and their families encounter daily seem insurmountable, and yet, they face them with courage and determination. The reality of their situations motivates us to stretch ourselves to grow our revenue and program support. It prompts us to think and act entrepreneurially while establishing a sense of urgency behind our mission.
Kiva Allgood
President & CEO | Sarcos
What is the most rewarding thing about your job/industry? Why?
The brilliant minds I get to learn from every day. At Sarcos, our mission is to improve worker safety and productivity through robotics. This is certainly no small feat, but we have a team of pioneers both here at our Salt Lake City headquarters and in our Pittsburgh office. We are quite literally bringing the workforce of the future to life when our robotic solutions are powered up. Robotics is a team sport. It requires every engineering discipline, which means it is highly collaborative, iterative and fast-paced.
What challenges have you overcome to get here today?
From a young age, I have been passionate about science, engineering and technology. I am dyslexic, so my early education journey was tough, but I fell in love with anything hands-on where I could test a hypothesis and then apply learning. I also learned the importance of perseverance and always advocating for my differences and needs. This has been a foundational component of my success, especially in high-tech, where I have often been the only woman in the room. I’m told that being comfortable in uncomfortable situations is one of my superpowers.
Photographed by Alex Bartok
Jeff Hudson
CEO | Venafi
What is the most rewarding thing about your job/industry? Why?
We are at the epicenter of cybersecurity. Machines are what is transforming our world digitally today, and machine identities are at the heart of security and privacy for this digitally transformed world. It’s our job to do this for the world.
What challenges have you overcome to get here today?
We saw a problem before anyone else did, and we created a new technology—and an entire category—to solve that problem. The hardest thing, however, was having tens of thousands of people tell us over many years that it wasn’t going to work.
Julie Castle
CEO | Best Friends Animal Society
What is the most rewarding thing about your job/industry? Why?
We face many problems as a society. While most of them will not be fixed in my lifetime, ending the killing of healthy dogs and cats in our nation’s shelters is something that we can and will accomplish. I find that incredibly rewarding and working together with thousands of people across the country in the name of lifesaving makes it even better. Best Friends gets so many letters and emails from people, usually accompanied by a photo of a dog or cat that they have adopted, who tell us their new pet completely changed their lives by providing unconditional love and companionship. Oftentimes, we hear that instead of rescuing a pet, the pet rescues them.
What is your go-to business strategy? Why?
I focus on Best Friends’ organizational mission, guided by our values, that holds kindness to animals and each other as our highest good. Practicing kindness is a discipline, and we can’t really do right by the animals if we don’t do right by the people who care for them and who share their homes with them. The founders of Best Friends set a bar for the organization to treat others as we would like to be treated. I do my best to meet that bar in my approach to leading the organization every day. I believe that kindness to animals builds a better world for all of us, and the only way to realize that goal is to start by practicing kindness.
Mary Kariotis
President & CEO | Merrimak Capital Company
What is your go-to business strategy? Why?
Be strategic in your implementation, stay in your lane and never procrastinate. Strategic implementation avoids lost opportunities. Leaning on your team as subject matter experts helps to avoid mistakes and ensure success. Procrastination leads to a poor work ethic. I strive to evolve continually and take on more responsibilities while bringing relentless innovation. Timing and knowing your limitations are key.
What is the most rewarding thing about your job/industry? Why?
Recognition from the world’s leading corporations is an incredibly rewarding aspect of my job. Equipment leasing is an unregulated industry with more than a trillion dollars of annual spending. Merrimak is positioned to stand out amongst its competitors by providing innovative financial solutions and assuring the lowest cost of use visible to the C-level of the companies it serves. In 2021, Merrimak was recognized with Trane Technologies’ Sustainability Supplier of the Year Award, competing against more than 4,000 suppliers. Merrimak was recognized by Eaton Corporation with the coveted Economic Impact Award in 2022, an honor that recognized Merrimak for its impact and community giving. We are proud to stay abreast of social and environmental issues while driving solutions that assure the lowest cost for use in an industry where one word can adversely alter the economic impact.
Monte Deere
CEO | Kizik
What are you looking forward to accomplishing most in 2023?
In 2023, we will build our Kizik brand by offering products in our own retail stores, wholesale relationships with premium third-party retailers and in two countries outside of the United States.
What is the most rewarding thing about your job/industry? Why?
Seeing and hearing evidence that we are solving a problem (no one likes the hassle of tying shoes) in inventive ways that make people’s lives better every day.
Nate Randle
CEO | Gabb Wireless
What is the most rewarding thing about your job/industry? Why?
As a safe tech company for kids and teens, we get to protect our youth from the dangers and addictions of smartphones every day. We consistently hear stories from parents about the positive impact our mission and products are having on their families.
Who inspires you most? Why?
My dad. My mom passed away in a car accident when I was nine, and he raised me as a single parent. While grieving, he made countless personal and professional sacrifices for us that I will never forget. He is my only hero.
Quincy Rich
CEO | Rent Dynamics
What is your go-to business strategy? Why?
Play nice in the sandbox. Collaboration is so important to everything we do at Rent Dynamics. Collaborating with our partners and clients to pursue the greatest possible outcome not only increases our chances of success but also makes the journey a more enjoyable and creative one. It’s remarkable how much further we can go together than we can alone.
Who inspires you most? Why?
My employees. I come to work every day surrounded by professionals who are motivated and kind. They find creative solutions and bring out the best in everyone around them. I’m genuinely inspired by their unwavering enthusiasm.
Rebecca J. Dutson
President & CEO | The Children’s Center Utah
What is the most rewarding thing about your job/industry? Why?
Witnessing our team’s commitment to the children and families we serve. Our board of directors, investors, partners and stakeholders work together to enhance the emotional well-being of Utah’s children and families to help change the trajectory of their lives. It’s incredible to champion this life-changing mission.
What does success look like to you?
It’s a process, not an event. It’s seeing beyond “what is” to “what can be” and then engaging the right people at the right time to make those big dreams a reality. Developing high-performing teams is foundational. These teams are not satisfied with the status quo and have mutual trust and confidence to take calculated risks. Failing forward quickly is an important part of the equation.
Photographed by Josh Walters
Ryan Gardner
Founder & CEO | Bucked Up
What does success look like to you?
Everyone rowing hard in the same direction.
What’s one thing you want to say to the other members of your C-suite?
Thanks for being who we needed to take Bucked Up to the next level!
Ryan Porter
CEO | LVT – LiveView Technologies
What is the most rewarding thing about your job/industry? Why?
We are making the world a safer place—one community, business and person at a time. I just heard of an instance where one of our security units helped a police department catch human traffickers. That’s incredible! What could be more rewarding than building relationships and partnerships with some of the biggest companies in the world to fight criminals and make the world better?
What challenges have you overcome to get here today?
This company started with two guys, an idea and grit, but that was about it. We bootstrapped the company for years, mortgaged our homes to make payroll and traveled hours each day to fix the units ourselves. We did this until the tipping point arrived, and everything finally came together. We found our opportunity and built this company by asking, “If we build this and it works, will you use it?” I have found that success only comes when you build the right product for the right person at the right time.
Sidni L. Shorter
President & CEO | Utah Black Chamber
What are you looking forward to accomplishing most in 2023?
Changing the narrative of Utah to one that is inclusive of the diverse cultures, partnerships and collaborations that amplify the real work happening in the state.
What’s one thing you want to say to the other members of your C-suite?
Authenticity is the first indicator of integrity, making it easier to build strong ties and long-term relationships that facilitate business growth. Building trust, loyalty and respect should be priorities. When leaders display genuine care for people, they create a culture of people who feel valued and respected, are more satisfied and highly engaged, and exhibit the discretionary effort that leads to individual and organizational successes.
Photograph by Joey Daniels
Steve Daly
CEO | Instructure
What is the most rewarding thing about your job/industry? Why?
We are impacting education and helping educators respond to changes in how teaching is delivered. One customer told me that if it hadn’t been for our technology, they wouldn’t have been able to educate their students during the pandemic.
If you weren’t a CEO, what would you do?
As long as talent isn’t a requirement, I would be a musician.
William A. Adams
Co-Founder & CEO | Leadership Circle
What is the most rewarding thing about your job/industry? Why?
The nature of the business is rewarding in itself. I have the daily opportunity, either directly or indirectly, to help people become better and more effective leaders, which essentially means becoming better human beings. All of us have the opportunity to be better at who we are and what we do and show up in a way that makes a difference in others’ lives. If we can help leaders become more effective as a result, we can help them and all the people they influence. Whether there are a hundred thousand in their organization or just a few, helping them become better people—husbands, wives, partners, parents and human beings—it’s absolutely rewarding.
What advice do you have for your younger self?
There’s a level of seriousness, rigor and precision to the work that you do in the world, and you need to achieve that every day in the best way possible. Take it seriously, but don’t take yourself too seriously. Learn how to forgive yourself and give yourself grace. Don’t be your own harshest critic—at the end of the day, it doesn’t do any good. Find humor every day. Love and laugh a lot. I used to be so fearful that I would do something that would embarrass me, and that fear of embarrassment kept me from being as effective and adept as I wanted to be in the world. Sometimes, learning doesn’t go quite as quickly as it needs to—I feel like I’m learning the same lessons over and over again, but that’s part of it.
To learn more about this year’s winners, take a look at the videos below. To access photos from this event, please click here.
