As we wrap up a year of 2020 famous Utahn’s we have visited incredible families, incredible women, prodigy’s, and more! Utah has produced an incredible batch of people that have changed the world in one way or another.
Wrapping up our list, we deep dive into the legacy of Larry H. Miller. Born in 1944 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Larry was a Utahn through and through even with his brief time outside the state. He graduated fro West High school and married his high school sweet heart, Gail. After working in a parts department for a dealership, Larry started his business journey in the automotive industry which he ended up owning more than 60 dealerships through the western U.S.
In addition to our Famous Utahn this month, we were joined by Kristen Lavalett of Local First!
The Saturday after Thanksgiving is always Shop Small Saturday. Small Business Saturday was an idea created by the credit card giant American Express on November 27, 2010. The campaign launched in order to help small businesses gain additional exposure and to change the way consumers shop within their own community during the holiday season. It is always the first Saturday after Thanksgiving.
Now that the history is out of the way, we had Kristen Lavalett the executive director of Utah’s Non-Profit, Local First, joined us to talk about their mission and their newly minted Localist Project. Kristen is also part of the business advisory board for Salt Lake City which includes Urban Food Connections and she is the VP of the Granary District Alliance. From the Salt Lake City government page, “A former journalist, curriculum developer and playwright, Kristen now leads the “buy local” movement in Utah, advocating for independent businesses on state, county, and city levels in both urban and rural communities. Her expertise in branding, campaign coordination, and collaborative enterprises have spurred economic development through place making in her hometown of Salt Lake City, and across the state of Utah.“
One of the important aspects of supporting local is buying into the buy local food movement. A couple of questions to ask when shopping and eating out includes, but not limited to, Where does food come from and am I supporting people I want to. When you analyze food connections and wonder how it gets to your plate you also wonder how other items you use in your daily life come from.
Local First is a unique non-profit with three audiences they are working to connect with. First is public education to help people understand the value of locally owned business. Culture, community, and economy. Creating a shift in community behaviors. Work with the economic development divisions in multiple counties to build relationships with the people that are making the decisions. Business owners they are able to do marketing on behalf and offer training to create local messaging.
The Localist program started fall of 2020 out of an idea that had been rattling around for a while. This was the year that it needed to be launched. It is for non-business owners, “localist”, people that care about the local businesses and supporting them. Like a public radio subscription, contribute a monthly donation starting $10 and provided with a field guide, online magazine, that is a member directory. Once COVID is under control, the idea is to start up tours and more interactions with local businesses.
You may be asking what is a local business. Kristen defined what a “true” local business is in Utah. 51% owned and operated in Utah. No franchises, unfortunately.
This year Local First launched the Shop Small Digital crawl. It was an event that could be done in person or online. 120 businesses signed up. Offering specials, fun products, sugarhouse, 9th and 9th, Murray, Sandy, Ogden, Park City, Cedar City, Moab, Springdale, etc. They put their Shop Small crawl guide on their Instagram @LocalFirst. All businesses had QR code at check out and customers could scan the code and get to entered into a prize drawing. It was a great way, during COVID, to support local businesses.
Some of Kristen’s most patronized businesses in Utah are King’s English, equal to Ken Sanders. She also loves Fisher Beer and Thyme and Place. You can keep up to date with what Local First is doing on Facebook and Instagram. You can visit the website for more information on the Localist subscription.
Kristen’s most unique thing that she has found about Utah is a first for us! She is a little bit of a history buff and she really loves ghost towns! She enjoys finding off the beaten path places. One of the more intriguing places she’s been to is Helper, Utah. The history museum in Helper talks a lot about the mining culture, local strikes, and Mother Jones. Kristen told us that you get stories you don’t hear anywhere else but in those small towns.
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This month we get ready to close out our year of famous Utahn’s with two more Utahn’s. Although they may not be fully “famous” they are definitely influential Utahn’s.
Jerry Buss is probably best known for his ownership of the LA Lakers up until is death in 2013. He was referred to by the NBA as the greatest owner in sports. Born in Salt Lake City on January 27, 1933 his mother Jessie and his father Lydus, who would end up divorced. At age 9 Jerry moved to Wyoming with his family and eventually made his home in California.
Jerry lived many lives from a chemist, being a real estate investor, a poker player, and of course as his legacy lends, the owner of the Lakers. He changed the way we do basketball. This is the cheerleaders you see on the court. The structured premium seating and music! He wanted it to be an “all-out entertainment” spectacle, and we think it worked!
Lakers owner Jerry Buss (1933-2013). (Getty Images)
John Warnock our second famous Utahn for November was much more of a Utahn than Jerry. Born and raised in SLC, he is a Utahn through and through. John is also one of the few people we’ve featured this year that is still alive! John’s legacy will be one of being a co-founder of Adobe! Yes, little ol Adobe! John was born in Salt Lake City on October 6, 1940. From Wikipedia, “Warnock was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. He failed mathematics in ninth grade but graduated from Olympus High School in 1958. He currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is married to Marva E. Warnock, illustrator, and has three children. Warnock has a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and philosophy, a Doctor of Philosophy degree in electrical engineering (computer science), and an honorary degree in science, all from the University of Utah. At the University of Utah he was a member of the Gamma Beta Chapter of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity.He also has an honorary degree from the American Film Institute.” In 2019 Kristin Murphy of the Deseret News did an incredible write up on Mr. Warnock’s visit to Silicone Slopes Summit.
Cool fact here the Adobe typeface “Warnock” is named after him!
2020 has seen many challenges in education and it was a scramble to figure out how to do graduations. John Warnock was the Keynote for the University of Utah.
Welcome to episode 231! This episode we talk about how Halloween will hypothetically be during COVID. Jessica joined us on Skype from Tennessee and suggested candy cannons for distribution. Chris said no. In case you ever want to build one, candy cannons were a thing even 8 years ago before we had to physically distance!
It feels like we just got done talking about Stephen Covey for our famous Utahn segment. This month we picked three famous Utahn’s to peek into their impact on Utah. Rosanne Barr, Frank Zamboni, and Nolan Bushnell all left a cultural impact on society and we can call all of them Utahn’s.
We will ALWAYS love your “likes” BUT don’t forget to click that little SHARE button (or retweet) *sharing IS indeed caring* You can find us and subscribe on Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, or Itunes, IHeartRadio, Google Play, and TuneIN. Leave us a review and Follow us on the Twitter @tnupodcast, Instagram @Tnupodcast, or on Facebook The New Utah Podcast
We are getting ready to wrap up our year of Famous Utahn’s. For Episode 231 we decided to deep dive into Rosanne Barr, Frank Zamboni, and Nolan Bushnell. All of these Utah born people have played a significant part of world pop and sports culture!
Nolan Bushnell, is the epitome of pioneer! Nolan is known as the father of the video game and… AND he created Chuck E. Cheese Pizza Time Theatre. Born in 1943 in Clearfield, Utah. Growing up Nolan did what most northern Utahn’s do, he worked his summers at Lagoon. It was while he was working there he realized how much people loved games and the carnival atmosphere. 1968 Nolan graduated in engineering from the University of Utah. He also attended Stanford (but we prefer the Utah adjacent stuff). In 1972 the gaming box that would take our homes by storm known as Atari, was founded in Northern California by Nolan and his business partner, Dabney. One of our favorite quotes comes from Walter Isaacson’s book, Steve Jobs. “In 1976, Steve Jobs went to Nolan to get him to put in some money in exchange for a minor equity stake in Apple. Nolan remarked, “Steve asked me if I would put $50,000 in and he would give me a third of the company. I was so smart, I said no. It’s kind of fun to think about that, when I’m not crying.”Atari revolutionized the home gaming industry. Come on, who doesn’t love a good game of Pong?! In 1978 he was pushed out of Atari. Enter stage left: Chuck E Cheese. From Wikipedia, It is known that Bushnell had always wanted to work for Walt Disney, but was continually turned down for employment when he was first starting out after graduation; Chuck E. Cheese was his homage to Disney and the technology developed there. In 1981 Bushnell turned over day-to-day food operations of Chuck E. Cheese’s to a newly hired restaurant executive. Nolan stepped down in 1984 from the board after they decided they didn’t like his proposed changes. By late ’84, the company was in bankruptcy.
Bushnell has been involved in other gaming companies, including one that has him on the board of an anti-aging game technology to help with brain function over the age of 35. Nolan has been feature in a few documentaries, awarded a BAFTA as well as many other accolades, and it is said there is a movie about his life in the works with Leonardo DiCaprio. His legacy seeps through the blood of his own children. Venture Beat feature by Dean The DeanBeat, Takahashi interviewed members of the family in 2019.
Nolan Bushnell and 1975 popular game Pong. Photo credit: Time Techland
Frank Zamboni, creator of THE Zamboni machine, was born in Eureka, Utah in 1901. His parents were Italian immigrants. That is where the Utah ties end. However, he did grow up in Lava Hot Springs, ID which is pretty close so we can still talk about him. At the age of 19 his family moved to Los Angeles. Frank and his brother Lawrence started an ice blocking business in the late 20’s to 1939. This was problematic due to electricity and the units needed for refrigeration. They turned their focus and used the equipment to open an ice rink. In 1940 they teamed up with their cousin, Pete, and opened the Iceland Ice Rink. It was 20,000 sq feet, making it one of the largest of its kind., it was even covered with a dome after realized the ice was no match for the So. Cal heat. It was a success because Frank had figured a way to reduce the rippling, from the pipes under the rink, in the ice. Frank got the patent in ’46 and created the machine in ’49. There have been 8 different variations of the machine that we know now. From the Zamboni website, From the 1949 Model A to the 500 Series re-surfacer’s of today, Frank Zamboni’s desire to develop the best possible product for his customers remains as strong in his successors over 60 years later. As Frank often pointed out to rink owners, a comment indicative of his own lifelong mission:
“The principal product you have to sell is the ice itself.”
As of today the ice rink is still operated by the Zamboni family.
Roseanne Barr, born to Jewish parents in Salt Lake City. Barr was spoken about how her parents kept their Jewish heritage secret from their neighbors and were partially involved in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Barr has stated, “Friday, Saturday, and Sunday morning I was a Jew; Sunday afternoon, Tuesday afternoon, and Wednesday afternoon we were Mormons.” While in Utah was when Roseanne found her first stage, in the Mormon church. Rosanne has lived many lives. Stand up comedian, sitcom star with her name sake show Rosanne, talk show host, film star, radio, and even a candidate for presidency in 2012. Her life has not been without controversy and as of 2018, Rosanne still called Utah home.
This month for our famous Utahn deep dive, we thought we would step into the world of the Covey’s. There isn’t much we can write that isn’t already out there. Known for his motivational writing and trainings, Stephen Covey was born in 1932 and died in a tragic bike accident in 2012. From Wikipedia, He was an American educator, author, businessman, and keynote speaker. His most popular book was written in 1989 and sold over 30 million copies since its publication, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Overall Stephen wrote 6 books. which include First Things First, Principle-Centered Leadership, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families, The 8th Habit, and The Leader In Me — How Schools and Parents Around the World Are Inspiring Greatness, One Child at a Time.
Through the 90’s you may have remembered gathering up your Franklin Covey day planner, with it’s monthly calendar pages, to guide your daily activities. Now Google and Apple are the calendars that direct our lives.
His son, Stephen M. R. Covey wrote the Speed of Trust and his other son, Sean Covey, is still an executive at Franklin Covey. Training and calendars may have evolved quickly over the past few years since Covey’s death, but the principles that Stephen laid with the 7 Habit’s will always be part of corporate and self growth.
To break 7 Habits of Highly Effective Habits down, here is Chris Corinthian in 5 minutes. (or less)
Okay, you knew eventually we would have to talk about it. We have never taken the time, yes we know in 4 years this is blowing our mind too, to talk about *bum bum buuuuuum* multi level marketing.
Episode 227 we break down some of Utah’s biggest multi level marketing companies and why the work so well in Utah. KUTV did a story about MLM’s and Mormons and their relationship to each other. The Daily Herald listed the top 13 back in 2017. Religion News Service also gave a list of 10 reasons Mormon’s dominate MLM’s.
We will ALWAYS love your “likes” BUT don’t forget to click that little SHARE button (or retweet) *sharing IS indeed caring* You can find us and subscribe on Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, or Itunes, IHeartRadio, Google Play, and TuneIN. Leave us a review and Follow us on the Twitter @tnupodcast, Instagram @Tnupodcast, or on Facebook The New Utah Podcast
Episode 222 was a blast with entrepreneur Tom Milligan. Tom was a long time call center guy that happened to have an epiphany one night to make divorce easier *experience speaks volumes* and find a cheaper way for level headed folks that just need an out. That is where Our Divorce comes in! We talk the business launch, but also about his life and how he got to creating this very clever and efficient business.
How does it work? Our Divorce is a self-service divorce resource. From their website, OurDivorce™ makes getting a divorce easier than ever and leaves you in control. Don’t pay an attorney. Don’t let a Judge make decisions about your life. Tom and his team have worked extensively to follow and abide by each state law, because believe it or not, they are all different! He really wanted to streamline and create a divorce process that wouldn’t rake everyone through the coals and be as amicable as possible. They launched on August 31st and already have a wait list!!
If you see their billboards around town, let us know!!!
Follow Our Divorce on their YouTube Channel, their Facebook, and of course you can find more information if you … or if you’re asking for a friend… need someone at OurDivorce.com.
This week is also our monthly famous Utahn! We thought we had it in the bag with this one. That there would be tons of information, and there was, but in a round about kind of way. We feature the Winder Family this month.
We will ALWAYS love your “likes” BUT don’t forget to click that little SHARE button (or retweet) *sharing IS indeed caring* You can find us and subscribe on Soundcloud, Spotify, Stitcher, or Itunes, IHeartRadio, Google Play, and TuneIN. Leave us a review and Follow us on the Twitter @tnupodcast, Instagram @Tnupodcast, or on Facebook The New Utah Podcast
Our feature Utahn for the month of August is the Winder Family! We thought there would be a plethora of information but it was pretty straight forward.
The Winders have had a long legacy in the state of Utah in farming cows and in politics. John R Winder, the family patriarch, was born in 1821 and besides his dairy farm would be known best for being a General Authority for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Mr. Winder had 4 wives and 30 children. According to Wikipedia, “Winder was generous with his wealth: The poor, orphans, and widows benefited greatly from his efforts. Winder also became a figure in politics and the militia in the territory. He led the Nauvoo Legion to stop the advance of Johnston’s Army in the Utah War of 1857. In the Black Hawk War (Utah), he fought as Adjutant General. He was the chief aid to General Daniel H. Wells, and wrote up the expense report submitted to congress at the conclusion of the conflict.“
It wasn’t until 2019 that they discontinued their 139 years of door delivery of their products. Before this discontinuation, Winder Farms provided cheese, yogurt, eggs, fresh-squeezed juices, cookie dough, fresh fruits, vegetables, salads, pasta, bacon and sausage. Not just your typical milkman! Their focus turned to local grocers, and they are currently available in Dan’s, Dick’s, Fresh Market, Harmons, Lee’s Market, Macey’s, Ridley’s, Smith’s, Sprouts, Target, The Store, Whole Foods, Winegars and more. Over 140 years there has been an incredible evolution that Tom Wharton of the Salt Lake Tribune covered in 2013.
Brian Wallace of the Deseret News wrote about the farm, “Along the way, the operations moved from the Poplar Farm, at 2700 S. 300 East, to West Valley City in 1931; milk containers advanced from cans to glass to polycarbonate bottles; deliveries moved from horse-drawn vehicles to trucks; and a partnership was forged between the family and Dolphin II and Peterson Partners in 2004. The product lines have expanded often, too, including the addition of bread to the dairy products in 1958.” It is also on the record that over the years, since 1889, they have been through 30 logos! That has to be some kind of record we imagine. On a side note, if you’ve ever wondered what the red and white checkered tower out in West Valley is, that is the old Winder Farm tower.
Photo: Instagram @cajaaw Sunset Old Winder Dairy Tower
Not only have the Winder’s had their hands in dairy, they have had 11 family members (there were 10 at the time of the Deseret News article) that have been part of Utah’s political landscape. In 2018, 3 family members won their respective elections. From city council seats, board of education, House of Representatives, Governor’s assistance, and sheriff’s they have definitely put a legacy in Utah politics.
When we picked the Marriott family for this months Famous Utah, we had no idea the incredible impact and how much they were on the forefront of the hospitality industry. From what we learned discussing and researching the Marriott family, their passion for business and customer service is what has given them their almost 100 year legacy.
A little background on Marriott-Slaterville, Utah. Marriott-Slaterville City was originally settled by several Mormon pioneer families, in 1852, including the Richard Slater family, and the Perry, Smout, Marriott and Field families. Many living descendants of these families, including relatives of J. Willard Marriott, pioneer hotelier of the 20th century and founder of Marriott International, still reside within Marriott-Slaterville. Weber State University has an online history of the city and you can read that by clicking HERE.
The patriarch of the family J. Willard Marriott was born at Marriott Settlement (present day Marriott-Slaterville, Utah mentioned above), the second of eight children of Hyrum Willard Marriott and Ellen Morris Marriott. As a child, “Bill”, as J. Willard was called, helped to raise sugar beets and sheep on his family’s farm. At age 13, Marriott raised lettuce on several fallow acres on the farm and the harvest at summer’s end brought $2,000, which Marriott gave to his father. The next year, Hyrum entrusted Marriott, his eldest son, with the sale of a herd of 3,000 sheep, sending him and the sheep unescorted by rail to San Francisco.(from www.marriott.com)
Benjamin Urrutia of the Utah Encyclopedia writes, “In 1927 he opened up a small root beer stand in Washington, D.C., and then quickly upgraded the stand to a restaurant called the Hot Shoppe. He soon opened two others. When the Great Depression hit, he was forced to sell all three. However, he replaced them with two new ones in carefully chosen locations. The Depression also caused the loss of $8,000 of his savings when his bank closed down. But even in these difficult times, chain-store merchandising, with its huge volume and low prices, was thriving. Marriott was determined to apply the same principles to the restaurant business… Marriott could now be said to have invented the drive-in restaurant, now a part of the American urban and suburban landscape. In 1937 he began catered meal service for airlines. Besides restaurants and catering, his empire eventually grew to include hotels, cruise liners, and amusement parks. In 1948 he was elected president of the National Restaurant Association.”
Also of note with Mr. Marriott’s Hot Shoppe restaurants in Arlington, Va., they were the first well-known restaurant chain to abandon the color line in Virginia and open their doors to blacks. The move was greeted with jubilation at the annual convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, then taking place in St. Paul.
Lee Benson of the Deseret News wrote, “In 2019, at more than 7,500 Marriott properties around the world, no less than 760,000 people — a number that exceeds the entire population of northern Utah — wear the Marriott employee name badge on a daily basis.”
Through their family history they have developed an incredible philanthropic outreach. They offer community outreach, mentoring programs, funding medical research, and education. You can learn more about their programs on their foundation website.
According to Marriott himself, “You’ve got to make your employees happy. If the employees are happy, they are going to make the customers happy.”
