In the Spotlight: Some enterprising women entrepreneurs from Utah
#WomenInBusiness #UtahEntrepreneurs #StartupSuccess #EmpoweredWomen #SiliconSlopes
Utah has emerged as the premier state for starting a business, according to a recent report by personal-finance website WalletHub, outpacing Georgia, Florida, Idaho, and Nevada. The state’s thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem, low cost of living and supportive community provide an ideal environment for ambitious women to launch and grow their businesses.
From the stunning red rocks of Southern Utah to the bustling urban centers, the fingerprints of enterprising women are everywhere. These women have successfully turned their passions into profitable ventures, excelling in diverse fields. Many are driven not just by business success, but by a higher calling to make a positive impact on their communities and the world.
Utah’s startup scene, particularly in the Silicon Slopes, rivals the early stages of Silicon Valley. With tech giants like Facebook and Amazon setting up offices, the state boasts the nation’s fastest-growing tech employment sector. This growth is further fuelled by the supportive infrastructure and ample funding opportunities available to startups.
The cost of living in Utah is significantly lower than in many other states, especially California. This economic advantage, coupled with minimal traffic and a high quality of life, allows entrepreneurs to enjoy more time with family and friends, while also engaging in the state’s abundant recreational activities.
In Utah, the perfect balance between work and pleasure is not just a possibility – it’s a reality, making it an excellent place for women entrepreneurs to flourish. Overall, Utah is a great place to start a business.
Let us take a look at some enterprising women entrepreneurs from Utah.
Brenda Anderson, Founder & CEO, Jipe
Brenda Anderson champions women in tech and provides opportunities for teens and young adults to jumpstart their careers. She empowers young people through her company Jipe, which is the first mobile job search app designed specifically for Gen Z. Her work and company bridge the gap between employers and this budding demographic.
She believes that Jipe has the potential to impact people’s lives, our community, businesses and the economy in a real, significant way. So, she wants to build a business that fulfills its mission to create connections that build futures and change lives. If our youth can understand that their first job matters, it is the catalyst for their future success, and she feels that this is an accomplishment worth fighting for.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendaamcqueary
https://m.facebook.com/story.php
Emily Bell McCormick, President & Founder, The Policy Project (The Period Project)
Through The Policy Project, Emily Bell McCormick worked to successfully eliminate the sales tax on menstrual products in the state; and also helped pass House Bill 162, which required local school boards and charter school governing boards to provide period products the restrooms of school facilities. A look into the future – by 2065, 1.3 million students will benefit from this policy. She is currently working with Kristin Andrus on The Teen Center Project, which will help 15,000 homeless students in Utah.
What accomplishment is she most proud of? The work on The Period Project, an effort to redefine the 21st-century bathroom as a space where toilet paper, hand soap, paper towels and period products are freely provided. Currently, more than 337,000 girls and students will have access to free period products because of their work.
https://www.instagram.com/thepolicyproject/reel/C3yBvOHxM_o
Katy Blommer, Founder & CEO, Women’s Best Life University
Through her podcast, “The Working Mom Happiness Method,” Katy Bloommer helps women by providing empowering education that teaches working moms how to create balance and maintain healthy habits. Together with school counselor Meghan Campbell, she created a confidence program for middle school-aged girls called – “The Girls Guide to Thriving Through Middle School.”
She also leads a market growth strategy for American Express in Salt Lake City, with a focus on hiring diverse candidates and increasing representation for minorities along the Wasatch Front.
What advice would she give other women in the Utah business landscape? Check out her podcast -“The Working Mom Happiness Method” and you can get details of how to plan out your action.
Megan Bronson, Advisory Partner, Squire & Company, PC
It is impressive that for seven years running, Megan Bronson has been recognized as a Top 100 ProAdvisor by Insightful Accountant. She worked with fellow leaders at Squire – to create a path for working moms to work part-time at home and eventually return to full-time work when their situations permitted, identifying Squire as one of the 100 Utah Companies Championing Women by the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and Utah State University.
She is also the president of the Women’s Business Network of the Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce and serves on the board of the Kiwanis Club of Orem.
The best part of her job is – working with the people she gets to work with, especially clients! She enjoys helping others solve problems and seeing their burdens lifted; and she loves to think through new ways of doing things and seeing that directly impact someone’s life.
https://www.instagram.com/squirecpa/?hl=en
MayKela Breeye Cox, Founder & Co-Director, DISRUPT Utah
MayKela Breeye Cox advocates for safe spaces and opportunities for marginalized communities – to expand and explore their intersecting identities.
DISRUPT Utah was created to reduce recidivism while supporting a new generation of empowered young leaders, engaging youth who are in state custody or are from low-to-moderate income neighbourhoods in disrupting generational trauma and exercising emotional resilience.
She has eight+ years of experience in the non-profit sector and serves on the Utah Sentencing Commission as the governor-appointed representative – for formerly incarcerated and incarcerated people.
Melissa Freigang, Founding Executive Director, Weber Prosperity Center of Excellence
Through the Weber Prosperity Center of Excellence, Melissa Freigang works to address Weber County’s most complex social challenges – resulting from inter-generational poverty, homelessness, housing affordability and availability, recidivism, workforce shortages and gaps in the social determinants of health.
Besides, she is the co-chair of the Governor’s Women in the Economy Commission, co-chair of the Utah Alliance for the Determinants of Health, a founding member of the Utah Child Care Cooperative and leads the Weber County Welfare Reform Commission. She also serves on multiple nonprofit boards, including the Salvation Army, Ogden Civic Action Network and the United Partnership Council.
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