Eccles Business Buzz

Hosted by David Eccles School of Business

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About the show

Welcome to the Eccles Business Buzz Podcast. My name is Frances Johnson, and your host for our podcast show. We know the Eccles community is only as strong as its alumni network and as I have built relationships with alumni across the nation, I’ve learned how truly remarkable our network is. Our goal is to share alumni stories, perspectives, and voices on topics that are driving conversations around the globe and within our school today. The core values of the Eccles community will underlie everything we discuss here: Entrepreneurial Grit, Continuous Curiosity, Empathetic Global Citizenship, and Impacting Your World. Eccles Business Buzz is a production of David Eccles School of Business and is produced by University FM.

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34 min

S10E6: Building Cole West, Launching the U’s Real Estate Program, and Redefining Success with Colin Wright

Welcome back to the tenth season of the Eccles Business Buzz podcast. Today, guest-host Annesley Womble returns for a conversation with Colin Wright, Owner of Cole West Group, a real estate development group focused on developing master-planned communities, residential lots, urban infill communities and mixed-use properties throughout Utah. Wright traces his path from studying finance at the University of Utah, where real estate classes sparked his interest, to earning a master’s in real estate development at Columbia University in New York, where he learned the private equity joint-venture model. When family and a great job opportunity brought him back to Utah, Wright found himself facing the Great Financial Crisis after leaving Ivory Homes too early. After pivoting to help build the University of Utah’s Master of Real Estate Development curriculum, he taught classes to survive. Wright shares insights on timing, real estate cycles, partnerships, leadership, and scaling while reflecting on family pressures, Amy Chua’s “Triple Package” framework, aspirations for campus and student housing, and his commitment to developing leaders, strengthening faith and family, and creating lasting impact.Eccles Business Buzz is a production of the David Eccles School of Business and is produced by University.fm.Eccles Business Buzz is proud to be selected by FeedSpot as one of the Top 70 Business School podcasts on the web. Learn more at https://podcast.feedspot.com/us_business_school_podcasts. Episode Quotes:On learning to become a better leader of people[21:41] I talked a little bit about, I think God made me to be an entrepreneur, deal maker, and I'm learning to be a good manager. So, as I started Cole West, same thing happened over again. I'm an entrepreneur. I'm growing. I started with three people. Next thing I know, I've got 30 people, and I'm back into this rut of, you know, managing HR problems versus doing deals. And that's when Darlene Carter, who we'd worked with previously, she came back and really helped fill that role of being an integrator and put me back in the seat of being a little bit more of an innovator, which is where I'm more comfortable.But every day I wake up, and I try to be a better integrator. I'm not giving up on, "Hey, you're just not a good leader. It's not natural to you." I wake up every day trying to be a better leader of people, and frankly, I think I have gotten a lot better just through effort, and attention, and study, and patience.Colin shares lessons from the Great Financial Crisis that shaped his company[15:07] So, I learned a ton about real estate cycles. It was the first one I really got to observe. My dad and Ellis Ivory lived through many in the '80s, and '90s, and 2000s, and they warned me and told me what it would be like 2006 to 2009. I watched it from the sidelines. And then 2022 to 2025, I lived it by having real estate investments. Personally, it was really hard. Couldn't pay the bills, you know, some kids and house payments, and it was really hard. I learned I wasn't ready, and that led me to a partnership with three other individuals. And I've always compared it to like a Madden score. If you're playing basketball or football on the Xbox, the players have a score from zero to 100. And in 2006, going into the GFC, I would guess my Madden score was like a 35 or 40. I thought it was 80 or 90, but it was probably a 35 or 40. And the way to survive coming out of that was to find three business partners who had complementing skill sets, where collectively we could be 100. And that was a good step for me, that if you're not an 80 or a 90 or 100, and you want to go into business, find some business partners that complement your Madden score so that you can get close to 100 and try to be successful, and that's what we did. So, we started a company, and the distress that was caused by the GFC, we started buying land and lots in Utah and Colorado, and we started a home builder called Henry Walker Homes. So, it was very entrepreneurial, three other partners, and we just went at it all together to try to work our way out of the Great Financial Crisis.Colin on President Randall’s leadership & the U’s world-class business education today[30:11] What President Randall has done over the past five years of, you know, you've got to put beds on campus, which he's doing an amazing job of, and then just the quality of learning at the U of U business school. I'm on the board at the business school. It's just amazing, the professors, the curriculum, the dean. It's just an amazing experience. It doesn't feel anything like it did when I was there. The kids, the energy, the entrepreneurs, the mentors, they have the access to these real estate classes. I mean, it is world-class. I firmly believe that.Show Links:Colin Wright | LinkedInCole West Group | AboutMaster of Real Estate Development | David Eccles Business SchoolDavid Eccles School of Business (@ubusiness) | InstagramUndergraduate Scholars ProgramsRising Business LeadersEccles Alumni Network (@ecclesalumni) | Instagram Eccles Experience Magazine

43 min

S10E5: From Kodiak Cakes to Kindling Snacks: Cameron Smith’s Playbook for Disrupting Food Brands

As we continue our hallmark tenth season of the Eccles Business Buzz podcast, host Frances Johnson sits down with Cameron Smith, Founder & CEO of Kindling Snacks, and Co-Founder of Kodiak Cakes. Cameron is also a graduate of the David Eccles School of Business with a BS in Business Administration.Cameron talks to Frances about his time at Kodiak Cakes, where he served as president (2019–2023) and helped expand the product line into multiple protein-forward and frozen categories. Cameron shares how it was college’s structure that later helped him research, learn, and become well-rounded across business functions, and how he joined early-stage Kodiak without a clear long-term plan, but drawn by the people and the chance to work broadly. Cameron explains the balance between intuition and data, highlighting the successful launch of the protein “Power Cakes” at Target, and discusses building brand affinity beyond functional benefits. He also describes founding Kindling Snacks in May 2024, a better-for-you pretzel brand, and how they meet challenges like tariffs, finding space in stores and on shelves, and the importance of hunger, execution, and real effort.Eccles Business Buzz is a production of the David Eccles School of Business and is produced by University.fm.Eccles Business Buzz is proud to be selected by FeedSpot as one of the Top 70 Business School podcasts on the web. Learn more at https://podcast.feedspot.com/us_business_school_podcasts. Eccles Business Buzz is a production of the David Eccles School of Business and is produced by University FM.Episode Quotes:Taking actions creates your own opportunity[27:05] What was so interesting is the organization that I was a part of at Kodiak with Joel allowed me to do that, allowed me to express those entrepreneurial feelings and mindsets in an already established business that I didn't have to start it, but I was able to disrupt it and innovate. And I think so many times people wait for... They wait for things to happen for them, and they wait for opportunities. And the reality is opportunities do happen for some people, but you have to make it happen.How curiosity fuels disruption[29:40] If you want to be disruptive, you've got to think like someone who is disruptive. The other night, we were driving home, this was so funny, we were driving home as a family, and it was raining, and my 9-year-old daughter, she just starts saying, "You know, Dad," because the windshield wipers were going, "Dad, I know this would cost a lot of money, but they should put, like, a roof over the road so that you don't have to, you know, essentially, like, use your windshield wipers." And is it practical? No. Could you do that across all of America? You couldn’t do that, but what's happening is she's seeing the world in possibilities. I read something that our curiosity peaks at age, like, six, like three to five, three to six, which is so unfortunate that as we get older, we stop being curious. We stop having these ideas of, "What if you could put a ceiling above the road?" And, like, she's just thinking these ideas. And then so, like, we need to encourage that, encourage that in people on our teams, encourage that with people that we're around and our families, that curiosity, that observation. And I mean, imagine if you go with your family and you're just, you sit in a Starbucks, and you say, "Okay, what's inefficient about what they're doing? What could they do better? What would you do differently?" And you start to create these mindsets of, "How could we think differently? How could we disrupt?" And it just, like, that's how other things start to happen. Deliberate strategy vs Emergent strategy[21:04] Our deliberate strategy was whole grain pancake mixes, add water only. The emergent strategy was protein pancake mixes, and it started to grow. And so the data told us, "Hey, there was a market for this." So we started to launch new flavors, and it continued to grow to the point that today, as you look at Kodiak as a brand, most places that Kodiak goes into, there's protein in because that's what the brand has become known for. But that was an emergent strategy. That was not our deliberate strategy. And so I think part of that learning is you need to have a deliberate strategy, and you need to pay attention to the emergent strategies. And sometimes your emergent strategy can become your deliberate strategy, but you also don't want to just chase after emergent strategies because that's what some businesses do, and they never see. A strategy that's working because they're looking for the next thing that's going to emerge for a lot of different reasons.Show Links:Kindling Snacks | About UsCameron Smith | LinkedIn ProfileDavid Eccles School of Business (@ubusiness) | InstagramUndergraduate Scholars ProgramsRising Business LeadersEccles Alumni Network (@ecclesalumni) | Instagram Eccles Experience Magazine

32 min

S10E4: Clark Ivory: Transformative Leadership in Education and Housing

Continuing the excitement of the Eccles Business Buzz podcast’s tenth season, host Frances Johnson talks with Clark Ivory, CEO of Ivory Homes, Utah’s Number One Homebuilder since 1988. Clark will also be inducted into the David Eccles School of Business Hall of Fame this spring.The Ivory companies have built more than 25,000 homes and 4,000 apartments. Clark has also held civic leadership roles and helped launch efforts including the Utah Impact Partnership, Utah Preservation Fund, and Utah Community Builders. He and his wife Christine have funded 4,000+ scholarships, established the Ivory University House (housing 623 students with proceeds supporting scholarships, internships, and stipends), and cofounded Ivory Innovations with their daughter Abby to address housing challenges via the Ivory Prize and affordable housing projects. Clark links education—especially literacy, citing only 50% of Utah third graders currently reading at grade level—to upward mobility, homelessness, and workforce needs. He also outlines his vision-goals-plan-accountability “success formula;” and emphasizes resilience, principles, and incremental growth through setbacks and market uncertainty.Eccles Business Buzz is a production of the David Eccles School of Business and is produced by University.fm.Eccles Business Buzz is proud to be selected by FeedSpot as one of the Top 70 Business School podcasts on the web. Learn more at https://podcast.feedspot.com/us_business_school_podcasts. Eccles Business Buzz is a production of the David Eccles School of Business and is produced by University FM.Episode Quotes:How to develop communities through a business lens without losing sight of people’s needs[31:24] The thing I love about Utah is that there are so many people that are willing to work together to solve problems and to come up with solutions. It's just so nice to be able to get together, collaborate, bring all the resources to bear, get the Gardner Institute looking at things critically, coming up with a new approach to governance for the state, which we did, and then nominating the right people to help lead out. And I think we're actually going to make some headway with homelessness. There's a lot of people contributing, but it's amazing how we've been able to get a much higher level of expertise in understanding the challenge and what can have a long-term impact that will actually move the needle instead of just throwing money at a problem or, you know, not ever measuring outcomes or understanding that we have to maybe re-look at the entire system and what's broken.What the Ivory success formula means to Clark [15:40] I just had opportunity after opportunity to do little things, and I had this view and this vision that I could become something. And I had this idea that maybe someday I'd go to a really top-notch business school. And that's the vision.And you always need to have a longer-term vision. And then if you do, it's easier to focus on goals that are one year or five year, and then you work harder to achieve your plans that you put together. So, that's been a process that I've shared with every organization I've been in and with all of my Ivory team members. And I ask them to share their success formula every year. And I always tell them, you know, "If you don't like my success formula, don't use it, but have your own." And the important thing is that you do have a great big vision of where you want to go, and then you aren't afraid to set goals. I always told all my kids, "It's always important to have goals, but you can change them anytime you want when they don't make sense, because circumstances change." You have to be able to be resilient and still be positive and say, "Okay, this has been ruled out, but now what is my goal? How am I going to adapt? What am I going to do differently?" And so, this has become part of our ethos at Ivory Homes and with Ivory Innovations and every organization I'm working with.How Clark views affordable housing as key to economic growth [36:57] If we can create great neighborhoods that really have a lot of people prospering, you know, people are so much more likely to graduate from high school, go on to college, have higher incomes, et cetera. And some of the zip codes and neighborhoods in the state are more challenged. And I love the fact that the University of Utah is really investing in the west side of the valley now, with this new hospital project that's going to get started soon. And we've also looked at neighborhoods out there and where we can really make a difference. I think we, like you have said earlier, we have to look a little bit earlier in the process of, you know, an individual's growth. And the earlier we can help them, the better. And then, of course, they're likely to avoid a lot of the pitfalls of life if they do get off to the right start. We're not going to be able to do it everywhere as a state, or we are not going to be able to do it in our own communities, but we all need to be heading in that direction.Show Links:Clark Ivory | LinkedInIvory Homes | WebsiteIvory Foundation | WebsiteClark Ivory encourages Rising Business Leaders to be driven by principles and impact | ArticleDavid Eccles School of Business (@ubusiness) | InstagramUndergraduate Scholars ProgramsRising Business LeadersEccles Alumni Network (@ecclesalumni) | Instagram Eccles Experience Magazine

45 min

S10E3: Service and Success: Inside Nicholas and Company's Family Legacy with Nicole and Peter Mouskondis

In this episode of our hallmark tenth season of the Eccles Business Buzz podcast, host Frances Johnson sits down with Nicole and Peter Mouskondis, the CEO and Owner, respectively, of Nicholas and Company, a third-generation, family-owned-and-operated broadline foodservice distribution company in the Intermountain West. Nicole and Peter are also being recognized with the Distinguished Entrepreneur Award at this spring’s David Eccles School of Business Hall of Fame event. Peter describes giving back through boards and the University of Utah after benefiting from mentors at key times, while Nicole reframes service as stewardship and servant leadership tied to community impact. They recount the immigrant journey of Nicholas and Company founder, Nicholas himself, the company’s creative beginnings selling dented canned goods, and their eventual growth into broadline foodservice. Nicole explains the values behind “Nicholas and Company,” the shift from the PRIDE acronym to an MVP model, and the Greek ethos of “philotimo.” Peter and Nicole discuss entrepreneurial courage, sales lessons, major innovations like an ERP implementation, people-first leadership and empathy, COVID-era adaptation and food donations, the pressure of being the third generation of a family business, and a structured succession plan as their children enter the business as well.Eccles Business Buzz is a production of the David Eccles School of Business and is produced by University.fm.Eccles Business Buzz is proud to be selected by FeedSpot as one of the Top 70 Business School podcasts on the web. Learn more at https://podcast.feedspot.com/us_business_school_podcasts. Eccles Business Buzz is a production of the David Eccles School of Business and is produced by University FM.Episode Quotes:The entrepreneurial grit behind Nicholas and Company’s success[20:26] Peter Mouskondis: You know, I am a young man, Nicole and I had just gotten engaged. We had just put money down on our house. And I came home and said, you know, "My dad basically has fired me and said the last stop is on sales, and if you make it, that's great, and if you don't, go do something completely different." And, you know, that was scary. You find ways of becoming very creative, and I know at one time I actually slept in my car in Park City because I was waiting for the chefs to come in the next morning. I wanted to be right there when they came in. And so, you get really creative in the sense of what you're trained to either sell or how you portray yourself. And that was not only fruitful, I mean, in the end, you know, thank goodness I was successful there, but it was scary. And that's something I think any entrepreneurial person would go through starting a brand-new company like my grandfather.How changing the mission felt almost sacrilegious but was necessary for the future generations. [16:11] Nicole Mouskondis: We have this secret ingredient called philotimo. So, at every step of the way in that mission statement, there is an absolute nod to everything that is unique about us. Preserving our family recipe for success, the family recognizes that we're a family business. The recipe for success recognizes that we're in food service. And securing the dreams recognizes that this started with the American dream, this immigrant story of an American dream. And everybody has dreams for themselves, their future, their families, for all future generations. And that's really a nod to this fact that we are a legacy business. We intend to be here to stay for generations to come. That secret ingredient in the recipe for success is this Greek word called philotimo. And at the time, especially, nobody knew what that meant. Nobody knew what that was. There still is no single English translation for the word. So, we had to come up with our own definition and explain to people what it was. And in the Greek culture, it is this sense of honor, this love and honor, and this duty and obligation to one another to make things better, to right the wrongs, to do what's right simply because it's right. It's, kind of, all-encompassing, this aspiration. We're not perfect, but it's something that resonates with all of our stakeholders as something that we are trying to become every single day and trying to make that so that it's not just words on the wall, but that we live that aspiration.Why empathy is an important leadership tenet [31:05] Nicole Mouskondis: I think one of the most important leadership tenets ever is empathy. And so, if you can lead by, you know, really trying to put yourself in the shoes of someone else, I mean, at the end of the day, it all comes down to people. And so, when we have to make changes, we don't take those lightly because you're impacting and affecting somebody's world, somebody... It is personal to them. It's not just business to them if you have to make a change that, you know, they feel, like, is not a good change for them.Show Links:Nicholas and CompanyNicole Mouskondis | LinkedInHall of Fame | David Eccles School of BusinessDavid Eccles School of Business (@ubusiness) | InstagramUndergraduate Scholars ProgramsRising Business LeadersEccles Alumni Network (@ecclesalumni) | Instagram Eccles Experience Magazine

34 min

S10E2: Building Dreams: From First Ascent to the Utah Jazz with Jhareil Hutchinson

As we continue our hallmark tenth season of the Eccles Business Buzz podcast, we will bring you conversations with notable alumni from the David Eccles School of Business and their stories about the impact the school has had on their lives and careers. In this episode, host Frances Johnson talks with Jhareil Hutchinson, a marketing professional and junior project manager for the NBA’s Utah Jazz.Jhareil, a 2024 David Eccles School of Business marketing graduate and First Ascent Scholars alumnus, describes some of the barriers he faced coming to college as a first-generation student, and how the First Ascent cohort helped him build a sense of community and belonging. Jhareil credits the program and Eccles with teaching him networking, getting him involved through internships and campus roles, and allowing him to be vulnerable enough to ask questions. Jhareil and Frances discuss his career path, from Jazz team attendant to Cotopaxi intern, to his first job with the Olympic Legacy Foundation, and then back to the Jazz. He discusses aiming to work for the NBA, mentoring current students with his wife Julie, and advises students to not be afraid to pursue opportunities.Eccles Business Buzz is a production of the David Eccles School of Business and is produced by University.fm.Eccles Business Buzz is proud to be selected by FeedSpot as one of the Top 70 Business School podcasts on the web. Learn more at https://podcast.feedspot.com/us_business_school_podcasts. Eccles Business Buzz is a production of the David Eccles School of Business and is produced by University FM.Episode Quotes:How the people you surround yourself with and the choices you make shape your future[20:56] One of my favorite athletes of all time is the late Kobe Bryant, and he said good coaches tell you where the fish are. But great coaches teach you how to find them. And I think that when I think about that, I kind of just think about the people that are around you, the people that you kind of surround yourself with. People will tell you, “Hey, I have this car; I got this really great promotion. You know, just showing off all these extravagant things, or yeah, like look, kind of just like, look at me, look at me, look at me." And I think that in order to kind of succeed and find those fish and tell you, you know, to have that coach tell you exactly where those fish are, you need to surround yourself with people who are going to be honest with you with tough love but also be like, "Hey, if you want to go down this path, let's do it together." I'm here in your corner to support you. Let's talk about it, let's research it, and let's come up with a plan to actually take action and do the thing that you want to do. I feel like I've always wanted to know exactly where I want to go or where I need to achieve the things, and it's always just about having those people in your corner, but then it's also up to yourself to go out there and do the research.On guiding students toward proactivity, while staying accountable himself[37:50] There's so many different paths to go down in sports, whether that's with sales, marketing, game presentation, whatever it is. So I think it's like a really cool opportunity just because we had some amazing mentors. We had some really cool people to kind of reach out to and ask questions. So I'm wanting to do the same for these students that are in this program. And so far it's been really cool to talk with these students and hear about all the different career paths that they're watching to go down, because it's not all the same. And we don't have the same advice for every student. But, I think the thing that we always tell students is to, again, like we've talked about, like don't be afraid to get involved. Don't be afraid to ask questions. And I think the thing that I get out of it the most is kind of—it's just like a reset point for us, or at least for me. Just kind of like, okay, this student is doing this, and, you know, I'm telling them to make sure that they're reaching out to folks and making sure that they're getting involved and making sure that they have their checks and balances. But am I holding myself accountable for those checks and balances? So it's kind of like a reflection. Like make sure you're telling them to, you know, do all these things for their sake, because we want them to have good grades, we want them to excel. We want them to have a great career, but then we also want that for ourselves.The struggles of being a first-generation student[03:33] I think another barrier that I faced coming into college was just the sense of belonging. Being a first-generation college student, none of my family members had ever even gone to college. So I was the very first one, and I had no clue what to think. I had no clue what to say. I had no clue what to ask. I had no clue who to reach out to, didn't know anything about classes, [and] didn't know anything about internships or, you know, just everything that had to do with college. I had no kind of support system in that sense. And so that kind of put me like, I kind of took a step back, and I was like, "Man, is this really for me?" Like, I don't know anybody; no one else knows about this. Like I'm really here on my own. So it's really up to me to figure out exactly what I need to do. I know there's individuals out there who have had the privilege of, you know, their parents went to college or their brother went to college, and so they kind of had that support system for someone to reach out to, and they had someone to say, “Hey, this is where financial aid is," or “Hey, this is all the clubs that you could be a part of,” and, you know, so on and so forth. It was really tough at first because again, like, I had no one to reach out to, and I had to figure it all out on my own, which was kind of a positive and a negative with my experience coming into college.Jhareil reflects: Wishing his younger self had more courage[31:06] I think the thing that I probably would tell myself is to not be afraid, to not dig my hole before it even, like, starts. I think a lot of the times, like, in high school, like, I was super, super shy. So, coming into First Ascent, having to share, you know, a room with another person, and let alone the whole house with 10 other students, I was like, "Okay, I guess I have to. Just don't be afraid to get out of your comfort zone. Don't be afraid to ask those questions." And I think a lot of the times a lot of students are like, "Oh, like, this is probably not going to happen for me, so I'm just not even going to pursue it." Or, "Oh, like, they're just going to tell me no, so I'm just not even going to do it." And I wish I would've told myself to just don't be afraid. Like, the worst thing people can tell you is no. Show Links:Jhareil Hutchinson | LinkedIn ProfileJhareil Hutchinson | InstagramUtah Jazz | NBA TeamFirst Ascent Scholars | Eccles SchoolDavid Eccles School of Business (@ubusiness) | InstagramUndergraduate Scholars ProgramsRising Business LeadersEccles Alumni Network (@ecclesalumni) | Instagram Eccles Experience Magazine

35 min

S10E1: Building NBA and NHL Brands while Breaking Boundaries with Elaina Pappas

Welcome to the kickoff for the tenth season of the Eccles Business Buzz podcast! This season we will bring you conversations with notable alumni from the David Eccles School of Business and their stories of the impact the school has made on their lives and careers. For our first episode, host Frances Johnson talks with Elaina Pappas, head of marketing for the Utah Jazz and the Utah Mammoth professional sports teams.We learn about the principles that have guided Elaina’s career in the NBA and NHL —loving sports and helping people. Elaina also talks about the importance of creating opportunities through hard work, relationship-building, and advocating for herself as she built her career. In addition, Elaina explains how earning an MBA at the David Eccles School of Business made her more well-rounded and boosted her confidence as a leader, and describes her leadership approach of aligning teams around a shared goal, while allowing diverse paths, staying calm under pressure, and encouraging staff to take “one more step” to resolve conflicts. She explains how sports build community locally and globally through fan experiences, content, and merchandise, and reflects on Utah’s growing sports future and youth impact.Eccles Business Buzz is a production of the David Eccles School of Business and is produced by University.fm.Eccles Business Buzz is proud to be selected by FeedSpot as one of the Top 70 Business School podcasts on the web. Learn more at https://podcast.feedspot.com/us_business_school_podcasts. Eccles Business Buzz is a production of the David Eccles School of Business and is produced by University fm.Episode Quotes:How Elaina stays calm in the high-pressure world of sports[24:13] Frances Johnson: How do you keep your cool in this… it's a fast-paced environment. You know, a lot is changing, high emotions, like a lot at stake every game, every night, and within the work that you do, you know, outside of the arena as well, how have you developed that muscle to stay calm and to learn how to deal with these difficult scenarios and hard conversations?[24:42] Elaina Pappas: I think, frankly, a lot of it's my nature. [25:24] I think practice helps, and understanding so much of my position is navigating those situations. The more muscle memory I've built over time has helped me with the next hard conversation or the next situation. I think early on in my career especially, which is unique to sports and entertainment, if you think about it just from a marketing lens, you go to school and you learn so much about pricing something and what a product looks like and what it provides. But in sports, they're human beings, and you can't control wins and losses. You can't sometimes control the ticket price because it depends on wins and losses. You can't control who gets hurt. You know, there's all of these things that I learned very early on, which is very hard, was to let go of the things that I truly can't control.Why advocating for yourself matters and what you gain from it[11:27] If you want to go talk to someone in another department, or you want an informational interview, or you want to invite someone to lunch, go do it. And there's no reason why you shouldn't be asking or, again, making your desires known as far as what you want to do, because that's the point of an internship. And so many of those either turn into full-time positions, whether it's immediate or not, or with other organizations too. And so, so much of it is, like, even if something comes six months after their internship ended, if they made an impression on you or someone on my team, that's way more valuable than a random resume coming through our system. And so some of those, you know, building blocks that they're establishing early on may not come to fruition for some point, but it helps you build this reliable reputation and credibility that will carry you through your entire career. And then, whether you know it or not, you're building advocacy, and you have people who are looking out for you, whether you are aware of it or not. And so I've been very fortunate in that perspective for my career too. But some of it, so much of it, comes down to, like, the relationship building early on, and again, being able to back it up with your expertise and experience. But that can really help you carry through your career in really positive ways.Elaina on the future of sports in Utah[36:04] 10 years ago, I never would've probably imagined an NBA All-Star game. An NHL team. An NHL Winter Classic, an Olympics coming back. And so for me, especially [as] someone who's from Utah it’s been so special to be a part of, and I think we are so fortunate to live in a state that is so strong economically and is so resilient to change and so, like, inelastic to all of these market conditions, which I think sets us up and is why we've been rewarded with, you know, we have a women's soccer team, now we have an NHL team. Again, I can continue to go down the list, but I think what's the center of this is Utah. And Utah is just a place in a state that's always growing and climbing and wants to get what's next. And I think it’s continually shown time and time again that Utah is very ripe for sports.Show Links:Elaina Pappas | LinkedIn ProfileUtah Jazz | NBA TeamUtah Mammoth | NHL TeamDavid Eccles School of Business (@ubusiness) | InstagramUndergraduate Scholars ProgramsRising Business LeadersEccles Alumni Network (@ecclesalumni) | Instagram Eccles Experience Magazine

1 min

Season 10 Trailer

Grab your headphones and mark your calendars. The Eccles Business Buzz podcast will be back on March 26th. I'm your host, Frances Johnson, and I hope you'll join me for our 10th season of Eccles Business Buzz. We have some great conversations and some exciting celebrations in store for you.This season, you'll hear from Eccles alums who are shaping the future of professional sports in Utah, from an entrepreneur building a new company in the snack industry, and from entrepreneurs guiding their family company into the fourth generation.We'll also hear from an Eccles alum and real estate developer working to address the shortage of affordable housing in Salt Lake City, and even from some of our Eccles grads fresh off competing in the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.And we have some special surprises to celebrate this milestone season. Every other Thursday, we'll be releasing trivia questions about the latest episode of the podcast, and the first person to submit the correct answer will score some cool Eccles swag. So, be sure you're subscribed to Eccles Business Buzz wherever you listen to podcasts, and make sure you're following us on Instagram @EcclesAlumni so you don't miss out. We can't wait for you to join us again!

36 min

S9E10: From Past to Present: The Johnsons on Tradition and Philanthropy at Eccles

We’re back for more stories about the impact the David Eccles School of Business has on the lives and careers of our alumni, and today, host Frances Johnson is joined by Steve Johnson and his sons Mitchell Johnson and Alex Johnson, multi-generational alums of the David Eccles School of Business, for an “All Johnson” episode on our season finale.Steve Johnson is CFO at Parker-Migliorini International, LLCm also known as PMI Foods, where he has been since 2006.. Mitchell Johnson joined Big Four accounting firm KPMG in 2002 and currently works there as a senior audit associate. Alex Johnson works in inbound sales at Weave Communications. Frances talks to the Johnsons about their family’s multi-generational ties to the U of U,, the campus’s growth and new facilities, and favorite Eccles experiences such as Alex’s Business Scholars trips (including visits to Boeing and Amazon), Mitchell’s semester abroad in London through Eccles Global and other Business Scholars travel, and Steve’s IBM corporate finance internship. They also discuss the value of staying involved as young alumni—especially for in-person networking and forming long-term relationships. Steve shares the reasons why it is so important for his family to give back through scholarships and endowments, influenced by the scholarship support he and his father received and his experience reading scholarship applications on the University of Utah Alumni Board of Governors. They also reflect on how the Eccles School prepared them for different career paths through programs, professional development, and experiential learning, and offer students advice to slow down, broaden their horizons, and take advantage of campus resources and opportunities.Eccles Business Buzz is a production of the David Eccles School of Business and is produced by University.fm.Eccles Business Buzz is proud to be selected by FeedSpot as one of the Top 70 Business School podcasts on the web. Learn more at https://podcast.feedspot.com/us_business_school_podcasts. Episode Quotes:What does Steve hope for his future generations?[31:28] Frances Johnson: Your sons now all three graduates of the Eccles School, and you have just been so deeply involved as a donor, as an alum at the Eccles School level and the university level. What do you hope that they do to stay engaged with the Eccles School? How do you hope they contribute, and what do you hope they're going to gain from that continued connection in your family?[32:02] Steve Johnson: Well, I hope they'll gain the same enjoyment and satisfaction that I did. The ability to feel a belonging, to continue to pass the torch along. The more involved you get and the more involved you get over time, you have a connection to the community. And it's very important. It is part of our community.The power of the alumni network matters more than digital connections[17:38] Mitchell Johnson: In the modern era, things like LinkedIn always are very beneficial to career advancement and building connections. But I think having the alumni network and having all the real in-person tangible connections just goes so, so far. And I think being able to keep, stay in touch with your old classmates, but also meeting people who have been alums for a long time, or who are fresh out of college. It’s great just to build those relationships, because you never know how far those could actually take you in life.The career advantage of staying open to new connections[20:16]: Alex Johnson: I think you never know at what point, like, the perfect career opportunity might come up for you. And I think you never want to shy away from those opportunities. And I think just continuing to increase your network is a great opportunity. I think sometimes what might happen is sometimes people, they leave college and they kind of get so focused in one area, they kind of shrink their network. But I think as you continue to build your network and meet new people, like even going to some of these alumni events, I have been able to meet new people who I did not know in college. And that is a great opportunity because you might be able to meet someone who has been in your shoes but was not the exact same age as you.Show Links:Steve Johnson | LinkedInMitchell Johnson | LinkedInAlex Johnson | LinkedInDavid Eccles School of Business (@ubusiness) | InstagramUndergraduate Scholars ProgramsRising Business LeadersEccles Alumni Network (@ecclesalumni) | Instagram Eccles Experience Magazine

34 min

S9E9: The Non-Linear Path to Venture Capital Success with Dalton Wright: From Venture Fund to Venture Forward

As we approach the end of our season highlighting alumni from the University and the impact that the David Eccles School of Business has had on their lives and careers, we welcome back guest-host Annesley Womble, who talks with Dalton Wright, General Partner at Kickstart, a seed-stage venture capital firm with offices in Salt Lake City and Denver.Dalton shares his unique career journey, which began with his involvement in the University Venture Fund and progressed to significant roles in venture capital, including helping to develop Utah’s first seed fund through Kickstart. He also discusses his non-linear career path, which included launching a startup and strategically working in venture capital in Mexico.The University of Utah played a critical role in supporting Kickstart during its early formation, providing guidance and infrastructure as the company navigated the challenges of launching a startup. Kickstart’s initial investment meetings were held at the University of Utah Technology Transfer Office, and the University was instrumental in the firm’s successful launch. Dalton also helped develop the Campus Founders Fund, a student-run investment fund established after his return to Utah. Today, the fund has invested in more than 30 student startups, including one that now generates several hundred million dollars in annual revenue. This University of Utah initiative has helped launch the careers of many students into the venture capital industry.Dalton emphasizes the importance of embracing change, redefining risk, and maintaining curiosity amid the evolving technological landscape. This episode is filled with insights on entrepreneurship, venture capital, and the value of pursuing passion over a linear career path.Eccles Business Buzz is a production of the David Eccles School of Business and is produced by University.fm.Eccles Business Buzz is proud to be selected by FeedSpot as one of the Top 70 Business School podcasts on the web. Learn more at https://podcast.feedspot.com/us_business_school_podcasts. Episode Quotes:Why the best career opportunities often look uncertain at first[10:31] When Kickstart was launching, I saw that as my opportunity to learn seed-stage venture capital with somebody who was the founder, the entrepreneur in that category. And so I was lucky enough to get the job as the first hire with the fund. We had $4 million under management at the time. This is the 2008 Great Recession. So I can empathize with any cohort of students who's graduating and wondering, like, is the world going to change forever? And will there ever be employment opportunities for me again? You know, nobody wanted to fund our fund. People saw it as like a community service project support entrepreneurs, but nobody was looking at it as these guys are going to go build like a franchise venture capital fund. But, you know, most good things look like that in the beginning. They're not yet exciting, they're not yet successful, and you have to be able to suspend what you see in the present moment and imagine what this thing can become in the future.Getting comfortable with fear and risk can help you explore a non-linear career path[11:57] There's one point right after graduating from college where my peers were all pursuing the linear path, and I'm not in any way saying, "Oh, like, they made the wrong choice," because, like, I mean, so many people have different preferences, values, things that they're trying to optimize for. So I never am trying to, like, say, "But my way is like, let me give someone else advice," because my way was my way, and it might not work for somebody else who even wants the same thing, let alone something entirely different. So I decided very early on that I was going to condition myself to feel comfortable with my fears and feel comfortable with the risks that I was taking. And so I think reframing what a risk is is really important if you want to take the nonlinear path.On why knowing your “why” matters more than money when building a startup[35:16] I've encouraged students to really think about the why behind what they're doing. And if it's to make money, a lot of money, it's like you can use that as a motivator, but there's also a lot of maybe easier ways or better ways, faster ways to have that need met. And so when you're grinding it out and you're not making money as a founder, and all of a sudden it's like, Hey, you can go take the consulting job and immediately have like a nice salary. Or you could potentially go get that, what causes you to say, Why would I ever consider that? And so I think if you know why you're building the thing and it's like truly rooted in the problem that you're trying to solve, the customers that you're serving, the change that you want to make in the world, if it's rooted in that, then you can lean on that through the down times to inspire you through that.Show Links:Dalton Wright | LinkedInProfile | Kickstart FundDavid Eccles School of Business (@ubusiness) | InstagramUndergraduate Scholars ProgramsRising Business LeadersEccles Alumni Network (@ecclesalumni) | Instagram Eccles Experience Magazine

30 min

S9E8: Curiosity is the Key that Unlocks Success feat. Ben Holley

We’re back for more stories about the impact the David Eccles School of Business has on the lives and careers of our alumni, and today we are sharing another success story of connections made through the David Eccles Alumni Network with Ben Holley.Frances talks to Ben about how he went from earning a music degree at the University of Utah and an MBA from Harvard Business School to now the VP of Finance for Disney Entertainment Television. Ben discusses his career journey, the importance of curiosity, and how it has consistently opened unexpected opportunities along the way. Ben shares insights from his varied roles throughout his tenure with Disney and emphasizes the value of building relationships and connections along the way. He also touches on his philanthropic efforts supporting Ukrainian families affected by war through the efforts of To Ukraine with Love. This episode offers valuable advice for anyone navigating career changes, fostering curiosity, and maintaining optimism.Eccles Business Buzz is a production of the David Eccles School of Business and is produced by University.fm.Eccles Business Buzz is proud to be selected by FeedSpot as one of the Top 70 Business School podcasts on the web. Learn more at https://podcast.feedspot.com/us_business_school_podcasts. Episode Quotes:Ben reveals how building relationships and connections shaped his career path[12:41] The other theme besides curiosity that might emerge in this conversation you'll hear me say again and again is the importance of building relationships and building connections. Whether that be, as we've been discussing, to help manage a business that you're part of, or whether it's building your career, connecting to those that are further on in their careers that may be able to provide advice or guidance. I remember an experience as a student when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do. I didn't really know what I wanted to do, and so I sat down and interviewed, in effect, 10 or 12 local businesspeople and asked them all about their jobs. I'd say, What do you like about your job? What do you hate about your job? What does your family think of your job? Do you make a lot of money? Do you not make a lot of money? What education did you have? Should I be thinking about an MBA? All of those questions. And the lesson I learned from that, walking away from all those interactions, there's not one that stands out to me as, Oh, that was the one; that was the silver bullet; that person knew everything that needed to be known. In reality, what happened was it was me talking about my interests and hearing other people react to those interests, and hearing a little bit about that helped me in my own mind to crystallize what I thought was sort of the right path for me, and that process of discussing and exploring different opportunities in different fields was really what helped me shape my own direction.On why students shouldn’t be afraid to approach mentors and industry leaders[15:43] At the outset you do have to have a little bit of self-confidence to pick up the phone or send an email or a text or whatever to reach out and make that connection. But what I found, and I think what most people will find, is that people are eager to share their own experience and eager to give advice. They feel flattered, right? When you reach out to them and say, “Hey, you're smarter than me; tell me what I should do.” And so, if I could dispel the fear that some people feel about reaching out, know that most people are eager to share their experience and talk to especially students.How being curious and making bold moves helped Ben get to where he is today[17:18] I thought to myself, I'm capable. I can certainly explore it, right? Figure it out and try and make that move, and through a series of interactions and connections and opportunities that I was able to find myself in the role I'm in now supporting the television side of the business, which is so funny. I came into this a little bit naive, right? Thinking, oh, finance is finance and Disney is Disney. But in reality, the television business is very different than the parks and resorts business, and it took a long time for me to learn the business, to get to know the people, but it's the same thing. It's the same thing I was doing at the call center, right? It's, you know, find the guy who's running the tech, who's asking you questions, figure out how the business works, how the business runs. Connect with the people, understand who's making decisions and guiding the business, and get to know them and let them get to know you, and that'll serve you well. It served me well, certainly.Show Links:Ben Holley | LinkedInTo Ukraine with LoveUtah Entrepreneur ChallengeDavid Eccles School of Business (@ubusiness) | InstagramUndergraduate Scholars ProgramsRising Business LeadersEccles Alumni Network (@ecclesalumni) | Instagram Eccles Experience Magazine