Utah Valley BusinessQ

Utah Valley BusinessQ A quarterly publication for business leaders in Happy Valley. https://businessqmag.com/ A quarterly publication for business leaders in Utah County.

Utah Valley’s No. 4 Startup to Watch: ReferPro 🏠  THE COMPANY: ReferPro makes referrals for home service businesses easy...
10/30/2025

Utah Valley’s No. 4 Startup to Watch: ReferPro 🏠
 
THE COMPANY: ReferPro makes referrals for home service businesses easy to generate, track and reward. 
LEADERSHIP: Murphy Nadauld, Andrew Mikkelsen, Howell Asay 
FOUNDED: 2023 
EMPLOYEES: 21 
 
CUE THE LIGHTS  
“While building a home, 15+ contractors told me (Murphy) the same thing: Referrals drove most of their business, but they had no system to manage them. The problem is clear: 83 percent of customers are willing to refer, but only 29 percent actually do.” 
 
ENCORE  
“We want to build a company that supports thousands of jobs and families throughout Utah, as well as the families of the home-service businesses we support. Main Street business who grow because of ReferPro will continue to have a massive impact on Utah and the local economies they service.” 
 
See the full startup to watch list at the link in our bio.
 

Utah Valley’s No. 3 Startup to Watch: Spylt 🥛The Company: A better-for-you chocolate milk (and additional flavors), with...
10/29/2025

Utah Valley’s No. 3 Startup to Watch: Spylt 🥛

The Company: A better-for-you chocolate milk (and additional flavors), with 20g of protein, 0 sugar, 90 cals and a kick of caffeine.
Founded: 2024
Employees: 15
Leadership: Nick Greer, Josh Mendenhall, Steve Quercia

🌟 CUE THE LIGHTS 🌟
“One day I (Josh) realized I always grabbed chocolate milk and something caffeinated — so why not combine them? That idea led to a winning formula at the 2022 New York Milk Launch. Soon after, I partnered with Nick Greer of BUILT Bar, and together we spent a year perfecting the product. We had an official product launch in Harmon’s in 2024 as the first retailer, and landed both national Kroger and Alberton’s chains in 2025.”

🤾 BOLD BRANDING 🤾
“We’re all about finding the kid inside of you. Life’s too short to stress over mistakes or shortcomings. Instead of crying about it, laugh at it — and drink it up.”

See the full startups to watch list at the link in our bio.

Utah Valley’s No. 8 Fastest-Growing Company: Houston TX Hot Chicken 🐔 3-year growth: 1,688% Founded: 2021 Employees: 1...
10/29/2025

Utah Valley’s No. 8 Fastest-Growing Company: Houston TX Hot Chicken 🐔

3-year growth: 1,688%
Founded: 2021
Employees: 115
Leadership: Edmond Barseghian, Brian Simowitz, Mario Drezo

🔥HOT HEADLINE 🔥
“It’s been a blazing year: We’re on track to surpass 30 stores by the end of 2025, ranked No. 217 on the Inc. Magazine 5000, and one of our social videos alone racked up 45 million views.”

☣️BOLD BRANDING ☣️
“Our ‘Houston We Have a Problem’ spice level is legendary. At every grand opening, we host the HWHAP spice challenge: The first person to conquer three waiver-required tenders wins $1,000. It’s pure spectacle and a must-see for fans and media alike. Of course, our name is ultimately a nod to HHC’s out-of-this-world flavors — most of which don’t require waivers or hazmat suits.”

See the full list of fastest-growing companies at TheUV50.com! ⬅️

Utah Valley’s No. 2 Startup to Watch: WAV Exteriors 🏠  On a car ride to Mexico for a charity project, Tanner Berry and R...
10/27/2025

Utah Valley’s No. 2 Startup to Watch: WAV Exteriors 🏠 
 
On a car ride to Mexico for a charity project, Tanner Berry and Ryan Scott started casually chatting business. The two decided to try building something together — and from ideas like solar to brick-washing, they landed on exterior construction: siding, stucco, gutters, masonry and more.👷In 2023, WAV officially launched and now employs around 130 people. With almost 7,000% revenue growth from 2023 to 2024, WAV Exteriors is creating a construction tidal wave. 🌊
 
“When you’re starting a business like this, your reputation is most important, and we didn’t know how to set ourselves apart from others. It’s B2B, so we’re servicing builders and general contractors. It’s hard to say to them, ‘Trust us with this million-dollar project,’ if they’ve never heard of us. We had to formulate, ‘How do we pitch ourselves as a credible company and incentivize builders to trust us with these projects?’ So, we offered discounts and low-balled the competition for the first projects to hopefully blow their expectations away.” - Ryan Scott 
 

Utah Valley’s No. 5 Fastest-Growing Company: Baton Leads  3-Year Growth 📈  2,218% Founded 🗓️  2019 Leadership 🤝  Phil Ki...
10/23/2025

Utah Valley’s No. 5 Fastest-Growing Company: Baton Leads 
 
3-Year Growth 📈  2,218% 
Founded 🗓️  2019 
Leadership 🤝  Phil Kirkeiner, Cody Barbour, Ian Schoen 
The Company 🏠 A referral marketplace where home service providers get paid to refer the jobs they can’t take, and get referred for the jobs they want.  
 
HOT HEADLINES  
“One of our clients sent nearly 15,000 referrals in the first eight months of 2025, generating revenue from opportunities they couldn’t service while still receiving hundreds of new customers. Another partner consistently sends 200+ referrals per month, turning unused leads into steady income. We estimate Baton has already generated over $50 million in revenue for our partners.” 
 
AFTER HOURS  
“Our industry was really affected by the hurricanes that ravaged North Carolina and Florida last year. We worked with our industry to raise over $5K to donate to affected families. It helped remind our team that we work with people who are dealing with really tough adversities.” 
 

Utah Valley’s No. 4 Fastest-Growing Company: Leland 👩‍🏫  3-Year Growth 📈 2,757% Founded 🗓️ 2021 Leadership 💥 John Koelli...
10/22/2025

Utah Valley’s No. 4 Fastest-Growing Company: Leland 👩‍🏫
 
3-Year Growth 📈 2,757% 
Founded 🗓️ 2021 
Leadership 💥 John Koelliker, Zando Ward, Erika Mahterian 
The Company 🥅 A platform that helps ambitious people reach their career and educational goals with thousands of expert coaches. 
 
📰 HOT HEADLINE 📰
“Last year, Leland raised a $12M Series A from leading VC firms like Forerunner and GSB Ventures.”  
 
💡 CUE THE LIGHTS 💡
“Leland was founded after realizing how hard it was to access the expertise needed to reach big goals like getting into top schools or landing competitive jobs. We set out to build a platform that makes world-class expertise and support universally accessible, starting with coaching and expanding into courses, content, community and jobs.”
 
See their full feature and the other UV50 winners at the link in our bio.
 

Utah Valley’s No. 4 Economic Engine: Awardco 🏆  Leadership 👏 Steve Sonnenberg, Mike Sonnenberg, Tanner Runia Founded 🗓️ ...
10/21/2025

Utah Valley’s No. 4 Economic Engine: Awardco 🏆  

Leadership 👏 Steve Sonnenberg, Mike Sonnenberg, Tanner Runia 
Founded 🗓️ 2015 
City 📍 Lindon 
Full-time Employees 💼 600 
 
FAST FACTS 
💲Secured a $165 million Series B round of funding, enabling the company to continue to innovate while scaling its global infrastructure and offering new services and solutions to power employee engagement. 

🌏 Serves over 6 million users across 163 countries, cementing the company as a global presence in the rewards and recognition space. 

🏆 Awardco’s reward network includes over 300 million options for users to choose from. 

See the full economic engines list at the UV50 link in our bio!

No. 5 Startup to Watch: Crew 🗑️ The company 💼 Trash valet tech for short term rental owners. Founded 🗓️ 2024 City📍O...
10/17/2025

No. 5 Startup to Watch: Crew 🗑️

The company 💼 Trash valet tech for short term rental owners.
Founded 🗓️ 2024
City📍Orem

It’s time to take out the trash — literally. 🚮 Finance pro turned Airbnb guru, Cameron Lam has hosted over 30,000 guests. As he got into the Airbnb world, he was able to automate almost every step of the process … except for those pesky blue and green bins. Partnering with Jordan Garn and Travis Zappia, and combining their personal fields of expertise, this savvy crew built the Crew app — a smoother, techy way to automate trash valet for short term rental owners. Crew is a more sustainable model than other gig economy apps, thanks to the consistent nature of trash pickup schedules. With a niche market fit, Crew just hit $1 million in ARR July 2025. Cameron and the Crew are kicking trash to the curb — and helping gig workers as they do so. 🤝

“The real growth came when Convoi Ventures accepted us into their program. Jared Rodman said, ‘Why don’t you just start calling owners and telling your story?’ That’s what I did, and we grew business to around $150k ARR in eight weeks. We raised a $3 million seed round with interest from strong investors. And we hit $1 million in July. It’s been less than a year, and this thing is taking off.” - Cameron Lam

Read the full story at the link in our bio.

No. 3 Fastest-Growing Company: Cords Club ✨  3-year growth: 2,929% Founders: Lexi Petersen and Ben Petersen Founded: 202...
10/16/2025

No. 3 Fastest-Growing Company: Cords Club ✨  

3-year growth: 2,929% 
Founders: Lexi Petersen and Ben Petersen 
Founded: 2021 
 
Join the Cords Club. 🌸 From the beginning, founders and couple Ben and Lexi Petersen have been the best listeners a customer could ask for. The brand originally started as hair scarves and scrunchies but has pivoted to a top-selling flat-back, hypoallergenic earring brand focused on the fun, the weird and the colorful. Up until last year, Lexi ran all the social media herself and made a point to respond to every comment she could — showing customers that Cords Club is never too big to connect (even when the brand has more than 196K followers on Instagram). Cords Club’s eclectic drops have included the “junk drawer” line, “Cords Club Cola” soda line, and more. The Petersens are proving that jewelry can tell a story in addition to accessorizing, as long as you’re not afraid to color outside the lines. 💎

“At Cords Club, we’re helping people tell their stories and get excited to feel like they’re part of something bigger. The weirder the drop, the more people respond to it. You can find a circular stud at literally every single jewelry place, but you can’t find a pretzel flatback stud or scissors or a button. It’s fun to provide pieces that help people share more about themselves with the world. It’s more than an ear stack; it’s a story.” - Lexi

With a diverse portfolio spanning industries and projects of all sizes, the Suncore brand is embedded throughout the Int...
10/14/2025

With a diverse portfolio spanning industries and projects of all sizes, the Suncore brand is embedded throughout the Intermountain West. From roads and highways to public utilities and neighborhoods, Suncore products and projects quietly shape the places we live, work and play. 🛣️ 🏗️ Beneath Suncore's modern presence lies a century-old legacy built on grit and quality.

We're looking to spotlight other companies 50 years and older in our upcoming winter issue. If you know a business, nominate them at the link in the bio!

Address

424 West 800 North Ste. 201
Orem, UT
84057

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Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 4pm

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