Utah Gossip » Local Business

Local Businesses get “Beefs” and “Props”

alex — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 21:55:12 +0000

Consupo.com is the latest web 2.0 company that delves into the vast world of consumer reviews and customer ratings and whaddaya know, a few locals have been featured…but not necessarily in a good way. For example, Gold’s Gym had a “case” brought against them and has a puny score of only 153. In fact, in response to the case against Gold’s, one user wrote “Steroids must be decreasing the memory cells over there.” Harsh. Yet other businesses are flying high on Consupo, such as Thai Ruby, a hole-in-the-wall favorite of the BYU crowd in south Provo that received a glowing review. Have a beef or prop you want to raise with a Utah company or business? Head over to Consupo and voice your opinion!

Utah Business Gets Even Bigger…

alex — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 21:18:11 +0000

Ever heard of Mozy, Inc.? Perhaps you’ve seen their new billboards along I-15…the “technology company with more cowbell.” Well the American Fork-based internet backup company was acquired by EMC last year and EMC has recently partnered with Lenovo, the world’s fourth-largest computer manufacturer to provide an unlimited online backup service for small business professionals. The service, available on all Lenovo ThinkPad SL series notebooks, is powered by…you guessed it, Mozy. Props to our fellow Utahns for landing such a big, high-profile account!

via PC Mag

LDS Church to buy Facebook?

gossipguy — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:39:24 +0000

That’s the rumor I read on Venturebeat this morning.

Seems ridiculous – I agree with the theory that some LDS people are probably buying employee shares (which the company is currently allowing them to sale). Possibly the LDS church themselves is buying these shares, but that seems more unlikely to me. If so, though, props to them…

Utah Company Makes Advances in Airline Safety

alex — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:25:05 +0000

No doubt you’ve heard in the past about airplanes and passengers being grounded for hours due to wiring problems. Or perhaps you’ve actually had the misfortune of being one of those passengers. LiveWire Test Labs, a Utah based company, may have found more efficient ways to inspect the wiring of airplanes, especially aging ones. Researchers have been developing a device that would detect intermittent faults in aircraft wiring. The device would warn in advance of changes that need to be made during routine maintenance checks.

It may sound like nothing extraordinary initially but their advanced research would enable more effective detection of wiring in need of repair or replacement without the inconvenient and costly down time – a major plus for passengers.

Liberty Land chooses the wrong name

gossipguy — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 18:18:58 +0000

Anybody who has driven through American Fork on I-15 has probably noticed our own Mount Rushmore – pretty cool, huh?

I was baffled about what exactly what this place was until I finally noticed some water was running down the statue (a fountain) and I saw a roller coaster near it – it must be some kind of little amusement park. Pretty cool.

My problem, however, is that I can’t drive past “Liberty Land” without asking myself whether the owners really didn’t think of the most awesomest, obvious name – “Mt. Funmore.” I haven’t been yet, but I’m pretty sure if it was called Mt. Funmore I would go.

Guess Who’s Settin’ Up Shop in UT?

alex — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:54:32 +0000

Zagat-rated and a favorite on the East Coast, Five Guys is the “Cafe Rio of burgers.” Always fresh and tasty, there’s not even a freezer located in any of the Five Guys restaurants. Locations are slated in Sandy, Sugarhouse, and possibly downtown Salt Lake City. A location in Midvale on Fort Union Blvd is already up and running. Dare I say Five Guys is better than In-N-Out. That’s right…better.

I-15: Prime Advertising Real Estate

alex — Tue, 20 May 2008 21:54:29 +0000

Commuting on I-15 today? Well then you are in for a visually pleasing treat! I-15 is littered with billboards…from Omniture to the Humane Society (Make animal torture a felony!) to Xango to UFirst to Dirty Joe’s Adult Novelty Store (by the the Provo Center Street exit…in case you were wondering), driving is never boring along the interstate. Everyone who’s anyone has paid a hefty chunk of their advertising budget for the chance to be seen by thousands of Utah motorists. Just how much do these companies pay a month to be seen by you? $1,000? $5,000? Even $10,000? I really don’t know but I’m guessing it is quite a bit. And most likely it is well worth it. My husband and I had never before been to Tai Pan Trading…until we saw their billboard. We turned off, went in, and in one trip, paid for their monthly billboard fee.

Pudding On The Rice: Unoriginality Doesn’t Pay?

alex — Tue, 13 May 2008 18:34:28 +0000

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Utah’s very own Pudding On The Rice is modeled (or copied, depending on who you ask) after New York City’s famed Rice to Riches. From the furniture to the décor to even the serving bowls, the rice pudding eatery is eerily similar to its predecessor in the Big Apple. So much so, that it really begs the question, how unoriginal can one be?

Pudding On The Rice is a glaring illustration of the unoriginality and facileness seen all too often in Utah (well, Utah County). While that doesn’t really bother me, the fact that it is marketed as a creative, original, and completely unique idea certainly does. Lest you think I’m not a fan, I happen to really like the rice pudding served there and think such a store has great potential to be extremely successful and profitable given the market in the family-oriented, college town of Provo. Furthermore, I have no problem with the fact that the idea was scraped; however, credit should be given where it’s due. The entire creative concept for such a niche market was the brainchild of Rice to Riches owner Pete Moceo – I have a feeling the Pudding On The Rice founders may strongly disagree with that statement.

Now here’s an interesting development: Pudding On The Rice is for sale. While that fact alone may not seem that peculiar, the selling price is. The asking price for the eatery is a paltry $50,000…which by the way includes all furniture, fixtures, equipment, and inventory. I smell failure.

Rice to Riches

(I’d put up a picture of Pudding on the Rice, but their website isn’t working properly…and hasn’t for months. Whoops.)

Even More Job Opportunities…

alex — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 18:40:24 +0000

are coming to Utah. The cosmetic company, Sephora, is making Salt Lake City one of their homes for a distribution center. It was either here or Reno, and they chose Salt Lake City. Because of this new distribution center, the Salt Lake area will have an additional 500 jobs–at least. So, if you are looking for a new job, or a part-time job for some extra cash, look into signing on with Sephora.

Don’t Have A Job? Well, That Is Your Own Fault…

alex — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 22:47:13 +0000

Utah is in the top 15 states that have the best employment rate. Actually, we are fifth. The federal unemployment rate is currently 5%. Utah has an unemployment rate of 3.2%. Not too shabby. 19.7% of Utahns are employed in the trade, transportation, and utilities industries. So, if you don’t have a job…look harder. If you want to see where other states compare, go to the CNN article.