Breakout Session #1 Presenters

Wendi Bulkley
Athletic Development Officer & Trailblazer Club Director – Utah Tech University Athletics
Room: Entrada ABC
Jon Bingham
Marketing Consultant – 3i Corporation
Room: Entrada ABC
Ryan Kohler
CEO and Founder of Refer.io and Founder of ApplicantPro
Room: Sunbrook ABC
Emily Merkely
Chief Executive Officer, Washington County Board of REALTORS & Multiple Listing Service
Room: Garden Room
Jacob Amundsen
CEO of Klatch MarketingDirector of Marketing & Strategy at Ignyte
Room: Ballroom CD
Steve Black
Center Director - Utah MEP
Room: Auditorium
WHAT'S UP DOWN SOUTH

Breakout Session 1 — 10:30 AM (45 minutes)

Clint Reid
Economic Implications of Tariffs
Entrada B
Myron Lee: Director of the Dixie Metropolitan Planning Organization
Transportation Planning
Sunbrook C
Travis Parry: LINX Commercial Real Estate
Commercial Real Estate
Ballroom E
Emily Merkely: CEO of the Washington County Board of Realtors & the local Multiple Listing Service
Residential Real Estate
Ballroom C
President Smeed (UT): President of ​​Utah Tech University
& President Rushton (DTC): President of Dixie Technical College
Higher Education (Interview Panel)
Ballroom E
Steve Black
Manufacturing
Entrada A
Todd Brightwell: President of Advisors Consulting Services and leads the Southern Utah Economic Alliance
Chad Thomas
Rusty Hughes
Darren Prince
David Johnson
Regional Economic Development Panel
Sunbrook A&B

Breakout Session 2 — 11:30 AM (45 minutes)

Joseph McPhee
Real Estate
Ballroom C
Marilyn Canon: Senior Economist at the Department of Workforce Services
Regional Economic Insights
Sunbrook C
Klatch
Marketing & AI
Ballroom A
Steve Waldrip
Housing
Entrada B
Colette Cox
GOEO & Start-Up State
Entrada C
Eric Burton: Utah MEP
Manufacturing
Entrada A
Ali Threet: Weber State Dean Of Students
Business Development: Missing Metric — Belonging, Connection,
and the Power of Joyfully Enough in Leadership
Sunbrook A&B
Jacob Amundsen
Klatch

Extinction is a Choice: How early adopters of AI will shape the next economic era.

Business Development

Ballroom A

Emily Merkely
CEO of the Washington County Board of Realtors & the local Multiple Listing Service

Desert Demand – Unpacking Washington County’s Housing Market

Real Estate (Residential)

Ballroom C

Scott Wolford
Vice President of Business Development, UIPA
Panelists:
Rich Israelsen
WTCUtah
Lynne Mayer
UIPA
Danny Stewart
UIPA

Utah’s Advanced Manufacturing Advantage

Manufacturing

Ballroom E

Myron Lee
Five County AOG

Roads, Transit, and Trails — Planning to 2050

Transportation

Entrada A

Peter Fuller
The Workflow Academy
Mandi Ellefson
Founder of Hands-Off CEO

Triple Your Sales Pipeline in 30 Days (And Then Retire to a Beach)

Business Development

Entrada B

Marilyn Cannon
Utah Department of Workforce Services

Trends & Outlook for Southern Utah’s Economy

Economic Insights

Entrada C

Todd Brightwell
Southern Utah Economic Alliance
Panelists:
Ryan Starks
Ben Hart
Jefferson Moss
One Economic Development Voice: How Southern Utah Is Aligned for Economic Prosperity

Economic Insights

Sunbrook AB

Clint Reid
Zonos

Trump Tariffs: Behind the scenes

International Business

Sunbrook C

Breakout Session 2 — 11:30 AM (45 minutes)

Jonathan Freedman
World Trade Center Utah
Panelists:
Dalyon Ruesch
CEO, Vitalpax
Jacob Ruesch
President, Vitalpax

What’s Up With Tariffs and Trade?

International Business

Ballroom A

Joseph McPhie
Southern Utah Title Company

Good News Housing Report

Real Estate (Sponsor)

Ballroom C

Andrew Sorensen
LINX Commercial Real Estate

Washington County Commercial Real Estate Update

Real Estate (Commercial)

Ballroom E

Lance Soffe
Director, Industry Partnerships at GOEO
Panelists:​
KoriAnn Edwards
47G
Kelvyn Cullimore
BioUtah
Isaac Barlow
Tech Ridge
LaDel Laub
Dixie Power

Cultivating Utah’s Competitive Edge: Developing Key Industry Sectors

Business Development

Entrada A

Drake Howell & Ryan Obrey
BZI Innovation Park, LLC
Panelists:
David Johnson
Iron County Economic Development
Danny Stewart
Utah Inland Port Authority
Chad Thomas
St. George City Economic Development
Mike Bleak
Iron County Commission
Greg Totten
Totten Tubes, Inc.
Paul Totten
Totten Tubes, Inc.

Economic Synergy: BZI Innovation Park & Southwestern Utah

Business Development

Entrada B

Steve Waldrip
Governor’s Office

The State of Housing in Utah

Housing

Sunbrook AB

Commissioner Gil Almquist

The Core of Leadership

Business Development

Entrada C

Eric Burton
Utah MEP

Built to Last: Why Lean is the Perfect Fit for the Rising Generation and the Future of Manufacturing

Manufacturing

Sunbrook C