PAYING IT FORWARD

To the next generation of Innovators

How Lovesac, a Utah-based furniture business, is upgrading learning environments for Utah Tech students

The college experience is typically defined by exploration, adventure, and finding your passion, but for Shawn Nelson and Dave Underwood, their college experience was shaped by the start of their multi-million-dollar furniture business, Lovesac.

Lovesac was established in 1995 on the University of Utah’s campus, where Shawn was a student. Throughout their time at college, Lovesac served as their side hustle while they finished earning their undergraduate degrees. As the business grew, and its founders graduated, Lovesac’s headquarters moved to Connecticut to help raise venture capital and reorganize the business.

Ten years later, in 2017, Shawn and Dave moved their families back to Utah and opened a Lovesac office in St. George to focus on product development and engineering efforts. With roots firmly planted in Southern Utah, Shawn and Dave began supporting Utah Tech University’s campus and student body.

“We’re locals, Dave and I. We grew up in Salt Lake City and started Lovesac when we were on the campus of the

University of Utah, so being involved with the university in our backyard has always been in our DNA,” Shawn said. “Now that we’ve relocated our families from Connecticut to Southern Utah, that’s now the university in our backyard, so we’re happy to continue that tradition in St. George.”

Understanding the importance of a college education and its impact on developing a business, Shawn and Dave have made it a priority to improve the learning environment for students at Utah Tech. Now, thanks to Shawn and Dave’s generosity, Lovesac’s highquality, professional furniture can be found in several locations across campus including Atwood Innovation Plaza, Student Success Center, and Greater Zion Stadium.

After supporting Innovation Plaza, Dave and Shawn became interested in learning more about the University from an engineering standpoint. During their conversations with students and faculty from the engineering program, they discovered there was an opportunity to sponsor a lab for the Engineering Department, which has jumpstarted their five-year investment into The Lovesac Designed for Life

Prototyping Lab. This sponsorship will create an innovation lab for students to gain hands-on engineering experience.

Lovesac hopes to expand its involvement with the engineering program in the coming years through a variety of potential avenues like assisting with students’ senior projects, offering engineering internships, and hosting speaking engagements for classes or campus events about manufacturing and innovation.

“Whether it’s furniture donations or interactions with the school going forward, we want to get more students involved in possible senior projects or student projects or helping us solve problems in the engineering space,” Dave said.

As Lovesac’s growth and success continue, Dave and Shawn hope to maintain their connections with Utah Tech students and the campus community.

IT ONLY TAKES A FEW MOMENTS TO CHANGE A LIFE