T E C H N O L O G Y
Everything
From grilling to immigration, technology innovators find new solutions in Utah.
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by R O N S T A R N E R
Photos cour tesy of Traeger Grills
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BUSINE SS IN U TA H
f you thought that Silicon Slopes was a haven for just fintech and big data, think again. Innovative firms in Utah apply technology to everything from grilling to immigration. Look no further than the hottest trend in backyard barbecuing: Traeger Grills. Chances are, you’ve heard them advertised during your favorite drive-time sports radio talk show after work. Well, all those ads aimed at sports dads are working. Traeger Grills, based in Salt Lake City, is taking America by storm. How it got to Utah is a classic story in innovative thinking.
Entrepreneur Jeremy Andrus left California for Utah in 2005 and joined the founder of Skull Candy. “I wanted to run a private business again. I looked around and created a broader search,” says Andrus. “I found a business that I fell in love with in Oregon.” That business was Traeger Grills, a 26-year-old firm that was doing about $76 million a year in revenue. Andrus thought the business had a lot more potential, but it needed an infusion of energy and creative thinking. “I had a choice to make — commute, move to Oregon, or move the company to Utah,” he says. “I was so impressed with the people here and the outdoors.
