OREM, Utah, May 24, 2023 — To mark the commencement of OremFest 2023, RevRoad will host an impressive car show featuring an intriguing array of vintage and exotic cars at Scera Park in Orem. Notably, the company has extended a special invitation to the VIP Guests of Honor from Medallion Manor and TURN Community Services, which provide exceptional care for special needs adults in the local area. To ensure a memorable experience for the VIP Guests of Honor, they will be accompanied by the glamorous Miss Utah, along with Orem City Royalty, and local university cheerleaders.
In further celebration of the Orem community, the event’s sidewalks will be decorated with vibrant chalk by artists throughout the area. Guests will enjoy a good old-fashioned hot dog dinner (while supplies last) along with a variety of engaging children’s activities hosted by local businesses.
The RevRoad Rally has become an anticipated event at the mark of summer, attracting a community crowd of typically between 2,500–3,500 people. The RevRoad Rally is a chance for RevRoad team members and portfolio companies, Orem City community members, car owners, and attendees to come together and enjoy a night out. The RevRoad Rally is free to attend for anyone seeking a fun evening out.
The event will kick off OremFest on June 5th, 2023 at 6:00 pm and will conclude at 9:00 pm at Scera Park in Orem, Utah. All are welcome and encouraged to come enjoy the summer air and create wholesome memories with the community.
RevRoad is a venture services firm that focuses on helping entrepreneurs succeed. The company empowers portfolio companies to maximize profitability, get to market faster, and create a solid foundation for their venture by packing their team with experts for up to 24 months. RevRoad team members work shoulder-to-shoulder with founders of developing companies to provide everything they need to scale their business faster visit revroad.com to learn more and apply for the accelerator program.
Utah’s biggest Entrepreneur Competition features rising startups that will lead the future.
PROVO, Utah — RevRoad, a Utah business accelerator, today announced the 36 semi-finalists for the 6th semi-annual Entrepreneur Competition sponsored by Central Bank. The competition will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, March 25, 2023, at the Utah Valley University Keller Building. With $10,000 on the line, these companies are eager to showcase their businesses to Utah’s finest investors, mentors, and executives.
The semi-finalists will compete for the following prizes:
$10,000 Central Bank Grand Prize (Cash prizes are not tied to an investment or equity.)
$2,500 cash for the Runner-Up (Cash prizes are not tied to an investment or equity.)
$1,000 cash for the 3rd place prize (Cash prizes are not tied to an investment or equity.)
$1,000 cash prize for the Fan Favorite (Cash prizes are not tied to an investment or equity.)
RevRoad encourages the public to vote for their favorite company as part of the fan favorite award. They are also invited to attend this free event.
Further detail at ecomp.revroad.com. For media inquiries, interviews or additional information, please contact RevRoad PR Specialist Brittany Ouimette at brittany.ouimette@revroad.com or by calling 888-920-7623.
About RevRoad
RevRoad is a venture services firm that focuses on helping entrepreneurs succeed. They empower portfolio companies to maximize profitability, get to market faster and create a solid foundation for their venture by packing their team with experts for up to 24 months. RevRoad team members work shoulder-to-shoulder with founders of developing companies to provide everything they need to scale their businesses faster. Visit revroad.com to learn more and apply for the accelerator program.
PROVO, Utah, March 13, 2023 – RevRoad, a venture services firm, is selected as one of Utah’s 100 Companies Championing Women as part of the Inspire In Utah initiative. This recognition is a testament to the company’s unwavering commitment to promoting gender diversity, inclusivity, and equity.
RevRoad’s Chief People Officer, Amy Caldwell, expressed her gratitude for the recognition, saying, “We are dedicated to empowering women and providing them with equal opportunities for growth and success. We firmly believe that a diverse and inclusive workforce and community are crucial for building a stronger and more resilient business ecosystem. We are honored to be selected as one of Utah’s 100 Companies Championing Women and remain committed to creating a work environment that fosters gender equality and diversity.”
RevRoad’s efforts to support women are evident in its numerous initiatives, including its paid family leave program, mentorship and sponsorship programs, and efforts to increase diversity in mid- and senior leadership roles.
Paid Family Leave. The company’s maternity leave policy offers six weeks of fully paid leave and an additional six weeks of partial pay for new mothers with 12 months of employment. The company also provides 100% funded HSA contributions and pays 100% of the insurance premium for each full-time employee on the company health insurance plan.
Mentor Programs. The company’s mentorship and sponsorship programs, led by Amy Caldwell and Emily Clinger, provide women entrepreneurs with mentorship, education, and other resources and opportunities throughout the state. Additionally, 35-40% of the company’s 67 portfolio companies are women-led.
Diversity in leadership roles and on boards. The company strives to increase diversity in mid- and senior leadership roles and implement initiatives to onboard portfolio companies with diverse leadership teams. Rachelle Morris, RevRoad Capital’s co-founder and managing director, is a fierce advocate for female founders, dedicating her career to advancing women to positions of senior leadership and power. The company’s board of 11 members includes two women
RevRoad is a venture services firm that focuses on helping entrepreneurs succeed. The company empowers portfolio companies to maximize profitability, get to market faster, and create a solid foundation for their venture by packing their team with experts for up to 24 months. RevRoad team members work shoulder-to-shoulder with founders of developing companies to provide everything they need to scale their businesses faster. Visit revroad.com to learn more and apply for the accelerator program.
For all those last minute shoppers, it’s time to find the perfect holiday gift for all the meaningful people in your life. We’ve compiled a list of specialty products within the RevRoad portfolio that just might pique your interest. Here, we’ll explore 10 unique gifts to match each personality in your life be it a friend, relative, coworker, or significant other.
Our gift guide includes tech, food, books, clothing, and even educational courses, while still accommodating a wide variety of budgets! Let us take the gift shopping stress off your shoulders with these unforgettable gift ideas that also support local Utah entrepreneurs.
Still searching for the perfect gift for the gun fanatic of the family? Help them keep their collection in pristine condition by giving the gift of protection. Bone Dri’s gun cases are designed to remove any and all moisture on or inside the weapon, while also preventing any more from creeping in. Simply place the compromised gun inside the case before bed, then unwrap a perfectly dry weapon the next morning—just like Christmas! Even the deepest, most seeped-in moisture doesn’t stand a chance. Keeping firearms in good condition is not only essential to the gun’s functionality, but it also increases safety for the user. Check out the various cases and styles on their website here.
This gift is for the soda lover, energy chugger, and sports drink enthusiast. Bobelo’s delicious drink mix gives you all the flavor and bubbles you want from a soda, but with better hydration, better nutrition, and none of the guilt. Each Bobelo pouch is sweetened with stevia leaf instead of sugar, and packed full of vitamins and electrolytes—keeping families hydrated and energized all year long. Plus, their small and portable drink packs make for perfect stocking stuffers! View flavors and recipes on their website here.
This gift is for anyone looking to experience the outdoors with confidence. It’s hard to go wrong when you grant the gift of knowledge. CRUX offers many courses on outdoor activities for the season, such as backcountry skiing and avalanche preparedness, as well as fly fishing, living the van life, climbing, mountain biking, and more. Crux Academy delivers an excellent learning experience from the world’s most accomplished outdoor athletes and thought leaders to empower anybody’s outdoor experience. View courses and get more information at their website here.
These scrubs provide comfort and style to the medical worker in your life. ALTA Brand has innovated on the classic look and designed something with performance and comfort in mind, down to the very last stitch. With 4-way comfort flex, antimicrobial Silvadur™ lining, strategic pocket placement, and a modern, trendy design, this scrub uniform is flexible, comfortable, and practical for both men and women. Give a gift they’ll love wearing every day! Shop all ALTA Brand products on their website here.
Be the spark that ignites creativity in someone you love. With a Sentient membership, anyone can unlock their creative potential by experiencing a master firsthand. Dive into the mindset, techniques, and inspiration behind dozens of award-winning artists as they journey from canvas to masterpiece. While other courses circle around subjects with no real substance, Sentient has cut out the fluff to make better artists faster. Whether that special someone is a doodler, sketcher, painter, or designer, Sentient will help them reach higher and find their fire. Bring the joy with a single course pack or a subscription to their vast catalog of lessons and demos. See their full course list and plans here.
Have you ever been navigating through an unknown city when your cellphone dies? Nobody carries around paper maps these days, so how can you be expected to find where you’re going without your travel companion apps? Give the gift of portable power so that the traveler in your life will never be stranded with their battery on 1%. Let the most compact, long-lasting portable battery on the market jump-start their phone, laptop, camera, or other technology, in preparation for the next leg of the adventure! View battery packs, portable solar panels, and carriers on the Elios website here.
Putting a healthy dinner on the table every night continues to be one of the biggest stresses for busy parents. Give the gift of stress-free cooking with a subscription to Prepear! The receiver of your gift will enjoy step-by-step cooking with a thoughtfully-designed recipe interface to help them save time, eat healthier, and cook creatively. They get access to unlimited meal plans and grocery lists that take the stress and planning out of meal preparation. It’s the gift that keeps on giving! Learn more at Prepear’s website here.
There’s always at least one person in the family who wants to take photos of everything—every outing, every meal, every road-side flower. It’s time they experience Persnickety Box. Each month, Persnickety will print 30 of their favorite photos, which they deliver in a beautiful, eco-friendly keepsake box. What could be more memorable than a gift that helps preserve cherished memories! Plus, it’s so easy to get started! View all printed products on Persnickety Box’s website here.
Customizable books are just what they sound like: books that are customizable! Have you ever read a children’s book and thought, “This sounds like my child!” Cedar Fort made it possible for parents to bring that dream to life by transporting children into their very own book! A perfect and exciting gift for children to receive on Christmas day, a personalized book is the kind of gift a child would keep for the rest of their life. View all published products on Cedar Fort’s website here.
Did you know that studies have shown your phone’s surface contains 10 or more times the bacteria as your average toilet seat? Thankfully, PhoneSoap’s UV-C technology will sanitize your phone after you’re done scrolling TikTok from the porcelain throne. Compatible with all smartphones, these sanitizing pods kill 99.9% of germs on hand-held devices. Maybe you’re the biggest germ spreader of the home, or maybe it’s your partner, but no matter who’s been skipping their handwash singalongs, having a PhoneSoap around can help make everyone healthier and safer this holiday season and beyond! Shop all UV-C sanitation products on PhoneSoap’s website here.
And there you have it—10 amazing gifts to fit all the different personalities in your life! We’ve used these items ourselves, and we absolutely love them! By adding unique and memorable gifts like these under the tree this year, you’re not only guaranteed to stand out, but you’ll also be supporting Utah entrepreneurs.
On October 6, 2022 Brent Allgood claimed the seat on RevRoad’s blue couch at RevUniversity. Brent is the CEO and Founder of Adaptive Workshops, a local startup that uses virtual reality (VR) to facilitate team building workshops for employees seeking to strengthen communication and engagement.
Brent Allgood discussing entrepreneurship at RevUniversity on October 6. 2022.
BUILDING EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
According to Brent, there are mountains of research regarding employee engagement. Data shows that about one-third of employees are actively engaged in the office, and approximately 51% of employees are disengaged.
“They are simply there to exchange time for a paycheck. If something happens, their response is usually, “That’s not my problem.”
At Adaptive Workshops, Brent and his team seek to foster more engagement in employees to be more actively involved—not only in their work tasks but also in the company culture.
“The whole point of having employees and a team in business is so you don’t have to do it alone. We are social creatures. People want to be with their friends and do things with their friends. They want to be in an office space where they have great company culture.”
Brent Allgood, Adaptive Workshops
What do you actually do to build that culture?
Brent Allgood interviewed by Brittany Ouimette in front of a live audience.
HOW VR WORKSHOPS BUILD TEAM CULTURE
Within the Adaptive Workshop’s VR team building workshop for employees, teams work together to protect their fortress from ogre and dragon intruders. Standing at their post, each team member aims their bow and arrow at the approaching enemies.
Brent chose to use VR as the medium for his workshop for two primary reasons. The first reason, he explained, is that people want to learn by doing—not by being told what to do.
Consider it this way. How did you learn to swim? Do you go to a classroom where a teacher showed you how to move your arms and legs, and then you knew how to swim? No. You got into the pool, experienced the water, and move your body around to learn what it feels like to swim.
People don’t want to learn by someone telling them what to do. We learn by doing. And that is why VR is an ideal medium for team communication workshops.
“We use VR similar to how I would teach you to swim, but instead we are teaching about communication. Rather than me coming into your workspace and saying, “You need to communicate with your team,” I’m going to put you in a VR experience. You naturally want to perform well in the game, and you can’t do well unless you are communicating. That is why we use VR as a tool to get teams to come together, communicate, understand who is good at what and then further develop those roles.”
Brent Allgood, Adaptive Workshops
The second reason is because it is fun! VR provides an environment for teams to come together, let their hair down, and have some fun together—within a structured workshop to help them bond. You are bonding in the foxholes so that when you come together in the office the next day, you’re ready to work together.
Discussing Team Building Workshops for Employees with Adaptive Workshops
WHO THE WORKSHOP IS FOR
This team building workshop for employees is ideal for teams and companies who are changing rapidly.
It often takes companies months of even years to fully integrate a new employee into the team. By doing the Adaptive Workshops exercise, new employees can be integrated within half a day. The workshop can build that comradery very quickly but unveiling communication needs, identifying individual strengths, and developing friendships within a game environment.
If team members are unwilling to say, “I need help,” or, “What can I do for you?” during the workshop, they can take those communications skills back to the workplace to increase teamwork dynamics.
ADVICE TO ENTREPRENEURS
Brent shared his five pieces of advice to other entrepreneurs.
Figure out exactly what is you want to do, but don’t be afraid to make changes
Jeremy and Kristin Andrus took the stage at RevUniversity on September 1, 2022. As husband and wife, business partners, and parents, they shared their experiences building culture in business and at home. Jeremy is the President and CEO of Traeger Grills and Kristin is a fierce advocate for ending Period Poverty through her #SisterGoods campaign.
This couple divides and conquers together while turning challenges into growth. They are impacting their business and communities while raising 6 children. Read on to learn more about how they create balance in their crazy, busy lives.
Jeremy Andrus and Kristin Andrus take the stage at September’s RevUniversity
Culture
Jeremy and Kristin believe that culture is the backbone of any thriving business. Jeremy said, “People won’t give more than their job unless they buy into the culture of the business.” The five cultural values at the heart of Traeger’s culture are:
Done done done. Believe in delivering quality to a customer.
Test kitchen mentality. The best organizations build a team of people who believe in getting better.
No reservations. We thoughtfully respect a customer in all of our touch points.
Stand in the fire. Good companies are born from risk-taking. Be willing to take smart risks.
Cook together. We want low-ego teams and people who are easy to work with. Rather than dictators for leaders, we want “servant leaders” that will help instead of just control. We want a team of people to show up and elevate others.
Part of creating the wanted culture in a business is hiring. In the beginning of Traeger, Jeremy said he interviewed, “99% of the first 400 people we hired.”
“I view a CEO’s role first and foremost as filtering and protecting culture.”
Jeremy Andrus, Traeger Grills
He demonstrated a long-term focus as he filtered people based on culture and values in order to build a culture that would allow Traeger to succeed in the business environment.
Partners in marriage and in life, Jeremy and Kristin support each other’s individual goals.
Philanthropy and fighting for a cause
Kristin actively fights for the rights of women in her community and around the world. Kristin is a board member for UnDEfeated, an organization that serves underprivileged youth and single mothers in Uganda. She is also an Instagram influencer and uses her platform to raise money for menstrual care products for women and girls all throughout Utah.
“When women use their voices and their resources and their talents and their energy— then we are the change.”
Kristin Andrus, Community Champion
Kristen highlighted the communities that Traeger supports such as Roots High School in West Valley City, Utah, and various other food advocacy groups throughout the state. Traeger believes that food brings people together to make meaningful connections—so what better way to get involved than to help diminish food poverty?
Kristin reminded all in attendance that you do not need to have money in order to make a difference. You can give your time and talents to help lift others around you—whether in a formal setting or simply serving in your own neighborhood.
Jeremy and Kristin Andrus interview by Bri Ray at RevRoad HQ in Provo, Utah.
Work-life balance
Jeremy and Kristin both talked about work-life balance and the importance of spending enough time in each of the areas. Jeremy explained that he has a time that he leaves the office and is done with work every single day. He said that it “forces me to prioritize my day.”Kristin acknowledges that many women experience internal conflict knowing that they cannot be at home with their children and serving in the community at the same time. There is always a trade-off. She has learned that everyone needs to “create their balance,” and to remember that both things are fulfilling and worthwhile.
We are so grateful for Jeremy and Kristin and their willingness to share their ideas and experiences as business owners and philanthropists making a difference in the lives of countless individuals!
Between the pitch-off war and dueling mechanical bull riding, the 2022 RevRoad Entrepreneur Competition, sponsored by Central Bank of Utah was the best one yet.
The rise of the fastest growing nearly $1B dollar company in Utah has been astounding, something we may never see again—starting at $0 revenue only 14 months ago. They have accomplished this somewhat incognito, staying too busy with their growth to worry about the fanfare. Yet now, as they approach this massive milestone in the startup space, we think it’s time for their incredible story to be told.
