Young Finance Professionals

Scott Petty, Managing Director at vSpring Capital - September 9th noon at the Zions Bank Founder’s Room

Scott knows how to add value from the outside in.  As a consultant with Bain & Company for seven years, he worked with more than 16 IT and non-IT companies, re-engineering their strategies for optimum results.

Prior to vSpring, Scott was COO and a Board Director of Zuka Juice, a retail organization selling nutritional products. Under Scott’s leadership, Zuka Juice grew from its first store to 96 retail units and over 400 employees. Zuka Juice was acquired by Jamba Juice (NASDAQ:JMBA), a venture backed competitor.

Scott serves on the Board of Directors of the Lassonde New Venture Development Center at the University of Utah. He also serves on the National Directors Council at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts.

Scott received a BS in Economics from Brigham Young University and a MBA from the Harvard Business School. Scott has led vSpring’s investments in Alianza, Alpha Bay, comScore (NASDAQ:SCOR), Control4, FamilyLink, Infusionsoft, LignUp, Public Engines, SwarmBuilder,  Zonder and Cerberian which was acquired by Blue Coat Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:BCSI).

Gary Crocker, Chairman of Merrimack Pharmaceuticals and President of Crocker Ventures, LLC, April 21st, Noon, Zions Bank Founder’s Room

Gary Crocker initially invested in Merrimack and joined the Board in 2004, and was elected as Chairman in the spring of 2005. Mr. Crocker is President of Crocker Ventures, LLC, a life science private investment firm. He is in the midst of his second term on the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Branch of San Francisco and also serves as a member of the Advisory Board of Sorenson Capital, an LBO private equity fund. He has held senior executive or director level positions in several successful life science firms including service from 1998 to 2003 as Chairman of ARUP Laboratories, as a director of Interleuken Genetics, Inc, and LineaGen Genetics, LLC., and as a co-founder and director of Theratech, Inc. which was acquired in 1999 by Watson Pharmaceuticals. From 1983 to 1997, he was President/CEO and founder of Research Medical, Inc., a publicly traded cardiac device manufacturer acquired by Baxter International in 1997. Prior to Research Medical, Mr. Crocker was Vice President, Business Development and Director of Marketing for the Sorenson Research division of Abbott Laboratories, and an Internal Strategic Analyst for Baxter International. He was recently inducted into the University of Utah Science Hall of Fame, and serves as a director of the University’s Research Foundation. Mr. Crocker earned both his MBA and also graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Harvard University.

Jeremy Neilson, Managing Director, Utah Fund of Funds, Jan 12th, Noon, Zions Bank Founder’s Room

Mr. Neilson was tapped by State Economic Development to launch the newly born Utah Fund of Funds in 2003. As the first staff member, Mr. Neilson has been working for the program’s success for the past five years, three of which he was the sole management team member.  Mr. Neilson sits on the advisory boards of the Women Tech Council and Upstart Ventures.  Prior to the Utah Fund of Funds, Mr. Neilson was an associate with the University Venture Fund where he spent time working closely with local and national venture capitalists on company due diligence. Mr. Neilson started his professional career at Neilson Elggren, in their Los Angeles office, a fraud and bankruptcy forensic accounting firm, where he worked on a number of matters including Adelphia’s billion dollar bankruptcy and one of Americas largest Ponzi schemes.  Mr. Neilson holds a finance degree from BYU, an MBA from the University of Utah and a Juris Doctorate from Wake Forest School of Law.

Eric Jacobsen, Managing Partner & Co-founder, Dolphin Capital, Aug 19th, Noon, Zion’s Bank Founder’s Room

Eric is the managing partner and founder of Dolphin Capital, a boutique private equity fund which focuses on investments in companies with significant growth capital. Eric was CEO of Winder Farms for two years after Dolphin acquired the company and transformed it from a no-growth milk delivery company into the nation’s fastest growing grocery home delivery company.

Before Winder Farms, Eric founded Home Financial Network, a pioneer in the online banking space. That company sold to Sybase in 2000. Mr. Jacobsen also purchased and ran MECA Software, a consumer product tax software company. Under his direction, the company went public and then sold to H&R Block in 1994.

Beyond being an avid entrepreneur, he sits on a number of boards including Ragnar Events, Winder Farms, Dynamic Confections, Little Giant Ladder and St. Paul’s School in Concord, NH.

He is a dedicated adventure racer and recently traveled the world for seven months with his family.

Eric received a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University.

Click Here to view Eric’s Presentation

Greg Miller, CEO, Larry H. Miller Group of Companies, April 21st, Noon, Zion’s Bank Founder’s Room

As chief executive officer of the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies, Greg Miller oversees all automotive, sports and entertainment, and real estate divisions.  These holdings include 40 automotive dealerships and one motorcycle dealership located throughout six Western states; credit, insurance and advertising agencies; two professional sports teams; a motorsports park and an arena; an independent television station; restaurant and catering companies; a sports apparel retail chain; movie theaters; and an office complex.

Miller assumed his current position in July 2008 but has worked in the family business since 1979, when his father, Larry H. Miller, purchased his first auto dealership – a Toyota store located in Murray, Utah.  Greg Miller, who was 13 at the time, began his career by sweeping floors and working in the parts department.  Since then, the group has expanded into one of the nation’s 200 largest privately-owned companies.

Miller has 29 years experience working in a variety of positions that enabled him to learn the family business firsthand.  During that time, he focused on areas ranging from finance to minor league hockey.  His many accomplishments include: starting up Performance Automotive, which provides chemicals, printing and specialty products to auto dealerships; managing several multimillion dollar construction projects; and serving as general manager of both a Toyota and a Honda dealership.

Prior to his current position, Miller oversaw construction and had operational oversight of Miller Motorsports Park, in Tooele, Utah.  During his tenure, he was instrumental in developing and improving sales and marketing operations.  The state-of-the-art motorsports park garnered international recognition within its first year of opening.

Miller has served on the boards of several philanthropic organizations including: Larry H. Miller Charities; the Ron Boone Golf Classic benefiting the Huntsman Cancer Institute; the Utah Bicycle Coalition; and the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation.

An avid cyclist, Miller logs thousands of miles on his bike each year, and his interest in cycling led to several family vacations at the Tour de France.  He currently is chairman of the Tour of Utah, a multistage bicycle race that climbs 30,000 feet and is over 300 miles long.  Miller has played a significant role in the race’s growth and success.

During his teens, Miller developed an interest and appreciation of cars that continues today.  He still owns his first automobile, a 1965 Mustang fastback.

Miller has three brothers and one sister, and is the oldest child of Larry H. and Gail Miller.  He is married to Heidi Black Miller.  They are the parents of six children (three sons and three daughters), and their family resides in Sandy, Utah.

Fraser Bullock, Co-Founder and Managing Director Sorenson Capital-Sept 24th, noon, Zion’s Bank Founder’s Room

Mr. Bullock is a co-founder of Sorenson Capital and a Managing Director. Mr. Bullock was the President and CEO of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the Olympic Winter Games of 2002. He joined the Organizing Committee in May of 1999 and acted as its Chief Operating Officer until his appointment as President and CEO in April 2002. As COO, Mr. Bullock directed Games Operations, and as CFO, he played a key role in balancing the budget of $1.31 billion for staging the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, ultimately generating a $100 million profit. The Salt Lake Games are widely recognized as one of the most successful and best operated in history.

Mr. Bullock was an original Partner of Bain Capital from 1984 to 1986. Prior to his experience at Bain Capital, Mr. Bullock was employed by Bain & Company, initially as a consultant and later as a manager.

In 1996 Mr. Bullock founded Alpine Consolidated, LLC, a company specializing in effecting business consolidations, and served as a Managing Director until 2002. In this capacity, Mr. Bullock sourced companies for consolidation, raised the requisite money and negotiated terms.

Mr. Bullock received a Master of Business Administration and a B.A. in Economics from Brigham Young University.

Jordan Clements, Managing Partner of Peterson Partners - Apr 23rd, Noon, Zions Bldg Founder’s Room

Jordan Clements has been managing partner of Peterson Partners since its inception in 1995. Prior to co-founding Peterson Partners, Jordan was a partner in a San Francisco Bay Area law firm, where he practiced corporate and business law. He holds a law degree from Brigham Young University. He currently serves on the boards of several portfolio companies, including Energy Solutions and 3form.

 Recap
Jordan spoke of many important principles in buisiness and investing. Among them were:
1) Borrow skills from others to complement your weaknesses.
2) There is no coorelation between successful entrepreneurs and formal education.
3) Beware of excessive goal setting; things can happen outside of your control that
     can prevent you from achieving them.
4) Be patient with your career. Career planning is a process of elimination.
5) The golden rule is definitely true in business. Treating others well is in your best
     economic interest.