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Ogden School District Turnip the Beet! Award

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OGDEN – Ogden School District’s summer lunch program has been recognized by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service. The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) recognized 84 summer meal sponsors and awarded them with Turnip the Beet! Awards. For the 2021 program year, 14 sponsors qualified for a gold award; 54 qualified for a silver award; and 16 qualified for a bronze award. Ogden School District was one of two silver award winners from Utah – the second award was given to Tooele School District.

Ogden School District was nominated and then given a score by the FNS. Winners of the award must provide appetizing, appealing, and nutritious meals. Categories in the scoring process include:

  • Age-appropriate meals
  • Nutrition-based activities
  • Fresh fruits and vegetables
  • Amount of whole grain foods

Summer meals supports students’ health, even when they no longer have access to the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). Ogden School District provides both breakfast and lunch for children under 18 Monday through Friday during the summer months. This meal program has been available to students since 1984 and positively impacts the development of our students.

In summer 2022, Ogden School District will continue its efforts to serve our community. This year’s services will be provided June 6 – July 29.
Program sites are:

  • Ben Lomond High School
  • Bonneville Elementary
  • Lincoln Elementary
  • Monroe Park
  • New Bridge Elementary
  • Odyssey Elementary
  • Ogden High School
  • West Ogden Park
  • 4th Street Park

Breakfast will be served at school sites from 8:15 a.m. to 8:45 a.m.
Lunch will be served at school sites from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

For more information about the meal program visit: https://www.osdmeals.org/

About Ogden School District

Ogden School District serves the city of Ogden, educating approximately 11,000 students. The district has a tradition of academic excellence enhanced by the values of a culturally rich and diverse community. Roughly 55% of Ogden students are ethnic minorities and approximately 75% come from low-income families.

For more information visit: https://www.ogdensd.org/

For over a decade, Give Me a Chance/DeMarillac Formal Attire has changed lives.  Founder Maria Nguyen, Daughter of Charity, rented a historic building in downtown Ogden with the dream to improve our community by teaching women how to sew.

Manager Susan Thompson loves that the seamstress program provides more than just sewing skills to countless women. Not only do participating women have opportunities to earn a living, but they also gain self-confidence and improve their self-esteem along the way.

Women who graduate from the sewing programs can hone their customer service, retail, and alteration skills while working in DeMarillac Formal Attire–part of Give Me a Chance. Customers to the formal wear boutique will find gorgeous attire at affordable pricing, one-on-one service, and professional alteration.

Give Me A Chance helps improve the livelihood of entire families by offering after-school tutoring to children in the community. During the after-school programs, children have the opportunity to get direct help with their homework, practice art, do science experiments, and be kids. 

For Susan, her biggest reward has been to see the community come together to help Give Me A Chance deliver life-altering services to families in need.


You can learn more about Give Me a Chance/DeMarillac Formal Wear Attire at http://demarillacformal.com/

Kris and Paul have been serving the Ogden community with their Mountain Donuts business since 2018. When Kris and Paul were exploring different types of businesses, they knew that they would find support for their business and love for their custom artisan donuts in Utah.

If you get the chance to talk to Kris and Paul about their business, you’ll hear them place double emphasis on the community and their customers. Paul said, “We are so blessed to have so many customers say so many great things about our little shop. When we started, our goal was to support the community and have the donut shop feel like a place to come and create lasting memories.” At Mountain Donuts, the experience combined with tasty donuts is what keeps smiles on customer faces. Kris added, “We love to see the kids’ faces light up and break out into dance when they get to pick out their own custom donut made special for them. It’s their own work of art that they get to eat.” 

Mountain Donuts has been honored with many business awards since its opening including, Best in State, Best in Northern Utah, Best in South Ogden, and Finalist for Best Small Business of the Year in Weber County.

If you want to “Top your Own Custom Donuts” that are made fresh, visit their website, give them a call or just stop by and pick out your own custom donuts today.

http://www.mountaindonuts.com/

Grand Opening Planned for Dumke Arts Plaza in Ogden
 
Construction is near completion on the Dr. Ezekiel R. and Edna Wattis Dumke Arts Plaza, located in Ogden, Utah. The Dumke Arts Plaza will be an arts-focused community space, a dynamic outdoor gallery, and an intimate performance venue. The plaza is designed to inspire creativity, elevate diverse perspectives, and anchor Ogden as a hub for contemporary art. The plaza will feature major art installations as well as community-led arts programming ranging from small concerts, to dance performances, to video art. It will be a space to engage with art in all its forms, but also a place for everyday gatherings — sharing lunch with a friend or enjoying a family visit.
 
The community is invited to celebrate the grand opening of the Dumke Arts Plaza on Friday, Dec. 3 from 6-9 p.m. at 445 25th Street, at the corner of 25th Street and Ogden Avenue. The event will serve as the premiere of the plaza’s inaugural exhibition, a selection of work by internationally renowned American sculptor Chakaia Booker, curated by Weber State University. Also on display will be the Beacon, a permanent sculptural piece that extends from the plaza over 25th Street. Invited speakers will make brief remarks at 6:15 pm and performances will take place throughout the evening. All are encouraged to attend and celebrate the Dumke Arts Plaza as a new arts-focused space for the community.
 
A unique collaboration among project partners and community members has shaped the Dumke Arts Plaza. The Dr. Ezekiel R. and Edna Wattis Dumke Foundation is the lead funder for the project. The Foundation’s gift of more than $2.2 million to support the Dumke Arts Plaza is intended to honor the legacy of its founders and their commitment to Ogden. Ogden City and Weber County RAMP also contributed major funding to the project. The Foundation, Ogden City, RAMP, Weber State University, and Ogden Contemporary Arts, along with community stakeholders, collaborated closely to develop the vision for the Dumke Arts Plaza. The plaza design was led by renowned firm, Sasaki Associates, working with Ogden-based firms IO LandArch and Union Creative Agency. Hogan Construction is now building the plaza.
 
The Dumke Arts Plaza represents the transformation of a blighted motel property into an innovative civic space that will bring the community together around art in Ogden’s dynamic Nine Rails Creative District. The plaza’s design, inspired by the region’s dynamic landscape, has the flexibility to support many types of art, from large-scale installations to small performances, and includes an LED screen for displaying film and video art. An elevated platform known as the plinth provides more space for arts programming, as well as a new perspective on the plaza and its surroundings. The Dumke Arts Plaza is a welcoming public space, with interactive play elements, unique lighting, benches, and waterwise landscaping. A major feature of the Dumke Arts Plaza is the Beacon, a new sculpture that extends over 25th Street, inviting visitors to explore the plaza. 
 
The Dumke Arts Plaza creates an exciting opportunity to share world-class art exhibitions with the community in an outdoor civic space. Weber State University’s Mary Elizabeth Dee Shaw Gallery and the Department of Visual Art & Design are proud to curate the inaugural exhibition at the Dumke Arts Plaza, featuring a selection of work by the internationally renowned American sculptor Chakaia Booker. The exhibition includes three major recent pieces by Booker. Booker’s distinctive approach to form and materiality, utilizing repurposed automotive tire rubber to construct complex and monumental abstract objects, speaks eloquently to themes of transformation, reimagining, and recontextualization. As such, her work is a uniquely fitting focal point for the public’s first opportunity to experience world-class public art at the Dumke Arts Plaza, itself a major initiative in the revitalization and reclamation of civic space for Ogden, the state, and the region. 
 
For more information about the Dumke Arts Plaza, please visit ogdencity.com/DumkeArtsPlaza. Ogden City encourages community members and organizations interested in hosting arts programming and events at the Dumke Arts Plaza to visit the website for more information. 
 
For more information about the Chakaia Booker exhibition presented by Weber State University, please visit https://weber.edu/shawgallery/upcoming.html. The exhibition will be on view to the public from Dec. 3, 2021, through May 15, 2022. The exhibition is presented in partnership with Ogden City and Ogden Contemporary Arts and is made possible by the generous support of the Dr. Ezekiel R. and Edna Wattis Dumke Foundation, the Matthew S. Browning Center for Design, and the Telitha E. Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities. 
 

November 17, 2021

Petersen Inc. awarded Global Supplier by Bechtel

Bechtel awards Petersen Inc. 2020-2021 Supply Chain Excellence for their contributions to the Hanford Vit Plant project

Ogden, Utah – November 17, 2021 – Petersen Inc. announced today that Bechtel has recognized them with a Global Supplier Award for 2020-2021.  Companies were evaluated on multiple factors including overall performance, ability to deliver quality services, and meeting or exceeding expectations of safety, performance, technical expertise, and environmental compliance.

“This is a tremendous recognition by Bechtel, and we are humbled and grateful to be acknowledged as a key supplier,” stated Rob Despain, VP Business Development for Petersen Inc.  “We have a 20+ year partnership with Bechtel and look forward to continually strengthening that relationship and future opportunities in the years to come,” added Despain.

Petersen Inc. of Ogden, Utah and Pocatello, Idaho built two 300-ton melters to be used at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Vit Plant (Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant).  The melters will safely process a portion of the 56 million gallons of radioactive and chemical waste generated during the Manhattan Project and Cold War. The process involves mixing silica and other glass-forming materials, heating to 2,100 degrees Fahrenheit, then pouring into stainless steel containers for disposal.

Designing and manufacturing the two melters included 1,200 engineering drawings and took nearly three years to fabricate, with a third melter in fabrication as a spare.  Petersen Inc. is also currently manufacturing the stainless-steel containers used to dispose of the waste.

“The partnerships we have with our subcontractors and suppliers are fundamental in delivering projects to our customers,” said Tarek Amine, Bechtel’s Manager of Procurement & Contracts. “Collaboration with subcontractors and suppliers enhances our ability to align to our customers’ goals, achieve their objectives, and deliver a lasting positive impact in the communities where we live and work.”

Inspector Tony Home Inspections was established in 2016 by Brenda Gerena and Tony Stewart. They founded the company based on their love for homes and serving the community.

The inspiration for starting the business came from finding major issues in their mother’s home that should have been caught at the time of the inspection. With their mom in mind, they started the business with the underlying commitment to “Protect one of your biggest investments with a thorough home inspection from a reliable and honest, licensed, and insured home inspector.”

From the day Brenda and Tony came to Ogden they wanted to be part of Ogden’s redevelopment. “We have lived in Ogden for 11 years and love the people, arts, music, and history in our wonderful city.” Their community connection prompted them to extend beyond Inspector Tony Home Inspections to serve the city’s youth and take ownership of Youth Impact in 2016, which was previously owned by Robb Hall since 1992. They immediately related with the organization’s theme of “A Safe Place To Be A Kid.”

Not long after taking the helm of Youth Impact, Brenda says they found breakthrough success. “The first Casino Night event in 2017 produced funds to make Robb Hall’s dying wish come true – a new building to expand service to 100 more kids a day. That event raised almost $30,000 in five weeks.”

Both Inspector Tony Home Inspections and Youth Impact have enabled Brenda and Tony to serve the community in countless ways. “We love it when we see our customers return to us, or we are referred by family and friends. That is the biggest compliment we can get.”

For more information about Inspector Tony Home Inspections or Youth Impact, contact Brenda and Tony at:

inspectortonyhomeinspections.com

www.youthimpactogden.org

November 11, 2021

The Biden Administration’s vaccine mandate became public under an Emergency Temporary Standard OSHA regulation on Friday, November 5, 2021. As a result, businesses must be in full compliance with the rule by January 4, 2022. However, as was expected, within 24 hours of the public filing, a federal appeals court issued a stay on the regulation citing ‘grave statutory and constitutional issues with the Mandate.’

Employers have compliance requirements within 30 days of rule publication and testing requirements within 60 days of publication marking the January 4 final deadline unless a court ruling overturns the regulation.

The COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) issued by OSHA sets in motion these requirements for companies with over 100 employees. The rule requires businesses to set up an assessment process to determine who is vaccinated and who is not, set guidelines on receiving proof of vaccination, and establish a record-keeping system containing this information. Important dates and information to consider include:

  • By December 5, 2021 (30 days from publication), workplace assessment must be completed, and unvaccinated employees are required to wear masks until vaccinated.
  • By January 4, 2022 (60 days from publication), vaccinations must be completed for employees. Booster shots are not required.
  • Companies must provide 4 hours of paid leave to receive vaccination and 2 days paid for potential vaccine recovery if needed.
  • Natural immunity does not count and those with exemptions must test in a clinic (Home tests are not acceptable, and employees must pay for tests.)
  • Businesses should determine how they will handle religious exemptions in terms of attestation, ecclesiastical statement, or strong moral objection.

Required Documents to Share with Employees:

As part of the emergency regulation, it is required that employers distribute the following four documents to their staff by December 5, 2021, which explain the rights and responsibilities of each party.

OSHA Rules for Submitting Comments:

OSHA has initiated a 30-day comment period for employers/business feedback on the ETS as it could become the permanent standard. Now is the time to voice your concern, opinion, or experience with this matter.

You may submit comments and attachments, identified by Docket No. OSHA-2021-0007, labeled “COVID 19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard Rulemaking” electronically at regulations.gov. Follow the instructions online for making electronic submissions. All submissions must include the agency’s name and the docket number for the ETS (Docket No. OSHA-2021-0007.) When submitting comments or recommendations, commenters should explain rationale and, if possible, provide supporting data and information. Wherever possible, commenters should indicate the title of the person providing the comments and, when appropriate, include information about the type and number of employees at their worksites.

All comments, including any personal information you provide, will be placed in the public docket without change and, with the exception of copyrighted materials, will be publicly available online at regulations.gov. Therefore, OSHA cautions commenters about submitting information they do not want to be made available to the public or submitting materials that contain personal information (either about themselves or others) such as Social Security Numbers and birthdates.

All comments and submissions are listed in the regulations.gov index; however, some information (e.g., copyrighted material) is not publicly available to read or download through that website. All submissions, including copyrighted material, are available for inspection at the OSHA Docket Office. Contact the OSHA Docket Office at 202-693-2350 (TTY number: 877-889-5627) for assistance in locating docket submissions.

Utah Chamber Coalition

On November 10, 2021 the Ogden-Weber Chamber met with representatives from the Utah Chamber Coalition to address this issue to help ensure a greater collective voice of business within the state. The Salt Lake Chamber provided the information contained in this fact sheet for distribution.

Compass Minerals, a leading global provider of essential minerals, today announced that it has identified a lithium brine resource of approximately 2.4 million metric tons lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) at its active Ogden, Utah, solar evaporation site, including an indicated lithium resource within the ambient brine of the Great Salt Lake.

For over 50 years, Compass Minerals’ Ogden facility has leveraged the high mineral concentrations within the ambient lake brine from the North Arm of the Great Salt Lake to produce sulfate of potash (SOP), salt and magnesium chloride products. The Ogden facility is the largest operation of its kind in the Western Hemisphere.

Compass Minerals is currently undertaking a strategic evaluation to assess development options available to service growing U.S. domestic lithium market demand while maximizing the long-term value of its lithium resource.

“We are aggressively evaluating multiple paths forward for this significant lithium brine resource to optimize shareholder value, in parallel with a reassessment of our current capital allocation strategy,” said Kevin S. Crutchfield, president and CEO. “In a market hungry for domestically sourced lithium produced with minimal environmental impact, we believe a sustainable and readily available lithium resource like we have defined at our operations on the Great Salt Lake could be a true differentiator for our company. We look forward to communicating the results of our strategic evaluation and the selection of an extraction technology partner as we identify the most advantageous path forward for Compass Minerals.”

See complete announcement here.

Imagine riding in a clean-air electric bus – aided by dedicated bus lanes along the way – between Ogden FrontRunner Station, Lindquist Field, the Junction, Downtown Ogden, 25th Street, Weber State University, and McKay Dee Hospital.

Bus Rapid Transit or BRT combines the capacity and speed of light rail with the lower cost construction of an integrated bus system. Once complete, Ogden BRT(formerly route 603) will provide riders a clean-air ride in an electric bus from the Ogden FrontRunner Station, through downtown, along dedicated bus lanes in the center of the road on Harrison Boulevard and through the Weber State University campus, and to McKay-Dee Hospital. When operational, riders will be able to catch the bus every 10-15 minutes on weekdays and 15-30 minutes on weekends. The project will benefit the community by reducing vehicle trips, supporting the economy and providing transportation choices.

See All Project Details

Utah Transit Authority, Jacobs Engineering, AECOM, WCEC, and Stacy and Witbeck have partnered to design and construct the Ogden BRT line over the next three years. Project segments will be constructed simultaneously in multiple locations to ensure project completion in a timely manner.

Get Notified

To stay up to date on the latest and greatest news about construction and the Ogden BRT, we suggest you take advantage of these great resources during this project:

Walter L. Stuart retired from the Air Force in 1994 making Utah his home, and he is one of the kindest individuals you will ever meet. If you have spent much time at Chamber events, you likely have had the opportunity to meet Walter. When he isn’t working, he loves spending time with his wife Gayla and watching his grandchildren play sports.Walter represents LegalShield as an independent associate.

LegalShield provides affordable legal representation to everyone for a small monthly fee, and they have been doing so for 48 years. Their goal is to provide equal access to the liberty, equality, opportunity and justice that every human deserves. Today they protect and empower 4.5 million people and 140,000 businesses. Through collective buying power, LegalShield prepays a network of attorneys nationwide so that there is legal help when it is needed for their clients.

Walter says, “LegalShield has disrupted the legal industry through technology. We have put the legal system in the palm of our hands. Wherever you have access to your phone you have access to your law firm. There is no more stressing, guessing, finger crossing or making Google decisions ever again. When something in your stomach says, ‘this doesn’t feel right,’ something in your head says, ‘this doesn’t sound right,’ you simply tap your app and get your law firm on the phone. They will write a letter, make that phone call or review that document or contract on your behalf and much more at no charge.”

When asked what the biggest win is for his company, he says this, “Engraved on the west wall of the Supreme Court are the words, ‘Equal Justice Under the Law.’ This is not a reality in our country today. You get as much justice that you are able to pay for. LegalShield has changed that. For as little as $0.82 a day they now have nationwide legal access.”

To learn more about Walter and LegalShield, visit https://walterlee.wearelegalshield.com/

2380 Washington Blvd.
Suite 290
Ogden, UT 84401

Phone: (801) 621-8300

Contact: Contact The Chamber