Salt Lake City, Utah — October 31, 2025

On October 30, KolobX convened nearly 300 industry leaders, innovators, and educators in downtown Salt Lake City for Powering Futures — Advanced Manufacturing & Next-Gen Leadership, an event focused on empowering the next generation of builders, engineers, and manufacturers.

The event brought together key stakeholders across Utah’s manufacturing and aerospace ecosystem — including small businesses, large corporations, educators, and students — to explore workforce development, technology adoption, and collaborative innovation.

Leaders from Northstar Photonics, 47G, and Utah Manufacturers Association explored the opportunities and challenges shaping this next-generation workforce.

A Small State with Big Potential

Utah’s small size is both an advantage and a challenge. Caroline Chapdelaine, CEO of Northstar Photonics, noted that “we can reach out to just about anyone in the state very easily — get the help we need, find the suppliers we need, or recruit people for our workforce. That gets me excited as a business owner, but it also scares me because there’s not a huge workforce to tap into when I expand.”

Chapdelaine highlighted Utah’s tight-knit business culture and growing ecosystem: “We have such a wonderful culture here. As we bring outsiders in, we can show them the Utah way and integrate them into what is a very nice, tight-knit family.” She emphasized the role of local universities, such as Utah State University and the University of Utah, in supporting workforce development through specialized labs and hands-on collaboration.

Johnny Ferry, President and CEO of Utah Manufacturers Association, added perspective on scale: “Many think of manufacturing as just a building with smoke stacks, but that’s only the primary manufacturer. In Utah, there are over 5,000 registered primary manufacturing businesses. But the broader ecosystem — including supply chain, R&D, distribution, warehousing, quality, and regulatory compliance — encompasses more than 85,000 registered businesses. That’s where Utah’s GDP and economic impact really come from.”

Modern Jobs in a High-Tech Landscape

The manufacturing workforce has been transformed by technology. Kori Ann Edwards, Chief Strategy Officer of 47G, said that “AI, robotics, and automation have created entirely new roles. Instead of performing manual tasks, people are now managing machines, analyzing data, and solving complex problems. This attracts a new kind of talent, elevates wages, and makes manufacturing much more engaging than it was before.”

Ferry illustrated this with a concrete example: “A chocolate company from San Francisco needed a new technology to produce single-serve packets. By partnering with the state and securing a grant, we brought the technology to Utah and trained local staff. The machines now produce 250–300 packets per minute. Not only did we land the business, but the ripple effects benefit employees and consumers alike.”

Chapdelaine added, “If students and young professionals can see the impact of their work — that they make a difference — they’re more likely to want to enter the field.”

Connecting Students to Industry

Programs that expose students to the industry are central to workforce development. Edwards described several statewide initiatives: “Talent Ready Utah bridges industry with the Utah System of Higher Education. It ensures companies are connected to the skills students are learning. We also have Pathways programs for internships in aerospace, defense, and manufacturing, and K–12 computer science initiatives to get kids excited early.”

Events like next week’s 47G’s Zero Gravity Summit bring these initiatives to life. Edwards explained, “We’re inviting 1,000 students — 700 college students and 700 high school students — to participate. Every university can send 75 students at no cost. The goal is exposure and inspiration, showing students that manufacturing is high-tech, creative, and impactful.”

Ferry highlighted inclusivity: “We recently participated in a program for students on the autism spectrum interested in manufacturing. Many roles are repetitive and structured — ideal for a range of skills. Grants are available to support manufacturers who want to participate, giving these students meaningful pathways into the workforce.”

Chapdelaine also stressed creativity as a critical skill: “Creative people thrive in this industry. They like to see something go from nothing to something. Exposure and hands-on experience are key to attracting the next generation.”

Bridging Gaps in Collaboration

Despite its strengths, Utah’s ecosystem faces challenges connecting small businesses with large corporations. Chapdelaine observed, “As small business owners, we know how to stick together and support each other. The state does a great job with programs, and 47G has built a strong ecosystem. But bridging the gap between small businesses and companies like Boeing or Northrop is hard. They live in DC and often forget that their supply chain depends on us.”

Edwards emphasized participation: “There are many programs and opportunities, but if you’re not involved, that’s the gap. Join advisory boards at tech colleges, engage with associations like UAMMI or 47G, and make sure your voice is heard. Institutions can adapt quickly to meet industry needs, but only if businesses participate.”

Ferry also highlighted opportunity in the broader ecosystem: “The scale of Utah manufacturing is immense. You can work anywhere in the ecosystem — supply chain, R&D, operations, distribution — and you’re part of manufacturing. But the more businesses collaborate, the stronger the ecosystem becomes.”

State Support and Forward Momentum

State programs have been central to Utah’s manufacturing resurgence. Edwards and Ferry cited initiatives such as the Modern Manufacturing Nation grants, R&D tax credits, and Talent Ready Utah, which provide both financial incentives and structured pipelines to prepare the workforce.

Edwards concluded, “The state is being very intentional. With these programs, students get exposure, businesses get skilled employees, and the ecosystem grows stronger every year.”

Utah’s manufacturing sector is at a crossroads of technology, talent, and collaboration. Chapdelaine said it best: “If anyone can solve the challenge of connecting small businesses to big corporations consistently, it would be transformative for Utah’s manufacturing ecosystem.”

In response to Chapdelaine’s insight, KolobX is actively pursuing frameworks to bridge this critical gap, linking innovation to scale.

Founded by Jakob Noble in 2025 and headquartered in Lehi, Utah, KolobX is a Global Strategic Intelligence & Integration Firm. It curates tactical engagements and implements actionable solutions that advance integrated operations across industries and regions. The organization also forms working groups focused on energy & grid innovation, municipal deployment strategy, infrastructure policy & permitting, and youth & workforce engagement. Katherine Gottfredson is a key collaborator and advisor.

The organization also pilots strategic partnerships with municipalities, tech companies, and global development leaders, creating opportunities for participants to move beyond panels and shape real-world outcomes.

More information about Zero Gravity Summit:

47G | Utah Aerospace & Defense is set to host the 2025 Zero Gravity Summit, large gatherings focused on the future of national security, defense innovation, aerospace, energy resilience and advanced air mobility systems. The two-day summit will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 4 – Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. It will convene leaders at the Salt Palace in downtown Salt Lake City from the Department of Defense, major aerospace companies, startup founders, investors, energy innovators and policymakers to discuss emerging technologies that are transforming how the U.S. leads on the global stage.

Register at zerogravitysummit.com 

Salt Palace Convention Center | 100 S.W. Temple St., Salt Lake City, UT 84101

Speakers will include:

• Spencer Cox, State of Utah Governor
• Jen Easterly, former Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
• Nikki Haley, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and Governor of South Carolina
• Dmytro Kushneruk, Consul General of Ukraine
• Peyton Manning, NFL Hall of Famer and entrepreneur
• Aaron Starks, 47G President and CEO
• Brad Wilson, CEO of Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Read about TechBuzz‘ coverage of last year’s inaugural 2024 Zero Gravity Summit.

ST. GEORGE, Utah — President Donald Trump’s order, sent out on social media about restarting nuclear weapons testing, has reignited memories and fears among southern Utah residents who were exposed to radioactive fallout from past nuclear tests in Nevada.

These residents, known as downwinders, lived through decades of health consequences after being exposed to radiation from above-ground nuclear weapons tests at what was then called the Nevada Test Site, now the Nevada National Security Site.

“I was just … wow when I listened to it,” said Claudia Peterson, a St. George downwinder, of the president’s announcement. “I thought we had learned that it caused a lot of damage and heartache and hurt.”

Peterson has endured her own health problems and watched family members and friends die from radiation-related illnesses. The death of her 6-year-old child to cancer remains particularly devastating.

“What my family went through was enough. It is enough. I don’t want to watch. I don’t wanna hold one more child while they die. I don’t want to watch one more friend die,” Peterson said.

Despite repeatedly sharing her story and even testifying before Congress, Peterson said she was surprised by how little some lawmakers knew about the Nevada Test Site’s history.

“I was surprised when I was back in Washington, DC, the young congressmen and senators that didn’t know what happened and weren’t educated about the Nevada Test Site,” Peterson said. “And to think that we haven’t learned anything from our past mistakes to start over again is just ludicrous.”

Peterson and other radiation victims recently celebrated the return of the government’s Radiation Exposure Compensation Act after it had lapsed for a year.

However, the president and government officials now say a return to nuclear testing may be necessary.

According to the Project 2025 report from the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank, the Nevada site is the only one in the U.S. still capable of performing nuclear tests.

The foundation has advocated for the resumption of nuclear testing because it says the nation’s nuclear arsenal has to be ready to deter potential adversaries.

The last of the 928 nuclear tests conducted at the Nevada site was in September 1992. Like all tests after a 1963 treaty, it was detonated deep underground, rather than sending out fallout.

Officials say underground testing doesn’t release radiation into the atmosphere beyond the Nevada site, which is the size of Rhode Island. But at least 10 of the above-ground tests before that sent fallout directly onto southern Utah.

Fred Esplin grew up in Cedar City and is a retired broadcaster and former University of Utah professor. He said, unlike the radio warnings and public announcements in St. George, there was less notice in Iron County.

“Residents got a little brochure at the door saying not to worry just if the dust gets on your car, sweep it off,” Esplin said.

The impact on his community was devastating.

“My high school class of 1965 in Cedar City, there were over 25 students that had died of cancer. And that’s true of those a little younger and a little older. Lost two cousins way too soon to cancer,” Esplin said.

The 78-year-old is dealing with his own cancer that he said won’t “kill him anytime soon” and is treatable.

He disagrees with the government’s assertion that new testing is necessary, even if conducted underground.

“I question the necessity of resuming the test. If they do proceed, heaven help us,” Esplin said.

If there are any increases in radiation coming downwind from Nevada, a radiation detector just outside Desert Hills High School will be how officials to monitor radiation levels.

Continuous radiation monitoring began in St. George after testing ended at the Nevada site. The U.S. Public Health Service determined back then that no airborne radiation escaped beyond the test site from the underground tests.

But Peterson said she’s not reassured.

“They told us that before they lied to us before they told us we were safe and they’ll lie to us again,” Peterson said.

SYDNEY, Australia — At first glance, a team of visiting Utah lawmakers and their Australian hosts would not appear to share much in common.

They have different forms of government — one, a republic; the other, a constitutional monarchy. Different continents. Different hemispheres. And vastly different time zones.

But the two geographically distant groups discovered they share a global concern: They are fiercely concerned about kids and digital safety.

And both groups are proponents of enhanced “bell-to-bell” cellphone use rules in schools.

Last week, a team of Utah Republican lawmakers were in Sydney as part of a broad trade mission to Australia and New Zealand organized by World Trade Center Utah.

The intent of the trade mission was to foster shared business, innovation and educational opportunities between the Beehive State and the Oceania nations.

The lawmakers participating in the trade mission networked with local representatives from mining, aerospace, tech and other industries to develop business opportunities in Utah.

But, unexpectedly, conversations between Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and the Utah lawmakers with several Australian government officials also focused on protecting kids online.

The Utahns quickly discovered that their Down Under hosts share their concern for digital safety for youth.

“One of the things that Australia has done very well is tackle the problem of social media,” Utah Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, told the Deseret News.

“We looked at what they’ve done, and then compared notes to what Utah’s done. We’ve all stepped forward in a big way to push back on social media.”

Cox and Adams were joined in the digital safety discussions by Sens. Kirk Cullimore, R-Sandy, Chris Wilson, R-Logan, and Scott Sandall, R-Tremonton, and Reps. Karen Peterson, R-Clinton, and Stephen Whyte, R-Mapleton.

The Australian officials included the Hon. Greg Piper, the Hon. Ben Franklin and the Hon. Anika Wells.

“This is a critical time in our history,” said Adams. “Social media is having a measurable impact on youth mental health. Utah and Australia may be oceans apart, but our values are aligned. We are standing up for kids and ensuring technology serves our children and our communities, not the other way around.”

Utah: Leading out with social media safety

The Beehive State’s been at the forefront of social media initiatives to protect kids from digital exploitation.

The Utah Social Media Regulation Act, for example, keeps minors from using social media at restricted hours. It also requires Utah minors to obtain parental consent to have social media accounts and gives parents the ability to see all posts and messages on their children’s accounts.

The law also prevents social media companies from collecting minors’ data and targeting minors’ accounts for advertising.

Cox has emphasized the uniqueness of Utah’s digital safety initiatives.

“These are first of their kind bills in the United States,” he said in 2023. “And that’s huge that Utah is leading out on this effort. We have lots of states that are interested and I know we’re all having conversations with other governors, other legislators and other states. I suspect that you will see lots of bills like these moving forward.”

Utah also requires social media companies to enable maximum default privacy settings on Utah children’s accounts and to verify the ages of their users and provide supervisory tools for a parent or guardian.

Meanwhile, the Utah Legislature has funded a campaign to educate parents and teens about the potential dangers of social media at SocialHarms.utah.gov.

Australia’s efforts to protect kids from digital danger

Australia, meanwhile, has restricted access to social media for those under 16.

During last week’s trade mission, Utah and Australia officials talked about developing shared principles and “a framework that promotes responsible innovation, holds social media platforms accountable and strengthens protections for minors amid the growing challenges of the digital world,” according to a Utah Senate communications report.

The joint discussions, the report added, reflect shared commitments to addressing the harms of social media and excessive mobile phone use among K–12 students.

“Social media giants cannot put profits over kids’ safety,” said Cullimore. “These platforms must be accountable for manipulative, harmful design and protect user data.

Safeguarding minors is a global challenge that demands a unified approach.

“Utah has led with policies on age verification and limits on addictive design features. Australia’s approach serves as a model, and by learning from one another, we can accelerate meaningful progress, ensuring young people are empowered, not endangered, by the digital world.”

The Utah and Australian lawmakers and leaders identified several key areas of collaboration:

• Responsible mobile phone use in schools to reduce distractions and improve learning outcomes.
• Accountability for social media companies through stronger age verification, privacy and data protection for minors.
• Support for ethical education technology that prioritizes well-being.
• Public awareness campaigns promoting healthy digital habits for youth and families.

“Parents everywhere are asking for help,” said Peterson. “When we set guardrails, like limiting devices in schools and holding platforms accountable, we empower children to focus, learn and thrive. Partnering globally helps all of us do better for our kids.”

The Senate report noted that 57% of teen girls in the United States say they feel persistently sad or hopeless. Meanwhile 88% of Utah parents believe social media negatively impacts children and youth.

“The data is clear, social media is harming our kids,” said Wilson. “Protecting children isn’t just a priority; it’s our responsibility. We are not just changing laws, we are shaping a generation, uniting communities and nations around a shared mission to help children grow up healthier, stronger and more connected to what truly matters.”

Added Whyte: “Our goal is to ensure every child, everywhere, can learn, create and connect safely and confidently. Utah’s actions aim to restore balance and help families reclaim control over their digital lives.”

Adams noted that his discussions with his Australian hosts was a reminder that keeping kids safe in the digital realm is a global, nonpartisan concern and responsibility.

“It’s about concerned parents and people who love their kids — and are trying to help them get through life…Social media has done a lot of great things, but we need to protect our kids.”

Is a more aggressive policy prohibiting cellphones in Utah schools in the works?

Cox has been a vocal proponent for restricting cellphones in Utah’s K-12 public school “from bell to bell.”

His beliefs are echoed Down Under

All six states in Australia have reportedly enacted bans on cellphones during school hours, requiring phones to be switched off and “Away for the day.”

The results, reported Wilson, have been positive. Other nations have reached out to Australia in hopes of implementing their own cellphone policies in school

Similar “bell-to-bell” cellphone restrictions at Utah schools may be in the future.

Earlier this year, Utah lawmakers passed the so-called “No cellphones in K-12 schools” bill, prohibiting students in the state’s public schools from using their phones when they are in class.

The new law includes a local caveat — individual schools or districts can opt for a different policy.

Senate Bill 178 is now the state’s “default” practice. Previously, K-12 students were allowed to use cellphones whenever or wherever they wanted unless their district had their own policy in place.

But Sandall believes Utah kids would be well-served by having an enhanced “bell-to-bell” cellphone prohibition that goes beyond simply restricting devices during class time.

“We might need to look at doing that — and having our kids get to school and interacting with each other,” he said.

Some argue a child needs a cellphone in school in case of emergencies.

But Sandall counters that for generations, emergencies at Utah schools were effectively handled by school leaders.

“I think we can go back to that and feel comfortable that we can do that.”

Peterson believes Utah parents are becoming increasingly aware and supportive of social media and phone policies designed to benefit and protect their children.

“The No. 1 thing I hear from parents right now related to schools is how much time they’re spending on a device — whether it’s their own device or it’s a device at the school,” she said.