Utah
Powering Futures — Utah’s Manufacturing Leaders Shape Next-Gen Workforce and Innovation
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.
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SALT LAKE CITY — The future of flight appears poised for takeoff in Utah, with influential leaders at the state and federal level voicing their support and detailing their efforts to bring air mobility to the Beehive State during Utah aerospace and defense company 47G’s inaugural Project Alta Summit.
The summit convenes aviation and transit experts at national and global levels with a shared goal of bringing electric and autonomous aircraft into operational use across transportation networks, emergency medical response and critical logistics systems.
Day 1 of the summit wrapped up with a conversation between Carlos Braceras, executive director of the Utah Department of Transportation and Utah Rep. Mike Kennedy.
Braceras opened by telling Kennedy a story about a trip he took to Singapore in 2019 for the Intelligent Transport Systems World Congress. While there, he had the chance not just to sit in, but to fly an aircraft reminiscent of the air taxis showcased by Project ALTA.
“After 2019, I thought, you know, we’re right on the cusp of this becoming something that we all use every day, all day long,” Braceras said. “As I look at where we are right now … I’m a little frustrated with the lack of speed there has been in this idea of the connected autonomous vehicle.”
Braceras pointed out that his main draw toward autonomous air mobility is the impact it could have on crashes and accidents that claim the lives of some 40,000 Americans annually.
He added that he sees Utah as the place where autonomous aircraft will, quite literally, get off the ground — a sentiment shared by Kennedy.
Kennedy noted that at the federal level, policy is quite hard to advance, even saying that the system is “designed to slow things down and destroy things.” He doesn’t think Utah suffers from the same affliction.
“What we have in Utah, though, is an organized, orchestrated willingness to work together, Democrats and Republicans. As a state legislator for 10 years, I saw this regularly. We were willing to work together for the common good of our people,” Kennedy said.
When it comes to air mobility, Kennedy said Utah benefits from an ecosystem where its politicians at the state and federal levels are eager to work with the state’s universities, businesses, military bases and agencies like UDOT to advance the air mobility mission.
The Federal Aviation Administration in March selected Utah as one of eight projects nationwide for the Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Integration Pilot Program, a three-year initiative designed to help safely integrate advanced aircraft into the national airspace.
“We were given one of those spaces, even though we’re small. And the reason why we were given that is because not only are we willing to unite together, but we are a forward-looking people. We care about the future. We see the future,” Kennedy said.
As part of the program and through an initiative called “uFly,” Utah will lead a collaboration between Oregon, Idaho, Arizona and Oklahoma — along with industry partners and research institutions — to test new aviation technology and gather data that will inform the future of electric flight.
Partners with UDOT in the initiative include Beta Technologies, Ampaire, Joby Aviation, Lockheed Martin, Future Flight Global, Alpine Air, Jump Aero and Utah aerospace and defense company 47G.
Braceras emphasized not letting “perfect be our enemy” when it comes to the buildout of air mobility systems.
Kennedy echoed this feeling, saying overregulation could lead to “international adversaries like China” outpacing the U.S. when it comes to developing air mobility.
“That is not going to be good for our national security,” Kennedy warned.
The summit will conclude on Wednesday. A full lineup of speakers and events can be found here.
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utahns can never be described as “basic,” but that quality is at the root of the most troublesome word for state residents to spell.
Basically… it’s basically.
According to Unscramblerer.com, the word “basically” is the one that trips up Utahns the most. Not mischievous, acquiesce, onomatopoeia or… yes… bougie. (Actually, bougie was the most misspelled word in all of America.)
To find the most difficult words for each state’s residents to pronounce, the site used Google Trends and Ahrefs.
List of America’s Most Misspellled Words:
- Bougie
- Favorite
- Through
- Business
- Tomorrow
- Because
- Definitely
- Beautiful
- Niece
- Separate
Utah
Mom of two missing Utah boys issues desperate plea after they were allegedly abducted by their dad
A mom to two missing Utah boys has issued a desperate plea amid fears they may have been snatched by their dad, whom authorities have previously described as “seriously depressed.”
Lizzie Tomich’s voice cracked in a social media video as she begged for the safe return of Will Richman, 1, and 10-month-old Wesley, both of whom were last seen on May 16.
“Please, like, share, repost everything,” she said in the video.
Tomich co-parents her two children with Dane Stephen Richman, who lives in Utah, and he collected the brothers from her Sheldon, Washington, home as part of a routine custody exchange but he failed to return them a week later.
Richman, 46, reportedly told Tomich he and the boys were camping, but he pulled out of a deposition custody hearing on Friday, raising alarm.
A welfare check was carried out at Richman’s Saratoga Springs home before authorities issued an Amber Alert.
“At that point, we called the police to do a welfare check on him,” Tomich said.
“When the police arrived, we learned that the house was vacant and there were things being moved out.
“There was no car and Dane and the boys were not home. When we learned this, we knew something was wrong.”
Tomich shared messages she exchanged with Richman, where she asked, “Where are you? Where are the kids right now?”
“With me, I’m driving,” Richman supposedly replied before saying they were “camping.”
Tomich then revealed she arrived at the supposed meet-up location 15 minutes earlier than planned.
“As the time approached, I began calling and texting him asking for an ETA. He did not respond. At, approximately 12: 01 p.m. is when I began to panic and when we called police,” she said.
Tomich’s family lawyer, Brittany Skinner, then interjected, adding, “After further investigation with the police, we learned that Dane’s quit his job.
“He’s sold almost all of his possessions. He has left with almost everything he has, with the clear intention of not returning with these children.”
Tomich’s voice cracked as she begged, “Please, like, share, repost everything, share with your family, share with your friends, anybody you know, they could be anywhere. Please,” revealing that her sons have “infectious smiles.. dimples and blue eyes.”
Richman has been charged with custodial interference, a third-degree felony, but authorities fear he may have crossed into Mexico, KTVX reported.
Cops suspect Richman was likely in Carlsbad, California, on May 18 – and crossed the border the following day.
Authorities said “There is concern for the safety and well-being of the children as the suspect has been seriously depressed, selling possessions, facing financial stress, and abandoned his home,” as they issued the Amber Alert.
But when cops were carrying out the welfare check, it’s since emerged they stopped a “moving truck,” Katie Walters, the brothers’ aunt told KTVX.
“He had completely moved out of his house that the children were supposed to be living in, and the moving truck was just actually pulling out of the driveway, and the police were able to stop the moving truck, and they asked what’s going on,” she said.
“They said they didn’t even know because they never even saw the owner of the home while they were there. They only were communicating via text.”
Addressing Richman, she said, “To Dane, just please be safe. We love you and we love those kids.”
Richman is reportedly driving a black Toyota Camry that has a Utah license plate A561HL, but cops suspect the car is a newer model and it could have a temporary tag.
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