The Northern Utah Employer Exchange 2025 Agenda

About NUEX  

NUEX 2025 has concluded. Take a look at the previous agenda to get a sense for the type of programming the Northern Utah Employer Exchange brings to the table. New NUEX-related events TBD. 

Download the NUEX Report (pdf)

(Agenda is subject to change) 

Registration & Check-in (8-8:30 a.m.)

Breakfast, Welcome, & Event Overview (8:30-9 a.m.)

Morning Challenge Sessions (9 a.m.-Noon)

In these three-hour working sessions, join with other industry leaders, WSU faculty, and higher education administrators to delve into the common, complex challenges that affect businesses across northern Utah. Choose the session that speaks to you most, then roll up your sleeves and dive into a real conversation with other industry leaders who are facing the same roadblocks. Explore what’s working, and what’s not.

Once root challenges have been identified, determine which are most solvable and would have the biggest impact if they were solved. Set yourself up to successfully mitigate the things that keep you up at night. 

Choose from the following challenges: 

Challenge 1: From Lifelong Careers to Short-Term Roles: Navigating the Talent Pipeline Challenge
These days, more and more employees are opting for short-term roles. The mindset shift away from long-term careers poses significant challenges regarding long-term commitment, retention of institutional knowledge and sustained innovation. 

Featured Presenter: Sterling May, AVP of Human Resources for Bank of Utah

Challenge 2: Communicating a Vision Across an Organization
As organizations evolve, the vision changes. That doesn’t necessarily mean that employee mindsets do. Communicating a vision effectively is key to helping employees understand their own role in a transformation, but barriers abound. 

Featured Presenter: TBD

Challenge 3: Developing a Focused, Engaged Culture
In times of turmoil, a steady sense of purpose is necessary. Maintaining an equilibrium, however, can be difficult. How do we strategically develop a workforce culture that inspires teammates to remain focused and engaged, despite shifting expectations, motivations, and workplace dynamics? 

Featured Presenter: Enos Cummings, Engineering Director for 309 SWEG

Challenge 4: Addressing Ineffective Communication for Better Workforce Development
If we’re all on the same page, we can move with purpose. But what happens when we’re not aligned? Ineffective interdepartmental communication can disrupt core workflows, leading to missed opportunities in talent development.

Featured Presenter: Hannah Pierce, Recruiting Manager for Young Automotive Group

Challenge 5: The Generational Divide and Its Impacts on Relationships/Communication
Sometimes it can feel like employees from different generations are speaking completely different languages. How people interact with and adopt technology could be widening that chasm even more. How can we navigate barriers and mistrust to keep morale and productivity high?

Featured Presenter: Jamie Pitt, Victim Witness Coordinator for Weber County Attorney’s Office

Lunch (Noon-1 p.m.)

Afternoon Panels (1-3 p.m.)

Concurrent Sessions (1-2 p.m.)

Choose one from the following: 

Leveraging Lived Experience: Drawing Collective Wisdom from Different Generations
Panelists: Chloee Beals, Project Manager for Cottonwood Millwork + Cabinets; Jason Bradshaw, Director of Operations at Clearfield Recycling; Kari Kovar, President & CEO for Cottonwood Millwork + Cabinets; Sterling May, AVP of Human Resources for Bank of Utah; Angie Osguthorpe, President & CEO of the Davis Chamber of Commerce; Hannah Pierce, Talent Acquisition for Young Automotive Group; David Richards, Vice-Chair for the Advisory Board of WSU's Richard Richards Institute for Ethics  
Moderator: Jeremy Oller, Dean of WSU's Goddard School of Business & Economics

Talent Pipelines: Powering the Flow of the Right People to Your Organization
Panelists: Angie Chapman, Regional Talent Acquisition for Premier Truck Group; Enos Cummings, Engineering Director for 309 SWEG; Ed Walker, Professor and Director of WSU's Center for Chemical Technology; Benjamin Garcia, Executive Director of WSU's Miller Advanced Research and Solutions Center; Steve Griffin, President & CEO of Sky Blue Chemical; Zachary McMillan, Computer Science major at WSU; Troy Wood, CEO of Lakeview Hospital
Moderator: Brian Rague, Dean of WSU's College of Engineering, Applied Science & Technology

Keynote Panel (2-3 p.m.)

Stronger Together: Navigating Industry Uncertainty through Our Shared Strength
Panelists: Oliver Young, COO for Young Automotive Group; Barry Beus, President of McKay-Dee Hospital; Preston Cochrane, CEO of The Other Side Village; Christine Jacobson-Ware, Owner & Manager of Wasatch Pharmacy Care; Max Stitzer, Brigadier General (retired), U.S. Air Force
Moderator: Jessica Oyler, WSU's Vice President for Student Access & Success

Lightning Roundup & Closing Remarks (3-3:15 p.m.)

Ice Cream Social (3:15-4 p.m.)
Keep the conversation going in the Fireplace Lounge on the 2nd floor.