MountainWest Capital Network

Ten times the ROI. That’s the return companies see from event attendees compared to those who never show up, and it’s just one data point in a much bigger case for live experiences.

In the latest MWCN Deal Flow article, Bailey Libby of Cornerstone Technologies lays out the research connecting experiential marketing to real brand valuation, from revenue growth and customer lifetime value to pricing power and market positioning. The numbers make a compelling case that live events aren’t just marketing spend, they’re a capital investment with measurable, compounding returns.

Bailey Libby is the Marketing Manager at Cornerstone, a Utah based event production partner with 30+ years of experience delivering experiences for some of the world’s most recognized brands.

Read the full article on the MWCN website. https://shorturl.at/ctLWt

We're excited to welcome Joe Atkin, CIO at PV3 Enterprises, as our keynote speaker at our upcoming MWCN Business Forum!

Our Business Forums are kept small and intimate by design, and they tend to sell out fast. Join us Thursday, September 17 from 11:30am–1:00pm MST to hear from Joe! RSVP now at www.mwcn.org/event-registration before your seat is gone!

Hosted by MWCN Strategic Sponsor Forbes Partners.

Selling a business is not just about finding a buyer. It is about making sure that the buyer feels confident long before diligence ever starts.

In the latest MWCN Deal Flow article, Todd Gordon of CBIZ walks through what buyers actually notice when they look at a company, from clean financials and reduced key person risk to how well an owner has organized for diligence. The article lays out where owners should focus first, and why the businesses that sell smoothest are the ones that started preparing long before they went to the market.

Todd Gordon, Attest Practice Leader for CBIZ Salt Lake City, shares insight from decades of experience guiding companies through their process.

Read the full article on the MWCN website. https://bit.ly/4xxGKxy

A big thank you to MWCN Strategic Sponsor Dentons Durham Jones Pinegar for hosting this month’s Business Forum with John Koelliker CEO and Co-Founder of Leland!

John gave our community a candid look at how Leland is becoming an “AI Native” organization, from rethinking employee roles around AI agents to building a “company brain” that keeps their team aligned. Conversations like this one only happen because of partners like Dentons Durham Jones Pinegar, who consistently open their doors and support MWCN’s mission to connect and grow Utah’s business community.

We’re grateful for their continued partnership and for providing a great space for this month’s forum.

Thank you to everyone who came out for our August Business Forum with John Koelliker, CEO and Co-Founder of Leland!

John shared how Leland is going all in on becoming an “AI Native” company, canceling a full week of meetings to rethink how their team works from the ground up. His take on the moment we’re in: “2026 was the first year the models got good enough to really take substantial portions of the work that we do every day and start to do it for us.”

He also shared how to think about trust in AI when it gets things wrong: weigh the cost of being wrong. High stakes work still needs human experts checking it, but for lower risk tasks, AI + human review is a serious advantage.

🎙New episode is live!

Allyse Jackson, founder and CEO of Beehive Meals, joins Cheri M. Waldron and Jason Roberts on Welcome to the Winners’ Circle for a conversation about building a meal prep company families actually rely on.

Now a 3 time honoree on the Utah 100 Fastest Growing Companies list and named Utah Business’s 2024 CEO of the Year, Allyse shares what it took to solve a real problem for busy families, earn repeat customers in a crowded market, and grow a national brand while raising four young kids.

It’s an honest look at what it takes to lead well when everything is growing at once.

🎧Listen to the full episode now on the MountainWest Capital Network Podcast. https://pod.link/1818372923/episode/aHR0cHM6Ly9hcGkuc3ByZWFrZXIuY29tL2VwaXNvZGUvNzQ3MTAyNzE?view=apps&sort=popularity

Buyers and sellers do not always agree on a company's value, and that gap can stall a deal before it starts.

In the latest MWCN Deal Flow article, Karlee Page of BMO explains how earnouts can bridge that gap, tying part of the purchase price to the target company’s performance after closing.

The article walks through how earnouts are typically structured, from financial performance to key customer retention to management continuity, along with the real advantages and risks buyers and sellers should weigh before signing on.

Karlee Page, Vice President, Commercial Banker at BMO in Salt Lake City, shares practical guidance for anyone navigating an acquisition.

Read the full article on the MWCN website. https://bit.ly/4xZUNM7