Walking Between Two Towers

The Aster showcases the mighty potential of mixed-use development in Salt Lake to generate a new wave of downtown buzz.

By Taylor Larsen

Traveling back in time just five years ago would have revealed something far different than what stands today at 255 South State.

What “stood” five years ago wasn’t standing but idling. Unfinished concrete and steel floors and the death rattle of a fourth floor were a better testament to street art and graffiti than the built environment. That previous project, Plaza at State, was ultimately scrapped a few years after its 2012 groundbreaking once poor financial planning and subsequent engineering reports revealed that the project was doomed to collapse. 

Salt Lake City’s Redevelopment Agency (RDA) repurchased the land in 2017 before launching an RFQ the following year in hopes of transforming the property into something financially accessible for residents, thereby energizing this pocket of downtown just east of Gallivan Plaza.

In stepped Chicago-based Brinshore Development, designers at KTGY’s Los Angeles office, and Ogden-based general contractors Wadman Corporation to bring forward The Aster, a two-tower, mixed-use development overlooking above State Street. 

For Whitney Weller, Senior Vice President of Brinshore Development, the chance to build something unique—downtown, mixed-use, mixed-income, pedestrian-centric, connective—made The Aster a “must-build” project for their team. “Creating a vibrant and engaging space was a compelling draw.”

Keith McCloskey, Associate Principal at KTGY, appreciated the broad vision and program required by the RDA to bring forward such an ambitious project. He said the RDA’s specific expectations, affordable housing, underground parking, and a mid-block walkway, provided the initial direction for the design team to work.

But broader constraints of utilizing high-level architectural and urban design principles would be where design and construction would work wonders. These would mesh with a site plan and building design to promote active street life and integrate into its local context—the project’s ultimate goal.

A New Standard in Affordability

The project requirements started with the housing component, crucial for Salt Lake’s emergence as a livable, vibrant city. The Aster brings in 11 units per floor in the north high-rise tower and 10 units per floor in the south mid-rise tower, totaling 190 units—168 reserved for residents earning between 20% and 80% of the area median income. 

Design and construction would also need to preserve Cramer House, a historic piece of Salt Lake on the property’s eastern boundary. But the requirement to create a mid-block walkway connecting the project’s western boundary on State Street and its eastward boundary on Floral Street would test the KTGY team and their design mettle. 

McClosky said his team began by designing the connective paseo walkway running through the site and then allowing the remaining triangulated geometries to act as starting points for the two mixed-use towers.

“Our goal [as architects] is to take something irregular and bring order to it,” he said of the challenge of taking the resulting area and creating a transformative mixed-use development. While design called for towers at two different heights—12 stories for the north tower; eight stories for the south tower—construction began in earnest to remedy the site and build up the mixed-use development.

Construction and design teams created vibrant, engaging spaces that set a new standard in downtown affordable housing. (photos courtesy Wadman, by Red Shift Media) Amenities include a public paseo and special events area, as well as various outdoor spaces that offer downtown views.

Tight Site, Collaborative Neighbors


The project is property line to property line, explained Wadman’s north tower Superintendent Isaac Mittelstaedt, making on-site laydown areas nearly nonexistent. On-time deliveries and work from the project’s various scopes required the highest level of scheduling and coordination.


“Working downtown is definitely a whole different animal than working just about anywhere else,” said Shawn Conroy, Wadman’s Superintendent for the south tower. “We had to think outside the box almost daily in order to complete this project.”


Both explained how friendly neighbors in the nearby offices and commercial spaces aided the project’s success. While one tenant allowed the construction team to utilize a portion of their property, another gave the project team vehicles access to the nearby parking garage, even allowing the Wadman team to place their temporary internet satellite on top of the garage.


Work between the public entities and the project team closed State Street during nightly concrete pours and allowed Baker Concrete to supply the pump trucks run by Frontline Concrete. But getting the concrete placed throughout the towers was an example of the high-wire act of downtown multifamily development, especially as concrete shortages took their turn in wreaking havoc on construction schedules in 2022.


“We were pouring over a thousand yards a day,” Conroy said of the concrete flow going to the job site before material shortages and plant closures slowed the flow to a trickle. After that, suppliers informed the construction team they would be lucky to receive a ready-mix truck on site every day.


Mittelstaedt said that the dearth of concrete kept the superintendents on their toes. “We had to break the pours up into smaller areas. We also redirected work until we could get the quantity of concrete needed for the next pour.”



Concrete and Steel Build Up


Structural reinforced concrete columns and post-tension (PT) decks on the north tower extend from the underground parking garage to the third-floor transfer deck. Infinity Structural Systems and their Epicore MSR concrete and metal decks rise from third through twelfth floors and round out the extent of the concrete used there. 


The south tower utilizes more wood framing but still contains structural concrete and PT decks from that shared parking garage until the fourth-floor transfer deck.


The light and heavy-gauge metal studs that frame interior and exterior walls, respectively, combine with the rebar and make up just some of the metal found in and on the building. Issac explained the work to incorporate the Infinity Structural System and pre-panelized metal studs on the north tower were essential differentiating factors on the project. 


It worked so well on this project that it turned Mittelstaedt into an evangelist for the framing and decking system, especially with the work between Wadman and trade partner MDA Construction, who installed the Infinity Structural System. 


From helping with ceiling heights and sound attenuation to the product’s superb fire, smoke, and gas protection ratings, the system is a cost-efficient way to bring those benefits while allowing for greater unit density than other methods, according to McCloskey, the Infinity Structural System helped to keep the project moving at the brisk pace necessary to meet funding and budget goals while providing the project with a bit more steel.


Building Home


Metals on the building façade installed in varying colors and panel types rise from ground level across the two towers. Conroy said the exterior facades consist of Reynobond aluminum composite panels, steel “R Panels” from Corrugated Metals, AEP’s metal wall panels, and ground floor window walls with an aluminum storefront.


Inside that storefront, McCloskey said the architectural team designed the exact fit and finishes for each of The Aster’s units, whose mix runs the gamut from studio to four-bedroom and even live-work units on the south tower’s ground floor.


Whether it is market-rate or income-based housing, McCloskey added, “The goal is to create a place where people want to go home to […] where they can be proud of where they live.”


To create an appealing living space, interior community areas have a kitchen and plenty of seating for friends, family, and neighbors. Brilliant daylighting throughout the project combines well with the wood grain in cabinetry and elsewhere to draw out a homey level of comfort. Colorful BAUX wood wool panels in the two community rooms add an energy that matches the same lighting features found in the lobbies.


“[KTGY] created a great area, and they really put a lot of thought into what they were building,” said Isaac of building one half of the project. Instead of focusing on profit, he continued, “[Brinshore] created something unique that wasn’t just for the residents but also the community as a whole.”


Strollin’ Down the Paseo


The paseo walkway is a significant programming element that invigorates the site and ushers in opportunities for residents and the general public. 


“The key to urban projects such as this,” McCloskey said, “is ground floor activation and being able to create a permeable ground floor that allows pedestrian connections along the majority of the frontages.” 


In the case of The Aster, the ground floor comprises a large, diverse grouping of uses that face the paseo and public street, including residential lobbies, a food hall, live-work units, a community room, and event space.


McCloskey stated that walkability and the proximity of commercial spaces work as another amenity for residents, especially with a TRAX station just a short walk down the view corridor that extends through the paseo to Gallivan Avenue. Residents can stroll downstairs and enjoy a meal or coffee—or just sit and enjoy the surrounding energy from the paseo benches.


Ground floor retail options span the north tower’s walkway side, while the south tower houses two live-work units on its east side. McCloskey said these units are a great fit in mixed-use developments due to their flexible nature, with space befitting enterprises as varied as an ad agency, nail salon, or jewelry store. He said these units are invaluable for increasing housing density while creating an inviting commercial space buzzing with activity.


At the very end of the paseo stands another crown jewel—the 133-year-old Cramer House. The construction team fully renovated the historic building with structural, HVAC, and MEP upgrades to ready it for the incoming food and beverage tenant.


With the paseo functioning as a view corridor, the Cramer House can be the “active terminus,” as the path connects with Floral Street, McCloskey said. The hope, the architect continued, is that the excellent work done with the paseo helps to connect State Street further with the different bars, restaurants, and activity on Regent Street just to the east. 


“When we get that commercial component up and running and all residents moved in, it will be a destination,” said Weller. With the Salt Lake Film Society joining in as the property’s first commercial tenant, new residents moving into their new homes, and other commercial tenants arriving and bringing in new flavors and ideas, there is buzz again at 255 State.


THE ASTER

Owner/Developer: Brinshore Development, LLC

Architect: KTGY Architecture + Planning

General Contractor: Wadman Corporation

Civil Engineer: Anderson Wahlen & Associates

MEP Engineer: Royal Engineering

Structural Engineer: Fortis Structural, LLC

Geotech: GSH Geotechnical, Inc.

Interior Design: SAINT Studio

Landscape Architect: ArcSitio Design

Concrete: Baker Concrete/Green Construction/STAPP Construction

Plumbing: Utah Mechanical Contractors

HVAC: Utah Mechanical Contractors

Electrical: K2 Electric Incorporated

Masonry: Allen’s Masonry/RJ Masonry

Glass/Curtain Wall: Mountain Valley Glass

Steel Fabrication: Forge Metals

Steel Erection: Forge Metals/Infinity Structures/MDA Construction

Other Specialty Contractors: K&K Drywall, Keith Pulham Painting Inc, Ron J Peterson/Wesley Wilcox Finishing, Redd Roofing, WeatherSealed Inc., TEC Excavation, A-Core, Impact Demolition, Construction, Kevin Hull, CP Build Enterprises

Like a Phoenix Rising

By Bradley Fullmer • November 15, 2025
Residents have access to a wealth of modern, high-class amenities: Check out this open-air rooftop patio with tasteful lighting, pool, and spacious hot tub—it’s party time! (all photos courtesy Kier Construction)

Mission In Progress

By LADD MARSHALL • November 15, 2025
Steve Green is out in McCornick, Utah. Where is that? And what’s near McCornick? “Nothing,” joked Green, the Sr. Vice President for Wheeler Machinery Co. While he may be far from even the smallest of small towns, with Holden and its 492 residents 13 miles away, he’s close to the site of a major development in data center technology. Isolated on the western edge of the Sevier Desert, the Joule Data Center will also be isolated from the grid—by design. Operation Gigawatt Rolls On Green is one of many energy and power professionals hoping to double Utah’s power generation capacity by 2034 as a part of Operation Gigawatt, an initiative launched by Utah Governor Spencer Cox in October 2024. Utah has long been an economic growth leader; Operation Gigawatt aims to make Utah a power player in energy development by increasing transmission capacity, increasing energy production, strengthening policy, and investing in energy innovation. While Governor Cox’s Operation Gigawatt moves forward statewide, out in McCornick, Green said, “We’re doing operation gigawatt and a half off grid.” The Joule Data Center project team will deliver “In-situ power generation”—power not connected to any electrical distribution or transmission system. It starts with Caterpillar G3520K reciprocating generator sets that produce 1.5 gigawatts of electricity. Waste heat and exhaust from the generators then move through an absorption chiller system as part of the overall systems combined cooling, heat, and power (CCHP) solution, providing much of the water required to cool the data center servers. Beyond the electric power to be generated for the Joule project, there will be 1.5 gigawatts of thermal energy and 1.1 gigawatts of available battery storage to meet the data center's peak electricity needs. Added Green, “And we’re not taxing the local utility grid.” Isolated or Community Power? The massive power capabilities delivered there are impressive, but they reveal a troubling trend in how Utah will double its power generation capabilities. Will it be from well-funded companies looking to power data centers and AI technology separate from the grid? Or will Utah fulfill the mission of Operation Gigawatt by creating power solutions accessible to all? According to Troy Thompson, Chief Operations Officer for Big-D Companies, power generation is about more than supplying data centers. “In my mind, how do we build a billion-dollar hospital downtown that needs ten megawatts of power?” he said, referencing Intermountain Health’s future downtown Salt Lake campus, “let alone the data centers, and manufacturers who we are hoping that will come here?” Ten megawatts of power may pale in comparison to what data centers require, but it is one of many projects seeking regulatory approval to move forward. The Utah Inland Port Authority, the Economic Development Corporation of Utah, and others continue to drive projects and jobs into Utah—data centers, too. But Thompson said he has heard from many potential clients who are hesitant to bring their energy-intensive projects to the state without firm guarantees of available power. Operation Gigawatt and state leaders have embraced an "all of the above" approach to energy sources, extending the design lifespans of coal plants, embracing new technologies and power sources, and developing new power-generating capabilities. While the industry is willing, the operating environment needs rewiring to meet state goals. Changing for 21st Century Needs “With as hot as the Utah market is,” began Eric Haslem, “there are too many obstacles for us to overcome.” The market may be ready to ramp up production, said Haslem, Chief Operating Officer for Vernal-based utility and heavy civil contractors BHI, “But the current system can’t handle it. We have this massive web of transmission and distribution infrastructure that was not designed or built for the power demands of the 21st century.” “In 1970, they didn’t know what a smartphone was,” Haslem said, “let alone AI.” Transmission projects have been developed. Rocky Mountain Power/PacifiCorp’s Energy Gateway South transmission line—a 416-mile, high-voltage 500-kilovolt transmission line that runs from Mona to Medicine Bow, Wyoming—certainly helped when it went live in 2024. Still, it's just one project amidst a plethora of needs. Haslem stated that Utah's growth over the last 10 years meant a large majority of the transmission line's capacity was accounted for when it went live. .

One-Stop Shop

By Bradley Fullmer • November 15, 2025
And the King shall answer and say unto them, "Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."—KJV Matthew 25:40 From a social and community impact standpoint, few projects match the value to disabled and special needs individuals as the new Utah State Development Center (USDC) Comprehensive Therapies Building in American Fork. The $36 million, 65,000-SF facility was designed as a "one-stop shop," said Joe Jacoby, President of Salt Lake-based Jacoby Architects, whose team led the project’s design. It consolidates and modernizes myriad services under one roof, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, recreational therapy, speech, language, and hearing resources, and behavioral health resources. In addition, the new building offers full-service medical and dental clinics, an indoor therapy pool, an Autism treatment wing, and workshops for life skills and vocational training—all geared to helping people live independent, authentic lives, while striving to reach their full potential. "This building was very much about accessibility," Jacoby said, "and putting in many different types of resources for these residents—all in one building." Jacoby's firm has significant recent experience in projects that combine education and healthcare for people with special needs. The firm's design of the Sorenson Legacy Foundation Center for Clinical Excellence in Utah State University's College of Education and Human Services earned UC+D's 2016 Most Outstanding K-12 Project. Two years later, the firm earned another UC+D award for the C. Mark Openshaw Education Center for the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind, a project similar to this one in that it contains an array of services, including education and therapy for varying levels of sensory, behavioral, physical, and cognitive abilities. "We've been working on different [design] aspects for many years, starting with a deaf preschool, which led to working with the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind," said Jacoby. "With that came many other sub-specialties, like therapy for behavioral issues, cognitive issues, development disabilities, and even speech, language and hearing clinics. It helps people with a variety of disabilities and serves an underserved population of people."

Built Different

By Taylor Larsen • November 15, 2025
On a fall tour of Utah State University's (USU) Carolyn & Kem Gardner Learning & Leadership Building (Gardner Building), students and faculty are hard at work on a late Tuesday afternoon. Getting here, where USU's business school students could thrive, was a long time coming. The University commissioned the Gardner Building to meet a new mission for the school outside the traditional knowledge acquisition and transfer for which USU has excelled since its founding in 1888: Giving students a differentiated experience they cannot get anywhere else. Purpose Revealed Frank Caliendo, Senior Associate Dean of the Huntsman School of Business, said that the new building is the third and final piece of the business complex, "a realization of the longtime vision of Dean Douglas Anderson, the driving force behind the school's transformation, to meet the needs of students for generations to come." Caliendo, a longtime Aggie (USU BS, '98; PhD, '03), said that, even after the opening of the George S. Eccles Business Building and its faculty offices and classrooms in 1970, growth in business courses eventually outpaced the school's capacity. Jon M. Huntsman Hall's 2016 opening broke the campus bottleneck, with classrooms and other spaces dedicated to business school participants. "But we still needed space for our centers and experiential learning programs," Caliendo said, of the importance of collaborative spaces and differentiated experience for the five programs (see page XX) that would call the Gardner Building home. The design intent for this final piece wasn't a re-creation of Huntsman Hall, Caliendo said of the initial message to MHTN Architects, "But it does need to rhyme with Huntsman Hall." Working within a Busy Environment The first order of business was siting the building just east of the other two business school structures. Stan Burke, Project Manager for Jacobsen Construction, said the Gardner Building was part of a trio of projects that included Ridge Point Hall and a parking garage—three Jacobsen-led projects that utilized the same construction corridor as construction commenced from "An active campus is difficult enough," said Burke of the challenges of simultaneous construction, which required constant coordination amongst the three teams, made a tad easier as they shared a job trailer. "We had to stay cognizant of the school's activities and coordinate with them so that everyone was aware of what we were doing." Coordination went from important to critical, with the three teams meeting daily to discuss coordination and scheduling material and equipment deliveries in 15-minute intervals as the respective construction teams worked on each of the three structures.

The Long and Winding Road

By Bradley Fullmer • November 15, 2025
Warren and Jennie Lloyd (above) have built Salt Lake-based Lloyd Architects into a well-rounded, versatile firm capable of excelling in both the commercial and custom residential markets, as evidenced by projects such as Snuck Farm in Pleasant Grove (main photo) and this cozy private Powder Mountain based cabin in Eden (below ).

Power Player

By Bradley Fullmer • November 15, 2025
The last five years have been a whirlwind for the Larry H. Miller Company (LHM), with the organization selling the majority of its beloved Utah Jazz franchise in October 2020 for a reported $1.66 billion, followed by the sale of its auto dealership empire of more than 70 properties for a reported $3.2 billion a year later. The influx of nearly $5 billion was parlayed into several jaw-dropping real estate and other corporate purchases, including: —1,300 undeveloped acres within the massive 4,100-acre Daybreak development in South Jordan in April 2021. —Advanced Health Care Corp. in January 2021, a transitional health care provider with operations in eight states (primarily in the west) and 3,500 employees. —The purchase of the majority stake in Swig, a leader in the flavored soda craze, in May 2023. — Partnering with Utah Trust Lands Administration to develop 1,200 acres in Saratoga Springs. — The acquisition of over 1,000 acres near Park City and Hideout will include multi-family units, housing, restaurants, and retail. —100+ acre mixed-use development in an area along North Temple being dubbed “The Power District”; the future home of not only Rocky Mountain Power’s new corporate campus but potentially a ballpark for a future Major League Baseball expansion team. —A reported $600 million acquisition of controlling interest in MLS team Real Salt Lake and NWSL team Utah Royals, along with associated infrastructure, including America First Field and Zions Bank Training Center. —The development of Downtown Daybreak, a 200-acre parcel that this year saw its 30-acre Phase I debut with the completion of the Salt Lake Bees' new 8,000 capacity stadium—dubbed The Ballpark at America First Square—in April, followed by a new Megaplex cinema entertainment center in July with luxury theatres, bowling, games and a scratch-made kitchen in addition to an open air plaza. A seven-story, 190-unit multi-family development is currently under construction and rising along the right field bleachers, with views that will look down into the ballpark upon completion next year. And LHM is just getting started, said Brad Holmes, President of Larry H. Miller Real Estate since 2018, calling Downtown Daybreak a "new urban center that is central to where the majority of growth is occurring" and combines a "full spectrum of business and year-round entertainment, culture and connectivity, as well as a wide range of housing options." When LHM executives first conceived of a new home for the Salt Lake Bees, Holmes said they went on a "ballpark tour" of MLB and minor league stadiums, and "really fell in love with a ballpark" in Durham, North Carolina—home of the Durham Bulls—which had buildings that framed in the stadium. So, The Ballpark at America First Square has the multi-family project underway in right field, with a proposed hotel slated to begin next year in left field. "In another two seasons, you'll have this urban setting for the ballpark that frames the mountain views. [The design is] really intentional, and I think it will bring a finished edge to Downtown Daybreak," said Holmes. "It was a process trying to figure out the best location, site plan, traffic, but it's in a great spot. The goal for us was to make it feel like it fit in with the community, almost like having a baseball stadium inside of a park, with an open corridor that connects to a plaza."  Holmes said the seemingly small 8,000-capacity stadium (about half the capacity of the Bees former home at Smith’s Ballpark) aligns with national trends. "It's better to play in front of a sold-out crowd than in a half-empty stadium. Some new MLB stadiums are at 30,000 [capacity]. The trend is smaller, more intimate venues with closer views of the field."

Hogan Construction 80th Anniversary

By Taylor Larsen • November 15, 2025
Much has changed about Hogan & Associates Construction since the company's inception 80 years ago. The name may be the most obvious example, the size of the company may be another giveaway, and the difference in markets served might require a double take if the founders could see the company today. But what hasn't changed is the firm's desire to build communities. It has regularly built important, community-focused projects with a similar purpose since the company came to life in 1945.

(De)signed, Sealed, Delivered

By Taylor Larsen • November 15, 2025
Imagine this: A company has just begun a meeting with the intent of moving forward with a major investment. One party knows something that will help minimize the investment's risk. Should that party tell everyone, it will save money, time, and everyone involved from future headaches. So when should that party spill the beans? At the beginning of the meeting At the end of the meeting At the right time during the meeting Never Bradley Crocker, Director of Preconstruction for Mollerup Glass, has seen how answering this question correctly—and choosing “A”—brings about successful and profitable investment in commercial construction. “I think that [project teams] need to bring in subcontractors early to help guide budgets in general,” said Crocker, detailing how every trade can bring a similar level of expertise to architects and owners by being involved from the beginning of the “meeting”, while the project is in design. Why? “We can vet cost versus performance and find the best value for the performance, which is essential as meeting or beating the budgets gets the project to construction on time,” said Ben Hiatt, Chief Estimator for Steel Encounters. After all, he said, “Nothing moves if budgets are not met.” Design-assist is a positive step forward, where subcontractors assist in matching design intent with a deep understanding of building envelopes to ensure glazing, roofing, walls, and fenestrations perform at their highest level. Glenn Rainey, Salt Lake City Branch Manager, and Larry Luque, Senior Estimator and Business Developer for Flynn Companies, each said efforts in design-assist fulfill what owners and architects want: buildings that meet the design intent and perform at their highest level for as long as possible. It’s not just architects who benefit from that early involvement. “More GCs realize they need us right up front,” said Luque. With teams whose combined experience totals thousands of hours, building envelope contractors stay up to date on changing codes, materials, and specifications, which is highly beneficial to the project. Their close involvement with vendors can help ensure a variety of solutions that meet each job’s needs and help optimize building envelope performance. Consultant Involvement Other parties are lending their expertise. Brandt Strong said building envelope quality has increased with the arrival of more building envelope consultants in Utah and a greater dedication to the building envelope in general. “We had a time where we could say ‘This is a Vegas project, and we have to have the belt and suspenders,’” said Strong, Director of Operations for Mollerup Glass. On Utah projects, the building envelope used to be an afterthought. But it’s changed for the better over the years. “The Utah teams are as sophisticated as anywhere else.” While the markups on shop drawings can draw some ire, both mentioned how working with consultants has led to better, more efficient projects, potentially reducing the need for future repairs by inspecting every material and transition on the building envelope. Said Crocker, “We cannot discredit the envelope consultants’ role in making us, and the industry as a whole, perform at a higher level.” Hiatt credited each party overseeing the building envelope scope for learning and adapting to create a better building environment, specifically in understanding seismic drift and its relationship to glazing, as well as thermal performance and continuity. Improvements to air-barrier coordination and tie-ins to stop water and air leaks are helping buildings operate at peak efficiency. “The architects, general contractors, consultants, and trades have improved their knowledge over the years,” said Hiatt. “Design and execution of façades are better coordinated and executed.”

Taylor Electric Thriving at 50

By Bradley Fullmer • November 15, 2025
Taylor Electric proved its mettle on the challenging Salt Lake International Airport, Southeast Concourse project, with their portion of work concluding in October 2023. (all photos courtesy Taylor Electric)

Hungry and Ready

By Bradley Fullmer and Taylor Larsen • November 15, 2025
By Bradley Fullmer It's been a whirlwind 18 months for Adam Del Toro and Nick Pexton, who co-founded Fountain Green-based Reliance Engineering Services in May 2024, a company specializing in full-service telecommunications engineering, including design, project management, permitting, and funding and grant applications. Two years ago, Del Toro was more than a decade into his career as a Research & Development Supervisor for natural gas giant Dominion Energy, while Pexton was working for Nephi-based Rocky Mountain West Telcom (RMWT) as a Sr. Director of Business Development, with just over four years at the company. The two had met a couple of years earlier while collaborating on a potential fiber optic network project in Mona that never happened. Neither was particularly content with their respective positions, so when Del Toro got a random call from Pexton in March 2024, the timing could not have been better. "I was planning on leaving the natural gas industry and start my own firm [...] Nick happened to call the day I was putting in my two weeks [at Dominion],” said Del Toro, 39. "It definitely felt like Providence was helping us." "Somebody was looking after us, because the timing was unbelievable," added Pexton, 35. "It's crazy how things lined up." Del Toro is a native of St. George and earned a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from Utah State University in 2011. After 2.5 years as a USU Graduate Research Assistant, he joined Dominion Energy in January 2013, where he designed major natural gas systems and structures. Del Toro also earned a Master of Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of the Cumberlands (Williamsburg, Kentucky) in 2023, and moonlights as a counselor at The Center for Hope in Springville, where he helps clients address life challenges both personally and professionally. Pexton is a native of Nephi and studied at Utah Valley University from 2008 to 2010, and earned the Certified Telecommunications Network Specialist designation from Teracom Training Institute (2013-2014). Pexton joined Nephi-based Mid-State Consultants, a telecommunications engineering firm, in March 2011 and spent more than nine years there. He joined RMWT in June 2020, gaining experience in project management and operations. After that fortuitous phone call from Pexton to Del Toro, the pair met four times from March to May to "make sure we were aligned on what the company would look like," Pexton said. "It was a pretty quick process," added Del Toro. "We got talking about goals, how to build a general company vision. I trusted Nick's background and experience, and his character, as well. It was a big risk, but I'm a sink-or-swim guy. If those are my options, I'm going to swim!" Since teaming up, the pair have been aggressive regarding company growth, having exploded from just the two of them to 30 employees, with revenues expected to more than quintuple from $560,000 in 2024 to nearly $3 million by the end of this year. Both expect the telecommunication market to be a fruitful, busy market given the need for fiber optics to rural America, in addition to the "Internet for All" initiative in May 2022 that was part of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's (NTIA) implementation of the infrastructure law that allocated $65 billion to improve high-speed Internet access. Utah, specifically, received $330 million, with the goal of reaching some 40,000 unserved homes and businesses. The firm's location in Sanpete County puts them in the center of the state geographically, and they're committed to working with communities of all sizes to improve their internet capacity. In addition to Utah, Reliance is working in Michigan and Oklahoma, and Del Toro and Pexton expect to land significant future work throughout the Midwest. They want to grow intentionally while ensuring a diversity of revenue streams. "We set some early goals, and we've been able to do really well—we're on track to beat our goals," said Del Toro, crediting the many employees who have joined the firm. "Those individuals took great risks coming on board. We anticipate we'll be even larger next year with the work coming down the pipeline." "Our outlook has been wise," said Pexton. "We've taken into consideration diversification into other sectors—that's a key element. Adam has experience in the natural gas industry, and we want to further our diversification and get into the power side of the industry." Major clients include the federal government (USDA), utility companies, and municipalities, with a focus on rural communities. "We love Sanpete County," said Del Toro. "We value helping the communities we live and work in and providing services that help build up the community and hopefully help the residents." "We depend on repeat work from 18 major clients, and continuously getting work from them," said Pexton. "The minute we stop doing a good job, they can go someplace else. As long as we do a good job, we'll keep getting work." The pair expect Reliance to maintain its explosive growth, perhaps even doubling its employee total in another 12 months. "Next year's [revenue] goal is $4.8 million," said Pexton. "We have confidence in what our workload will be like. We are scaling quite dramatically and want to grow at a healthy pace, where we're not stringing ourselves out too thin. We're in a good position right now."