2024 SUMMIT

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 13,2024

SPEAKER BIOS

David Zook

David Zook is serving in his second term as Cache County Executive. In that role, David is the CEO of Cache County, serving in a role analogous to that of County Mayor. Some of his policy priorities related to community planning have included establishing the county's first open space preservation bond, convening a housing crisis task force, updating the county's general plan and transportation plans and expanding economic development efforts.

David’s background includes nearly 27 years of experience at the county and city levels, including 9 years as a City Manager and 18 years in county government. David has served in multiple roles in our community, including as Chairman of the Cache Chamber of Commerce, as the founding Chairman of the Cache Valley Economic Development Alliance, as Chairman of the Cache County Republican Party, and on the Hyde Park Planning Commission.

David earned a Masters Degree in Public Administration from SUU, where he has also served as a professor of public administration. David holds graduate and undergraduate certificates in economic development and earned the ICMA Credentialed Manager designation from the International City & County Management Association.

Kevin Bouck

Kevin was born in upstate New York, and moved to Weston, Idaho as a child where he worked on the family dairy farm. At age 18 Kevin moved to Logan to attend Utah State University. After serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Antwerp, Belgium, Kevin returned to USU to complete his degree in Business Management and Human Resources in 1999.

Kevin and his young family lived in Logan, then Lewiston, then Farmington, Utah while he pursued careers in business management, sales and marketing in varying industries. Later Kevin and his family purchased a business in Victor, Idaho serving the high-end housing industry and experienced first-hand the massive influx of homeowners and rapid growth of the greater Jackson Wyoming area during the early 2000’s.

In 2012 the Boucks returned to Cache Valley and purchased a home in North Logan where they live today. Kevin and his wife Joy – also from Logan – have seven children ranging from a 22-year-old senior at USU to a 6-year-old first-grader at Cedar Ridge Elementary.

Kevin began a career in mortgage lending upon his return to Logan, working closely with family, friends, neighbors, real estate partners and other referral sources to help them and their clients purchase and finance homes in Utah, Idaho and Wyoming. In 2021 as a mortgage loan officer Kevin funded nearly $100 million in loan volume with over 255 homes financed in a single year. That’s more than 1 home transaction closed every business day. Kevin is a top mortgage loan originator in the State of Utah, consistently ranking in the top three mortgage loan officers in Cache County. Kevin is the recipient of numerous awards from lenders, the Cache Valley Association of Realtors®, Realtor® Political Action Committee and the National Association of Realtors®.

Kevin and his team love serving the people of Northern Utah to help them with their goal of home ownership and financial growth. In March this year, Kevin opened his own mortgage brokerage in Logan, along with his partner Zach Saxton – Bolt Home Mortgage. B.O.L.T. stands for Built On Love & Trust. Kevin focuses on building trusting and genuine relationships with all his clients and partners and truly loves the community he serves.

Tim Baird

Tim Baird, AICP, is an Associate with the Utah office of Fehr & Peers with over a decade of experience supporting communities in transportation planning. Tim has supported public agencies across Utah and the western US in developing local and regional transportation plans, travel demand forecasts, corridor studies, safety action plans, and active transportation plans. He has served as technical advisor to numerous communities and agencies on topics including project prioritization and performance metrics, scenario evaluation tools, and applications of transportation big data sources. Tim is currently the consultant project manager for the Utah MPOs Regional Roadway Grid Study.

Jeremy Christensen

Jeremy Christensen joined UDAF in 2023 as the Land Conservation Program Manager, overseeing UDAF’s conservation easement program and the LeRay McAllister Working Farm and Ranch Fund. A fourth-generation Utahan, Jeremy graduated from the University of Utah in 2006 and worked on wildlife conservation & habitat restoration projects for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and the Grand Canyon Trust, before moving to rural southwest Colorado and starting a successful career as a real estate broker where he specialized in complex transactions involving farms and ranches, conservation easements, and water rights. Jeremy now resides in Salt Lake City.

Dr. Daniel Christensen

As the state veterinarian, Dr. Christensen oversees the Animal Health Program of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF). His career is a great example of the varied paths open to veterinarians and the importance of animal health as a facet of public health.

Prior to joining the UDAF, Dr. Christensen served the nation working for the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases and conducted research in countermeasures to biological weapons, infectious diseases, trauma, and wound healing. He also served as a veterinary medical officer for the 405th Reserves Unit at Fort Douglas.

Caroline Hargraves

Caroline Hargraves is the director of the Marketing and Economic Development Division of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food. She also serves on the USDA Southwest Regional Food Business Center Leadership Council, is the western region co-chair of the North American Agricultural Marketing Officials organization, and serves on the board of directors for Utahns Against Hunger. She has owned a photography and marketing company for 8 years, mostly working with local restaurants and small businesses, and has over a decade of experience in various front and back-of-house restaurant positions. Her lifelong love of local food and the hospitality industry as well as her degree in public health have heavily influenced her drive to support local agriculture and small, independent food businesses and restaurants.

Caroline lives in Salt Lake City with a slew of chickens, her young son, a couple of cats, and the naughtiest basset hound in the West.

Craig Buttars

Craig W Buttars has been serving as the Commissioner of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food since being appointed by Governor Cox in January 2021. Prior to this appointment he served in various local and State appointed and elected positions, including the Utah Farm Bureau Board, Utah House District #3, Cache County Council and from 2014-2020 he served as the Cache County Executive. He spent the majority of his career as a dairy farmer until 2015 when he left for full time government service. Craig and his wife, Shara live in Smithfield, Utah and are the parents of three children, who have rewarded them with 9 grandchildren.

Jordan Mathis

Jordan Mathis grew up in Utah and has spent most of his life here. He received a bachelor’s degree in Health Promotion and Communication from Weber State University in 2005.

Additionally, Jordan received a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University. Throughout his career, he has worked in the private, non-profit, and public sectors promoting health. For the last eighteen years, Jordan has worked in the Utah public health system for three local health departments as a Health Educator, Director of Health Promotion, Public Information Officer, and Health Officer.

Landis Wenger

Landis is the regional trail and active transportation coordinator for Cache County. In this role he supports partner cities and other organizations within the valley plan, design, and complete trails and other active transportation facilities. Landis came to this position with a wide background of outdoor recreation employment and environmental planning and design education. He is thrilled to have found a position where he can combine his passions and skills in such a beautiful place. He is excited to work with others in our communities to build upon and connect our trail systems.

Kory Smith

Kory Smith is the Vice President of Capital Improvements and has been involved in Capitals since 2004. After joining Wasatch in January 1999, he worked in Accounting before moving into the Capitals department. He and his team have successfully completed multiple multi-family property renovations throughout the West. In addition to renovations, he aided in the due diligence, underwriting, and acquisitions of 18 to 20 residential properties and saw the company grow from 10,000 units to over 17,000. More recently, the Capitals department assisted in several new construction projects ranging from residential homes and cabins to light commercial buildings.

Brett Nelson

Brett Nelson, CFA, is the Founding Member of Cache Terra, a real estate development firm focused on master planned residential communities, including the Willow Lakes project in Logan, and Founder/CIO of Certeza Asset Management LLC, an institutional asset management firm based in Providence, UT.

Brett began in the real estate industry in 1995 working for a luxury custom home builder and has been involved in residential development, design, renovation, and construction privately since 2004. Born and raised in Utah, Brett attended Utah State University, where his studies focused on both engineering and finance. He received a B.S. degree in 2006 and subsequently achieved a Chartered Financial Analyst Institute (CFA) designation.

Concurrently, Brett pursued a career in financial markets, building proprietary asset valuation models. In 2011, Brett launched Certeza, managing portfolios for Non-profits, Institutions, Fund of Funds, and Family Offices. He has leveraged his background in finance, data science, construction, and engineering to identify and execute, with the Cache Terra team, strong opportunities for unique master planned residential and resort communities.

Hannah Freeze

Hannah Freeze is the Program Manager for the Agricultural Water Optimization Program with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food. For over 10 years Hannah has worked closely with private landowners implementing conservation projects on their farms and ranches. A large majority of the work she has completed has been focused on irrigation projects and animal waste projects on dairies and feedlots. Hannah enjoys working closely with farmers and ranchers and takes seriously the opportunity she has to be a voice for agriculture in many different settings. Feedback from farmers is always the best kind and she seeks for it regularly as she strives to guide the Agricultural Water Optimization Program forward.

Amber Brown

Biography coming soon!

Russ Holley

SESSION DESCRIPTIONS

Brett Nelson

“Willow Lakes, Master Planned Communities - Opportunities & Challenges”

Full description coming soon!

Jordan Mathis

“Attainable Housing: The Foundation of Thriving Communities”

The discussion will focus on making it easier for builders to meet market demands, which can help reduce housing costs for everyone. Key recommendations include allowing smaller homes on smaller lots, permitting multiple homes per lot or building, and creating mixed-use centers. Additionally, the session will consider how changing development patterns can facilitate the construction of more housing, ultimately supporting a healthier and more inclusive community.

Tim Baird

“Update: Safe Streets for All and Grid Study”

Full description coming soon!

Kevin Bouck

“Unlocking the Door: Strategies for Cache Valley Homebuyers”

Focusing on middle-income families, this session will offer creative strategies for buying a house in today’s challenging economic environment. An infographic will be provided to attendees, outlining practical steps and considerations for prospective homeowners in Logan, UT.

Commissioner Craig Buttars and Representatives from the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food

Commissioner Buttars - "Supporting AG Producers Amid Development and Water Challenges"
Caroline Hargraves - "Overview of Agriculture Grant Programs Available to Producers"
Amber Brown - "Key Legislative Goals for Supporting Agriculture and Addressing Growth Challenges"
Dr. Daniel Christensen - "Update on Avian Flu Concerns Specific to Cache Valley"
Hannah Freeze - "Water Optimization Strategies and Support for Producers"
Jeremy Christensen - "Insights on the LeRay McAllister Fund and Conservation Easements to Protect Agricultural Land"

Landis Wenger

“Trail Etiquette in Cache County: It Starts with Being Kind and Saying Hi!”

Full description coming soon!

Russ Holley

“Affordable Housing Project”

Full description coming soon!