While California gets much of the attention for up-and-coming technology news, Utah’s own “Silicon Slopes” feature many companies making headlines in the tech world.

Greg Butterfield received recognition for his impact on the Utah tech scene as he was inducted into the Utah Technology Council Hall of Fame on 23 October 2009. Myriad Genetics co-founders Peter Meldrum and Mark Skolnick were also inducted in the hall of fame. They join such Utah technology pioneers as television inventor Philo T. Farnsworth; Adobe co-founder John Warnock; and former Dell CEO Kevin Rollins.

“We are privileged to recognize these three remarkable gentlemen for their stellar achievements and the impact they’ve made by improving not only our way of life in Utah but also by improving it throughout the world,” says Richard Nelson, president and CEO of the Utah Technology Council.

Butterfield says the recognition is an acknowledgment of the Utah companies he has worked for, noting that unlike fellow inductees Meldrum and Skolnick, he has not developed new technologies himself. Instead, Butterfield has successfully delivered technology to the world through business as founder and managing partner of SageCreek Partners, a technology consulting firm.

Butterfield’s induction into the UTC Hall of Fame is not the first time he has been recognized for his contributions to technology and the economy. In 2002 he received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award, and in 2006 he was invited to the World Economic Forum as a technology pioneer.

Since graduating from BYU in 1985 with a BS in finance, Butterfield has held executive positions in several notable technology firms, including Legato, Novell, and WordPerfect Corporation. He was also a key player in growing Altiris, a software company based out of Lindon, Utah. Altiris later became the first software company to successfully go public after the burst of the IT bubble, a move that Butterfield pushed through despite doubts from many pundits and analysts. However, Butterfield says he views his accomplishments in less tangible terms.

“The thing I am most proud of is that we were able to build a hugely successful business that was recognized worldwide, and we were able to do it based on principles that are complementary to the gospel,” he says. “I believe that if you take care of your employees, if you take care of your customers, and if you take care of your partners, Wall Street takes care of itself.”

The knowledge and experience from running successful companies has translated to his personal life, Butterfield says.

“Leadership principles aren’t tied to your profession; they’re applicable across all aspects of life,” he says. “Whether it’s communication skills, the ability to create a long-term vision and strategy or to surround yourself with the right team that provides strengths to make up for your weaknesses, those same attributes are applicable in life.”

These skills come in handy in Butterfield’s efforts to give back to the community. He is currently vice chairman of Utah Valley University’s board of trustees and is a member of the advisory boards for the United Way and Thanksgiving Point.

“You’ve got an obligation to give back,” Butterfield says. “One person can make a difference.”

Butterfield lives with his wife, Shelly, in Alpine, Utah. They have five children.

Spencer Holt interacts with children in Guatemala.

In the lush Polochic Valley of Guatemala, sleepy villages are nestled along dusty roads and populated with the friendly faces of the Mayan Q’eqchi people. But for eight days in August, the quiet valley burst into life with the arrival of the Singular Humanitarian experience (SHe), a unique service organization for Latter-day Saint singles, which was created by a Marriott School MBA grad and his friends.

Scott Porter graduated in 2004 with an MBA. Four years later, he was working in Washington, D.C., surrounded by a network of friends who wanted more out of their vacations than a quick cruise—they wanted to make a difference. Porter and a close group of friends began to formulate a plan.

“Our idea was to organize a trip that actually provided significant service to the people we were visiting while connecting singles at the same time,” Porter says. “That was really the genesis of the Singular Humanitarian experience.”

After a series of meetings and eight months of planning, Porter and his team put the plan into action. Partnering with LDS Humanitarian Services and CHOICE Humanitarian, they organized a multifaceted project that gathered together ninety single adults from around the world.

Under the direction of the villagers, the volunteers put their expertise to use building a middle school and a library; training rural teachers, midwives, and health promoters; assembling a medical clinic that attended to 1,000 patient consultations and distributed more than 1,000 multivitamin packs; and organizing a mobile dental office that cleaned teeth and performed tooth extractions.

Reed Farnsworth, a 2004 management grad, met with growers of cardamom, a local crop, and helped create a cardamom cooperative that improved the harvest. And Spencer Holt, who graduated in 2001 with a BS in accounting, taught a teacher development seminar.

“Within the group of projects, I immediately identified multiple ways in which I could personally contribute to the effort,” Holt explains. “The Marriott School taught me to have confidence in my own talents and abilities. I was able to dive right in because I knew where I could help the most.”

When it was time for the volunteers to put down their tools, the good-byes were tearful, recalls Mark Tuttle, an accounting student at the Marriott School. After snapping some photos, a local asked Tuttle and the other volunteers to make up a few extra buckets of cement before they left. Pouring the cement on the ground, the man stooped down and drew a heart in the cement and invited the volunteers to sign their names.

“To think of the impact we had on his life is humbling,” Tuttle says. “His gratitude was apparent in his actions and tears. The work we did created a bond that won’t be broken.”

The group’s work was so successful that Porter and his fellow organizers are already planning future ventures. Registration is currently open for a return trip to Guatemala and a new expedition to Nepal. For more information, visit singularhumanitarian.org.

From left: James Marsh, Brandon Savage, and Mark He.

Under the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge, three Marriott School grads are tackling their MBAs at the West Coast campus of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. As part of the 2011 Executive MBA class, Brandon Savage, Mark He, and James Marsh were strangers before classes began. But since last May one thing has brought them together—and it isn’t business.

“We talk about BYU football,” laughs He, who graduated with a BS in accountancy in 2000.

“There have been a few times where the last half hour of class, we’re peeking at our laptops to catch the first play of the game,” admits Savage, a 2001 information systems grad. “It’s fun to have people to talk with about it.”

Football even took priority during a special weekend of MBA classes at the Philadelphia campus. As soon as class was dismissed, the trio met up with other Cougar fans to watch the game.

But when the guys aren’t talking touchdowns or analyzing BCS standings, they’re busy at one of the nation’s top-ranked EMBA programs. Every other weekend they head to campus, located in the heart of San Francisco’s financial district, for two full days of finance lectures and marketing analyses.

It’s an easy trip for He. Since graduating he has called the City by the Bay home.

But for Savage and Marsh, a 2004 accounting grad, their commutes to campus encompass more than a set of wheels. Both live in Utah and hop a flight every Thursday to arrive in time for their Friday morning classes.

“It’s not necessarily the ideal situation,” Savage explains. “But in some ways it’s nice because it makes the program focused and isolated. It’s 100 percent school for forty-eight hours. Plus I get good study time on the plane.”

While extra study time keeps the trio at the top of their class, they’re more appreciative of the preparation they received at BYU. According to He, their undergraduate experiences set them apart from their fellow students.

“We’re more mature and more accountable for our actions,” He says. “I think that speaks highly of the BYU experience.”

Savage agrees. “The Wharton Admissions Committee chooses people to create a diverse academic environment,” he explains. “BYU students and their background prove to be valuable additions to that environment.”


Overseeing project management for advertising and marketing for one of the largest newspapers in the country may seem like a daunting task. But for Jaimie Rush, it’s just another day at the office.

Rush earned an MBA from BYU in 1993 and began working for the Los Angeles Times in 1997 as a marketing and planning associate and senior marketing analyst. Since that time, she has progressed through more senior roles with the newspaper, where she currently serves as the senior project manager for advertising and marketing.

As a certified project management professional, she is also an instructor for individuals looking to earn their Project Management Professional credential and is an adjunct business instructor for two universities. Rush says she enjoys teaching and working with students because it provides her an opportunity to work with individuals who have different backgrounds and interests.

“Working in the media industry, particularly for the Los Angeles Times, has been very exciting and rewarding,” she says. “I have been able to manage many projects with a variety of different people who have helped shape the direction of the company. Every day is a journey.”

Rush’s career is evidence that plenty of business principles go into getting a publication to press. As the newspaper industry shifts into an age of online and multimedia journalism, Rush has taken on projects to help the Los Angeles Times innovate and expand into new areas of business. For example, in her current position, Rush has led teams that have launched new products, new sales and marketing systems, and even a real estate auction service.

Leadership and teamwork are essential in Rush’s work, skills she says she learned at BYU. The rigorous training, the assignments, and especially the presentations trained her to feel comfortable and confident in the corporate environment.

Aside from increasing her business knowledge, Rush’s experience has helped her in her home life as well. “I have learned that to execute projects successfully, it is important to have a clear vision of the project and a plan for what it will take to get there,” she says. “I apply this same principle in my personal life, whether it’s helping my children achieve their goals or managing our family’s finances.”

Although she describes much of her life as a constant juggling act, Rush says she always makes time for two important things: her family and exercise. When she is not working out at the gym, she and her husband, John Draper, go on lengthy bike rides or long walks through the hills near their home in Pomona, California, with their three children. Rush says physical activity is important for a fulfilling life and tries to teach that lesson to her children.

Published by the Marriott School at Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. Copyright 2011 by Brigham Young University. All rights reserved. All communications should be sent to Marriott Alumni Magazine, 490 Tanner Building, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602. Email: marriottmag@byu.edu. Telephone: (801) 422-5083. Fax: (801) 422-0501. The views expressed are those of the various authors and not necessarily the Marriott School. Change your mailing address here.