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This is Chris Redgrave for Zions Bank Speaking on Business.
Utah has a long history as an ice-cream loving state. In fact, we love ice cream so much that we lead the nation in ice cream consumption.
Monte Chournos (chur-ness) was very aware of this trend and decided to tap into it when he opened Sub-Zero Ice Cream in Ogden. This concept is so unique you won't even believe it. Instead of pre-frozen ice cream or soft serve, the ice cream starts out as a liquid and is frozen right in front of you with a squirt of liquid nitrogen.
It all starts with an ice cream base that can be anything from fat free to high fat or even soy or rice milk. Customers have 45 flavors to choose from including Mt. Dew, Dr. Pepper, Bubble Gum and Cheesecake. Once the mix is ready, the liquid nitrogen is added to the bowl and voila, fresh ice cream! Kids love it because it's like a science project for dessert and adults love it because it's ice cream and entertainment all at once.
Excitement for this original concept has been so high that Monte had a line out the door of his store during the grand opening last month, even though it was the middle of winter! He started his business with four employees and was eager to help the Utah economy by becoming a small business owner and creating jobs. The Utah Jobs Agenda is a plan to create 150,000 jobs in the next five years. Business owners like Monte are helping in the effort.
Last summer he started looking into franchises he could purchase to start his own business, a change from his previous work in construction. He discovered Sub-Zero, a franchise based out of Utah County founded by Jerry Hancock, a BYU chemist graduate, and loved the idea. He spent several months working in other Sub-Zero locations as an employee to learn how the business worked and get advice from the owners before opening his own store.
This "can-do" attitude is exactly what's right with Utah.
For Zions Bank, I'm Chris Redgrave, speaking on business.
