The Founding of Nectar: The Importance of Employee Recognition with Trevor Larson and Andrew Hollis

For Trevor Larson and Andrew Hollis, building Nectar was never just about software.

It was about feeling seen.

Long before Nectar became one of Utah’s fastest-growing technology companies, the two co-founders were childhood friends, dreaming about what they might one day build together. What started with small jobs and a string of side businesses eventually evolved into a technology platform designed to help employees feel valued, seen, and appreciated at work.

In the last three years, Nectar has grown more than 700% and earned the number one spot on the Mountain West Capital Network’s Utah 100 list. But for Trevor and Andrew, the company’s real success isn’t measured in rankings or revenue. It’s measured in culture—specifically, the belief that frequent, meaningful recognition can change someone’s entire workday.

Turning Friendship into a Founding Team

Trevor and Andrew’s story begins long before Nectar was even an idea.

The two met as kids on the same basketball team in Mesa, Arizona. They stayed close throughout high school before heading to Utah for college. Trevor attended Utah Valley University and Andrew attended the nearby Brigham Young University. They became roommates, collaborators, and constant brainstormers, always looking for something to build.

Trevor originally planned a very different career path. As a pre-dental student, he envisioned a future as an orthodontist. He was drawn in by the lifestyle as much as the profession. But life kept pulling him in a different direction.

To pay the bills, Trevor started a mobile car detailing business. He spent day after day knocking on doors in Pleasant Grove until he eventually found a breakthrough by partnering with local tech companies like Vivint. Instead of chasing individual customers, Trevor and Andrew realized they could scale by serving employees on-site. They would wash cars while people worked and let HR teams promote the service internally.

That small shift opened a much bigger door.

The HR Opportunity

As the car detailing business grew, so did Trevor and Andrew’s exposure to the world of HR. Companies like Vivint, Qualtrics, and BambooHR introduced them to a behind-the-scenes look at how organizations thought about perks, benefits, and culture.

Their work eventually led Trevor into a sales role at Qualtrics and Andrew at BambooHR, where they both gained firsthand experience in the SaaS world. But the real spark came from a simple observation: companies were investing heavily in perks, yet employees often didn’t even know what was available to them.

That insight led to their first software venture. They created a mobile app designed to centralize employee perks, discounts, and benefits all in one place. The idea was simple: make it easier for employees to access what their company already offered.

They ran the business for years without pay, juggling side jobs during the day and software development at night while their spouses worked to keep things afloat. Ultimately, the effort paid off in a major way: a pilot customer achieved an impressive 96% monthly usage of the app.

But when that same customer chose not to renew, Trevor and Andrew realized something critical.

Usage alone wasn’t enough. The real value lay somewhere deeper.

The Creation of Nectar

That moment became what Trevor and Andrew call their “burn the ships” decision.

If companies were using their product but not seeing enough impact to justify paying for it, the problem wasn’t distribution—it was relevance. Trevor and Andrew went back to the drawing board, talking to customers and studying where HR teams were struggling most.

Everything kept pointing them toward employee recognition and engagement.

They learned that while perks and benefits mattered, what employees truly wanted was to feel valued for the work they did every day. Recognition isn’t just nice to have. It’s a human need.

That realization led to a full rebrand and a new product.

The name “Nectar” came from the idea that nectar is the building block of honey. Without it, sweetness doesn’t exist. In the same way, Trevor and Andrew believed that frequent recognition was the building block of great workplace culture.

Nectar was officially reborn in 2020; this time as a recognition and rewards system designed to make appreciation visible and scalable.

Recognition First, Rewards Second

In a crowded market filled with tools focused on incentives, Trevor and Andrew made a deliberate choice. Nectar would lead with recognition, not rewards.

That distinction shaped the entire platform. Instead of emphasizing the monetary value of points or gift cards, Nectar prioritizes public moments where employees acknowledge each other’s contributions in real time.

For Trevor and Andrew, this was more than just a product choice. It was a philosophical one.

They believed recognition should come from managers, teammates, and leaders alike. When done well, rewards become a reinforcement, not the main event.

That point of view resonated with people all over the world.

Nectar now serves nearly 2,000 customers globally, helping organizations give recognition in a way that’s measurable and consistent.

Turning Culture into Impact

One of the biggest challenges Trevor and Andrew faced was proving that recognition wasn’t just a “soft” benefit.

With years of customer data now available, they finally have results to back their claim. Companies using Nectar have reported significant reductions in employee turnover. Others have seen improvements in employee engagement scores and customer satisfaction.

For leadership teams focused on ROI, these numbers matter.

But for Trevor and Andrew, the most meaningful metric is the people—employees working harder and feeling proud of where they work.

Building The Nectar Team

As Nectar grew, Trevor and Andrew faced the challenge of maintaining their own company’s culture.

What started as a three-person operation has now grown into a company of nearly 150 employees. Early on, employee recognition happened face-to-face. But as the team and locations expanded, the founders realized they needed the same system that they were selling to customers.

Nectar began “dogfooding” its own product, launching recognition feeds and rewards inside the company. Today, dozens of recognitions flow through the platform every day, highlighting contributions from new hires and leaders alike.

For Trevor, scrolling through the feed has become a way to stay connected to a growing team. It’s refreshing to see who’s stepping up, who’s being recognized, and where momentum is building.

Utah as a Launchpad for Growth

While Trevor and Andrew both grew up in Arizona, they credit Utah as one of Nectar’s greatest advantages.

The state’s dense network of universities, startup businesses, and successful tech companies creates what they describe as a “farm system of talent.” Early on, they were able to participate in a UVU startup competition and receive support from the Business Resource Center in Orem. This kind of advantage helped them survive the lean years of their company.

Mentorship from seasoned Utah entrepreneurs and investors gave them access to experience they couldn’t have found elsewhere. Even when outside investors suggested moving the company out of state, the founders chose to stay—believing Utah offered the best environment to build a software company at scale.

Building with Curiosity and Risk

Trevor and Andrew’s number one piece of advice for aspiring entrepreneurs is simple: get in the arena.

They both believe that action creates information. Ideas don’t come from waiting; they come from doing.

From failed side businesses to early sales roles, every step of their journey reinforced the same lesson: progress comes from motion, not perfection.

Their favorite mantra reflects a belief that small risks lead to bigger opportunities, and that curiosity is the engine behind every pivot. “Work begets work”.

Lessons for Entrepreneurs

Start even if you don’t feel ready. Progress comes from action, not perfection.
Let curiosity guide you. Listening to customers reveals where real value lives.
Focus on people before product. Culture is the ultimate foundation.
Measure what matters. Recognition can—and should—be tied to real business outcomes.
Build with support. Strong ecosystems thrive on support and accelerate growth.

Looking Ahead

As Nectar grows, so does the founders’ focus on impact.

From hosting multiple fundraisers to serving on university boards, Trevor and Andrew see giving back as part of the full-circle journey. They want to create outcomes that don’t just benefit customers, but also employees. This includes the broader community that supported them.

Looking ahead, Nectar’s vision extends beyond recognition alone. The company is building a broader “culture suite” designed to support employees across the entire lifecycle, all within a single platform.

Nearly a decade into their journey, Trevor Larson and Andrew Hollis continue to build Nectar with the same energy that fueled their earliest ideas. From childhood teammates to co-founders of one of Utah’s fastest-growing companies, their story is a reminder that great businesses don’t start with software.

They start with people.

Want the full story behind Nectar’s journey?
Listen to the complete MountainWest Capital Network Podcast episode, where Trevor and Andrew share how their friendship turned into a co-founded business focusing on helping others feel recognized and seen in the workplace.

[Listen to Trevor and Andrew’s full story here →]

Apple: [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/turning-employee-experience-into-growth-the-founding/id1818372923?i=1000747165922]

Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/4OexfbTgqJh6Q0NdrmNwEB?si=719f28ffda284622 ]