December 4th, 2025
MWCN Business Forum
Brett Hopkins is the CEO of Ken Garff Automotive. Brett has been with Ken Garff for 23-years and has led Ken Garff to become the 9th largest automotive group in the country with over $7.5 bn in annual sales and 6,000 employees.
Prior to joining Garff, Brett was the CFO for the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Organizing Committee. Brett oversaw a team of over 500 employees in the area of Finance, Accounting, Risk Management, Procurement, Contract Administration and Logistics. Brett consulted with the IOC for 15-years following the Salt Lake games as a “Financial Expert” helping bid cities and OCOGs with their financial plans.
Prior to joining SLOC, Brett worked for Convergys as the Director of Finance Europe. Brett was an ex-patriot based out of Paris France and led the financial turnaround of a European business that had lost money for ten consecutive years.
Brett received his MBA from Arizona State University and his Master of International Management from Thunderbird. Brett lives in Salt Lake with his wife and has four children.
Ken Garff Automotive is an operator of 70 automotive dealerships across 9 states with 25+ brands and was recently ranked #1 in the Top Revenue category at the MWCN Utah 100 Awards.
This MWCN Business Forum is hosted by MWCN Strategic Sponsor Holland & Hart LLP, 222 South Main Street, Suite 2200, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
MWCN Members: $20
MWCN Guests: $40
Location:
222 South Main Street, Ste. 2200
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Date & Time:
Thursday, December 4, 2025
11:30am MST – Registration & Networking
12:00pm MST – 1:00pm MST – Lunch & Program
Price:
MWCN Members: $20.00
MWCN Guests: $40.00
January 15th, 2026
MWCN Business Forum
Better Data. Better Decisions. Bigger Growth
Matt Wardle has more than 30 years of experience in the manufacturing industry. After assuming ownership of JD Machine in 1992, he grew the company from a team of six to more than 200 employees. JD Machine is an advanced manufacturing firm serving the Aerospace, Space, Medical Device, Energy, and Defense industries.
Mr. Wardle is actively involved in both the community and the manufacturing industry, serving on various boards and committees. He is deeply passionate about workforce development and is committed to helping young people explore education and career opportunities.
At the MWCN Business Forum, Matt will share how JD Machine uses data to drive strategic decision-making and fuel growth. He will discuss their unique approach to leveraging data and how it has led to improvements across most key performance indicator (KPI) metrics as the company continues to scale.
Mr. Wardle graduated from Weber State University with a B.S. in Business Administration. He and his wife, Teal, reside in Eden, Utah, and have three children.
Hosted by MWCN Strategic Sponsor MWCN Strategic Sponsor KeyBank.
Location:
36 South State Street
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Date & Time:
Thursday, January 15, 2026
11:30am MST – Registration & Networking
12:00pm MST – 1:00pm MST – Lunch & Program
Price:
MWCN Members: $20.00
MWCN Guests: $40.00
February 12th, 2026
MWCN Entrepreneur of the Year Event
Each year, MountainWest Capital Network (MWCN) recognizes a Utah business executive who has built a successful Utah-based company, inspiring others to participate in the risks and rewards of entrepreneurship. The MWCN Entrepreneur of the Year Award is unique because it celebrates those that give back to the state.
This year, MWCN is excited to announce Entrepreneur, Author, Podcaster & Speaker, Mary Crafts as the recipient of the 2026 Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
Location:
Little America – Grand Ballroom
500 South Main Street
Salt Lake City, UT
Date & Time:
Thursday, February 12, 2026
11:00 am MST – 12 pm MST – Registration & Networking
12:00 pm MST – 1:30 pm MST – Lunch & Program
Price:
MWCN Members: $125.00
Non-MWCN Members: $150.00
May 21st, 2026
MWCN Deal Flow Event
Event details TBD.
July 9th, 2026
MWCN Golf Tournament
The tournament provides participants with an opportunity to join more than 170 key business decision makers for a day of golf and networking!
October 2026
MWCN Utah 100 Award Event
Event date and details TBD.