Editor’s Note: This is an installment in the series called Young Alumni. The series spotlights recently graduated alumni who are starting careers and succeeding in the business world.
Salt Lake City, Utah – Chase Norton, Co-Founder of Artisan Hardware has been named the 1st place winner of the Utah Venture Entrepreneur Forum’s (UVEF) Utah Student 25 award for 2016. The Utah Student 25 is comprised of the top student businesses in the state of Utah each year. Founders of student businesses are honored by the UVEF for achievements in their businesses and their contribution to the Utah economy.
Artisan Hardware, founded in 2014, is a high-end sliding barn door and hardware company that has been Chase Norton’s passion for the past couple years. He began his business while studying Marketing at the David Eccles School of Business.
“Taking a new business risk while at the David Eccles School of Business was a great experience because I was surrounded by students and professors that shared interest in my business” said Chase. “I was able to use my business as a focus in some of my classes which helped pool some needed resources early in the development phase.”
Tony Passey, Assistant Professor, Lecturer, explained that start-up efforts from students add focus and value to the learning process. “The Eccles School has made a strong commitment to student entrepreneurs with the growth of the Lassonde program. New opportunities in the school are increasing the quality of discussions and education inside our classrooms.
For the past 7 years, the Utah Student 25 has been recognizing some of the top entrepreneurs in the state of Utah. Applicants are judged based on revenue and job creation by a panel of experts. Winners of this award have gone on to raise large amounts of venture capital, been on Shark Tank, and have built large Utah companies. Awardees in the Utah Student 25 have all played a major role in conceiving the business by having a key management role in the business.
More About Artisan Hardware:
Chase started Artisan Hardware in 2014, with the vision to make a successful business selling handcrafted sliding barn doors and barn door hardware. To help his company grow, Chase took on a business degree from the University of Utah, so he could learn more about why and how people think when purchasing online. What sets Artisan Hardware’s barn door hardware and sliding barn doors apart from big name stores is that they believe that the customer should be involved in every step of the process to ensure satisfaction. The main goal is to not create just any product but to create your product.
