Touring Utah – The Living Planet Aquarium

Salt Lake City resident and real estate developer Stuart Val Staker serves his community in several ways as a volunteer or financial benefactor. The owner and CEO of The Staker Company, S. Val Staker is also one of the founding members of the Living Planet Aquarium, originally located in Sandy, Utah. The aquarium is moving to Draper with a new facility that will house up to 62 exhibits in136,000 square feet.

In addition to a banquet hall that serves 400, a cafe, and a gift shop, the aquarium will also offer field trips and provide Utah’s children with educational programs. The Journey to South America Gallery will house species of birds, eels, frogs, snakes, and other inhabitants of the rainforest, while the Ocean Explorer Gallery will showcase all types of marine species, including stingrays, seahorses, and a 300,000-gallon shark tank that visitors can walk through.

The grand opening of the new Living Planet Aquarium is scheduled for December 2013.

Give Kids A Smile Will Kick Off Its 2014 Season in Washington, D.C.

An engaged member of the Salt Lake City business and philanthropic community, Stuart Val Staker served as the president of Staker Paving and Construction Company, Inc., for more than 25 years. Beyond his professional accomplishments, S. Val Staker created the PI Foundation in order to support local charitable organizations. Among his many causes, Stuart Val Staker has generously donated to the Boy Scouts of America, the Wounded Warrior Project, and the Utah Give Kids A Smile program.

Give Kids A Smile, an initiative developed by the American Dental Association, is scheduled to launch its 2014 season with the 12th annual Give Kids A Smile Day, which will be held February 7, 2014, at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Give Kids A Smile Day is an annual event, where volunteer dental professionals provide quality dental services to children in need. A few of the services offered on this day include preventive screenings, teeth cleaning, treatments, and the distribution of educational materials on how to improve and maintain oral health.

Initially designed as a one-day event in 2003, the Give Kids A Smile program now benefits approximately 450,000 children each year who receive dental care from dentists and volunteers at more than 1,500 events nationwide. Since its inception, the Give Kids A Smile events have provided dental care to nearly 4.5 million children and attracted almost 500,000 volunteers.

The High Peaks of Utah

Stuart Val Staker was born and raised in Salt Lake City and, aside from his time served in the military and a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, he has spent his entire life in Utah. The current owner and CEO of The Staker Company, S. Val Staker counts fishing and traveling among his hobbies and interests.

While tourists usually find more than one thing to appreciate about Utah, those who hike and climb will find Kings Peak particularly interesting. Kings Peak, the highest point in Utah, rises 13,528 feet and is located in the remote High Uintas Wilderness in Ashley National Forest. The nearly 29-mile round-trip climb will take the adventurous far beyond the signs of civilization. About halfway up, climbers are rewarded with the breathtaking views surrounding Dollar Lake.

Those who scale Kings Peak will cross rough country, climb over boulders, and may have to use their hands to maintain balance. Hikers are not required to obtain a wilderness permit to scale the peak, and, depending on weather conditions, the best climbing conditions occur between June and September.

Fishing in Utah: Stuart Val Staker Lists the State’s Top Spots

The CEO of the Staker Company of Salt Lake City, S. Val Staker enjoys spending his leisure time among cars, planes, and fishing poles. An avid fisherman, Stuart Val Staker has fished in numerous locations in his native Utah. Below are three of the top fishing destinations in the state.

1. Fish Lake, near Ridgefield, Utah: As its name suggests, Fish Lake, in Fishlake National Forest, is one of the most popular sites in the state to cast a line. The lake originally contained only cutthroat trout and sculpin but is now home to a variety of species, including rainbow trout and yellow perch. In fact, it is one of Utah’s best spots for trophy-quality lake trout.

2. Strawberry Reservoir, near Heber, Utah: Another extraordinarily popular site, and with good reason, Strawberry Reservoir is located in a picturesque valley surrounded by aspen-and-conifer-covered mountainsides. Beyond the surrounding beauty, the lake is an excellent source for salmon and trout, and the state record Bonneville cutthroat trout and Kokanee salmon were both caught in its waters.

3. West Willow Creek, near Thompson, Utah: For those who want a more peaceful, isolated fishing experience, West Willow Creek is a perfect destination. Located among the Book Cliffs, the lake can be accessed only by foot or horse. The creek’s spring-fed waters are a good source for Colorado River cutthroat trout and the location itself is a perfect for a multi-day back-country getaway.

Realty Experts Name Top Cities for Real Estate Investors

By Stuart Val Staker

Recently, industry experts announced the top five cities in the United States for individuals who want to invest in real estate. The analysts examined which cities have a high demand for rental properties, falling housing inventories, and competitive mortgage environments. The top five cities span the country, from Tucson, Austin, and Salt Lake City to Baltimore and Kansas City, Missouri. Each of these cities has several distinctive qualities that make it a haven for real estate investors.

In Tucson, the median value of single-family homes has dropped 31 percent. These homes now sell for approximately $170,000, a bargain for any real estate investor. A rising technology hub with a large student and young professional population, Austin has a significant number of renters and moderately low home prices. Additionally, both Baltimore and Kansas City are recovering from the recession and home prices are predicted to rise steadily in the near future. Finally, Salt Lake City boasts a burgeoning tourist industry and average home prices have slowly risen over the last year. Many investors have already caught onto this trend and have already purchased approximately 40 percent of the city’s available housing units.

About the author: A real estate investor based in Salt Lake City, Stuart Val Staker focuses on income properties, such as retail, office, and multi-family buildings. As the owner and CEO of his own company, S. Val Staker oversees all daily operations and business developments.

Stuart Val Staker’s Support of Jordan Valley School and Its “Eagle Eyes” Initiative

A longtime resident of Salt Lake City, real estate developer and investment entrepreneur Stuart Val Staker supports a number of local nonprofit organizations. S. Val Staker notably contributes to Utah Give Kids a Smile and to Jordan Valley School. Situated in Midvale, Utah, and part of the Jordan School District, the school serves the needs of children with special needs.

Jordan Valley School faculty and students are involved in several groundbreaking initiatives designed to bring new educational and life possibilities to students. In late 2011, the Opportunity Foundation of America distributed Eagle Eyes computer technology to expand the learning capacities of severely disabled children. The system utilizes advanced electrodes placed around the children’s eyes to enable them to control screen cursors and engage with learning and game programs, using “Eagle Eyes,” or eye movements. Through the technology, the children’s eye movements are essentially transformed into a multifunction mouse and joystick.

Stuart Val Staker supports other Jordan Valley School initiatives as well, including the recent creation of a dedicated pumpkin patch for students, undertaken in tandem with the Utah Department of Corrections.

Stuart Val Staker on Boy Scouts of America Encourage Innovation

Through his foundation, entrepreneur Stuart Val Staker funds a variety of nonprofit and charitable groups working in Utah and around the world. One of S. Val Staker’s favorite organizations is the Boy Scouts of America. Val Staker, himself, participated in scouting as a young man and achieved scouting’s highest rank, Eagle Scout.

Recently, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) sponsored an invention contest for young people between the ages of 7 and 21. Winners of the BSA Innovation Challenge will have their original ideas developed, patented, and marketed by Edison Nation, a company devoted to helping inventors bring their ideas to consumers. Representatives from the BSA and Edison Nation judged the submitted projects on originality, market potential, and quality of engineering. The two winners will receive royalties from their inventions and get their names on any patents that result from the inventions. They will also receive a chance to appear on Edison Nation’s award-winning PBS show, Everyday Edisons.

One of the winners designed a new type of travel shower caddy; the other developed a student assignment management tool to make it easier for busy students to track and complete assignments. The program showcases the ingenuity, work ethic, and business sense of American youth. It is an excellent example of how the BSA prepares children for the future and passes entrepreneurial skills from one generation to the next.