Introducing the ETA Utah Chapter
This post is written by Joe Connelly.
Joe leads Durable’s Contributor Team and is the Chapter Organizer for the ETA Utah Chapter.
After graduating from Texas Tech University, he built experience in tech sales and sales coaching before leading acquisitions for a Texas land-investing firm. Today, Joe is actively searching for a business to buy and appreciates the thoughtful, relationship-driven community Durable brings together.
Across the state, small business owners show up with care, skill, and a real commitment to doing things well. From local shops to growing companies, there’s a quiet standard here: work hard, serve your community, and leave things better than you found them.
Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) fits naturally into that story.
In Utah, ETA has shown up in different ways — through universities, operators, and individual initiatives. The ETA Utah Chapter brings those efforts into a shared, statewide space focused on connection, learning, and community.
That’s why we’re launching the ETA Utah Chapter as part of Durable, Utah’s Business Commons.
A Home for ETA in Utah
The ETA Utah Chapter exists to convene Utah’s small business acquisition community so we can:
Learn faster
Build stronger relationships
Make better decisions as buyers and operators
And grow stronger, more durable businesses
This is a community-first chapter.
Not a pitch fest.
Not a recruiting funnel.
Not a sales environment.
Just real people, buying and building real businesses — together.
ETA isn’t meant to be done alone — and Utah deserves a place where people can learn and build together.
Built with Durable, for the Community
The ETA Utah Chapter operates as an official chapter of Durable, Utah’s Business Commons.
Durable exists to give Utah business owners a place to gather, exchange ideas, and grow together. Because building a business can feel isolating, Durable brings people into the same room through events, peer groups, and practical conversations — so no one has to figure it out alone.
The ETA Utah Chapter builds on that foundation with its own leadership, programming, and direction focused specifically on ETA.
That means:
Thoughtful, high-quality events (fireside chats, panels, small-group discussions)
Real conversations with experienced operators
A consistent cadence of events
A strong local foundation
Most importantly, the chapter is shaped by people who understand the challenges of buying and building a business in Utah — and design the community to support members through them.
A Big-Tent Approach to ETA
ETA Utah brings together the full acquisition ecosystem:
Funded and self-funded searchers pursuing business acquisition
Independent sponsors
Investors and capital partners
Operators and CEOs
University partners and students
Lenders, attorneys, and advisors
This is a Utah-focused, community-driven effort.
And it’s completely free to join.
Real Experience, Real Perspective
The chapter is guided by an advisory group of operators, investors, and educators who bring firsthand experience in acquiring, leading, growing, and exiting businesses — including close collaboration with Utah’s local universities and entrepreneurship programs.
Their role isn’t to pitch — it’s to help shape the chapter so it delivers real value to members at every stage of the journey.
We’re also deeply grateful to the current Contributor Team who helped bring this chapter to life and continue shaping its direction. If you’re part of Utah’s ETA community and interested in getting involved — helping host events, share experience, or build the ecosystem alongside us — we’d love to hear from you. You can learn more about becoming a contributor here:
Less theory.
More lived and local experience.
You can explore the chapter and advisory board here:
An Invitation
If you’re in Utah and interested in:
Buying a business
Learning more about ETA
Connecting with experienced operators
Building relationships in the acquisition community
We’d love to have you involved.
You can join the ETA Utah Chapter, attend upcoming events, and stay connected through Durable’s community platform.
It’s free.
It’s local.
And it’s built for people who take ownership seriously.
