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Show Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, May 13-16, 2017 The Park Record A-16 MARKETPLACE Nightly Lodging Tally Occupancy Report for week of May 14-20, 2017 AtlasRTX sends the right message Software company eyes growth in 2017 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% By BUBBA BROWN 20% The Park Record When Bassam Salem started the software company AtlasRTX as a part-time hobby in January of 2016, his goal was to snag 10 customers and build a viable product within 12 months. If he could do that, he thought, it would be proof the company could succeed. By the end of the year, though, Salem had come up short, garnering only five clients. Nonetheless, the company showed promise. So rather than fold, Salem doubled down. He shifted his full-time focus to the company and poured his life savings into it. Within five months, the list of customers grew to 12, and Salem is now hopeful AtlasRTX has a long-term future. “If you have product-market fit, you’re a business. And we felt as a team that we were really close to product-market fit,” he said of the decision to keep going. “The reason we felt that is we had five clients who loved us and raved about us. So it was really not about the product -- it was around, ‘Can we message it properly, package it properly and price it properly so the selling is easy?’” Bassam, who has worked in software since the 1980s, is enthusiastic about the product because he believes he’s found a unique way for companies to communicate. AtlasRTX’s software allows business to interact in real time with customers or prospective customers via SMS text message using artificial intelligence chatbots (with human assistance). He said the software is special because it enables businesses to engage customers in a way that is instant and much less painless than the outdated methods most companies use. “The epiphany that hit me was that, for some reason, businesses are always one generation behind the communication trends of the 10% Sun Mon Tues 2017 - As of 4/30/17 2016 - As of 4/30/16 2016 - Historic Actuals Wed Thurs Fri Sat Week High 2017 ........Wed 27% Week High 2016 ....... Tues 36% Weekly Average 2017 ....... 22% Weekly Average 2016 ....... 29% NOTE: This is not a forecast of bookings. Data presented in this report represents occupancy on the books as of the report date. Source: DestiMetrics & Park City Chamber/Bureau © 2017 Park City to host Utah’s Rotarians BUBBA BROWN/PARK RECORD Bassam Salem is the founder of AtlasRTX, a software company that provides businesses with the ability to engage customers through text messages. After a slow start, he says he’s excited by the potential he sees in the company. consumer,” he said. “Consumerto-consumer communication has moved forward, and we in business have been slow to adapt. Even customer support -- it’s going to be an email address or a phone number. Since when do you, outside of work, send an email? And I jokingly say the only people on Earth who answer phone calls are sales agents.” Salem added that it’s taken AtlasRTX a few tries to get the software right, but the company continues to hone in on a solution that works for all business, ranging from home builders to hotels. One of AtlasRTX’s clients likes the software so much that it’s implemented it in more than 70 branches around the country. “The very first concept wasn’t exactly where we are now, but we’ve pivoted to get it right,” he said. “As we show it to clients, they say, ‘I don’t like it because of this, but it would be great if you did this and this.’ We go back and change it and show it to someone else, who likes it.” Salem started the company out of a passion for entrepreneurship. He quit his full-time job in software in 2015, originally intending to make a living as a consultant for other entrepreneurs, which he had done on the side for a few years. He eventually shifted his focus to AtlasRTX, and as the company has grown has gained an even greater appreciation for the struggles business owners go through to make their projects successful. “In the past, I’d meet an entrepreneur, and they just wouldn’t stop talking about their business,” he said. “I never understood it. Now I’m that. I can’t stop. I sleep thinking about it, I wake up thinking about it, I’m thinking about it in the shower. It is so consuming.” The hard work is nowhere near 801.274.9500 or 435.655.6612 finished for Salem. He said the growing company is in the process of hiring more employees, and the work of perfecting the software and increasing the client base continues. But less than a year and a half after he started AtlasRTX, he is delighted with how far the company has come. “The journey is just beginning, and there are no guarantees,” he said. “But I truly feel like, at this point, given every business instinct I have, we’re past the, ‘Will the company make it or not?’ part. It feels like our range of possibilities is, ‘Are we a small company or are we a big company?’ That’s kind of cool. In 15 months, we’ve gone from nothing to a small company in the worst case. Not a bad outcome.” AtlasRTX Atlasrtx.com 435-565-1005 Conference will showcase service efforts of locals By BUBBA BROWN The Park Record Utah’s Rotarians are coming to Park City. The city is set to hold the annual Utah Rotary District Conference Thursday through Saturday, a three-day event hosted by the Park City and Sunrise Rotary clubs that could bring in as many 300 Rotarians from around the state. John Hanrahan, a member of the Park City Rotary Club and conference chair for the Utah Rotary District, said it’s the first time in more than two decades the city has been chosen for the event. He said local Rotarians are excited to show off what makes Park City special to their counterparts from the rest of Utah. “Our two Rotary clubs have about 180 members, which is about 10 percent of the entire state,” he said. “So we have a really big presence here, and I think the district realized that it’s time to let Park City host this and let the rest of the district know what we do here and why we’re so successful.” The conference will include a number of events, including a series of speaker discussions and a 5K race that will benefit the effort to end polio. It will also serve as a celebration of the service efforts of Rotarians throughout Utah in the hope that it will spur them to take even more action. Additionally, while only Rotarians are allowed to register for the conference, they are encouraged to bring guests interested in joining a club. Given that, Hanrahan is optimistic the event will lead to getting even more Parkites involved in Rotary. “They can see what we do, and we’re going to try to get them engaged as well,” he said. For more information about the event, or to register, visit parkcityrotary.com OPEN HOUSE! Saturday, May 13th • 12pm-3pm www.ProspectorHomeParkCity.com May SavingS! Back by Popular Demand! Botox $10 per unit! May is Melanoma Awareness Month! Receive 20% off of your sunscreen purchase. (Not valid on Jane Iredale products) Arcona Facial $75.00 (Regularly $95.00) Indulge in the most complete and personalized deep pore cleansing you will ever experience. Purchase a Gift Certificate and Receive Triple Points on your Saltz Spa Vitoria Rewards Card! Specials are valid during the month of May, and not valid on previous or future treatments/purchases. 801.274.9500 435.655.6612 5445 Highland Drive Salt Lake City, Utah 1820 Sidewinder Drive, #115 Park City, Utah saltzspavitoria.com | saltzplasticsurgery.com | brazilian-plasticsurgeon.com @saltzplasticsurgery .com/saltzplasticsurgery&saltzspavitoria JUST LISTED! PROSPECTOR HOME WITH VIEWS For Photos and Info Call 1.866.784.0400 enter code 461563 3bd • 2.5ba • apx 1,800 sf Enjoy spectacular ski resort views from the upper balcony of this single-family home in the heart of Prospector. This home is perfect for entertaining friends and family, with a deck for outdoor dining and a fully fenced yard. Updates include new wallpaper, carpet, fireplace tile, heat tape on roof, and new interior and exterior paint. Nightly rental potential - don’t miss this opportunity! Call to schedule a showing! 435.640.9722 zachwhite@kw.com |