Resigned from the state Senate to run the same economic development office Ryan Starks would later lead — then became a lobbyist for the developers that office regulates, before taking the top job at another state authority whose reach covers his former clients.
Dan Hemmert's career traces a path that has since become familiar at the top of Utah's economic development office: elected official, then agency director, then private-sector operator with business before the same state, then director of another state authority. He resigned as a state senator — he had served as Senate Majority Whip, representing District 13/24 — in January 2021 to become Gov. Spencer Cox's first executive director of the Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity (GOEO), a role he held for roughly a year before returning to the private sector.
From 2023 to early 2026, Hemmert built a private lobbying practice with a client list weighted heavily toward developers and companies with direct interests before the state agencies he used to help run — Dakota Pacific Real Estate, Alterra Mountain Company, the Utah Association of REALTORS, Lincoln Property Company, Union Pacific Railroad, Zions Bancorporation, Sanofi US, and, notably, the Military Installation Development Authority (MIDA) itself. On Jan. 13, 2026, he terminated most of that client roster — keeping only clients with direct MIDA jurisdiction. He is now MIDA's Executive Director.
%%{init: {'flowchart': {'useMaxWidth': false, 'nodeSpacing': 50, 'rankSpacing': 70}, 'themeVariables': {'fontSize': '26px'}}}%%
graph TD
classDef stop fill:#efe6d3,stroke:#5c1a1a,stroke-width:1px,color:#2a1f14;
classDef now fill:#f0e0c0,stroke:#a9762c,stroke-width:2px,color:#2a1f14;
A["Utah State Senate
Majority Whip, District 13/24"]:::stop --> B["GOEO Executive Director
2021-2022, appointed by Cox"]:::stop
B --> C["Private lobbyist
2023-Jan. 2026
Dakota Pacific, Alterra, MIDA & others"]:::stop
C --> D["MIDA Executive Director
2026-present"]:::now
In 2019, as a state senator, Hemmert co-sponsored — with Rep. Marc Roberts — the legislation creating Utah's "Regulatory Sandbox," signed by Gov. Gary Herbert. The law lets participating companies test innovative financial products and services in the Utah market for a limited period without first obtaining the state licenses or authorizations that would otherwise be required, administered through the Department of Commerce. It's a piece of his legislative record worth having on file alongside the web of financial-vehicle LLCs (including LH Capital, discussed below) he has personally built since leaving office.
Months before Gov. Cox appointed him to lead the state's economic development office, Hemmert had already taken a public role in weighing business interests against public health guidance during a state emergency. As a state senator in April 2020, Hemmert co-sponsored the bill creating the Public Health and Economic Emergency Commission — a 10-member body formed after Senate President Stuart Adams pushed to limit local governments' authority to set their own COVID-19 restrictions. His co-sponsor was Rep. Mike Schultz, later Utah's House Speaker. Hemmert took a seat on the commission he helped create.
Of the ten members, only two had medical or public health backgrounds. The rest included Adams, Hemmert, Schultz, the president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce, and the CEO of the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies. According to ProPublica's reporting (July 21, 2020), Utah's state epidemiologist and the state health department's executive director were not commission members and were not present for its key votes.
On May 29, 2020, Hemmert was one of six commission members present who voted unanimously to move most of the state to its least-restrictive "green" reopening level, effective June 5 — a decision the state epidemiologist told reporters the following day no community in Utah was actually ready for. Case counts, which had plateaued in the weeks before the vote, began surging shortly after.
Hemmert's lobbying practice, operating under the name "Hemmco," represented a client roster that spanned real estate development, ski resorts, railroads, banking, and pharmaceuticals — several with direct business before MIDA, the authority he would go on to lead.
| Client | Registered | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Dakota Pacific Real Estate | Jan. 19, 2023 | Described elsewhere as a "core MIDA developer"; spouse of a founding partner was a maximum ($5,600) donor to Hemmert's 2020 Senate campaign |
| Military Installation Development Authority (MIDA) | Jan. 19, 2023 | The same authority whose Executive Director he later became |
| Alterra Mountain Company | — | Ski resort / Deer Valley expansion interests |
| Utah Association of REALTORS | Feb. 7, 2023 | — |
| Lincoln Property Company | — | — |
| Union Pacific Railroad | — | — |
| Zions Bancorporation | — | — |
| Sanofi US | — | — |
Hemmco's own "Indicative Clients" list, reviewed separately, also names Meta Data Centers (tied to Meta's Eagle Mountain campus, a facility already documented elsewhere in this project's tax-incentive reporting), Wadsworth Development Group, AECOM, Motorola Solutions, Black Desert Resort, Colmena Capital, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, and Utah County among its clients.
On Jan. 13, 2026, Hemmert terminated most of this client list — retaining only clients with direct MIDA jurisdiction, ahead of his appointment as the authority's Executive Director.
Two of Hemmert's 2020 campaign donors later became his own lobbying clients, or are tied to networks that did — the same four-stage pattern (developer campaign funding → legislative support → private lobbying → regulatory authority) repeating across two separate development networks.
| 2020 donor | Amount | Later connection |
|---|---|---|
| Victoria Miller | $5,600 (maximum) | Spouse of John Miller, founding partner of Dakota Pacific Real Estate — became a Hemmert lobbying client in 2023 and is described as a "core MIDA developer" |
| Lance Bullen | $5,600 (maximum) | CEO of Colmena Group, sits on the EDCUtah board; Colmena Group is tied to The Point, the 600-acre Draper prison redevelopment |
%%{init: {'flowchart': {'useMaxWidth': false, 'nodeSpacing': 50, 'rankSpacing': 90}, 'themeVariables': {'fontSize': '26px'}}}%%
graph LR
classDef donor fill:#efe6d3,stroke:#5c1a1a,stroke-width:1px,color:#2a1f14;
classDef center fill:#f0e0c0,stroke:#a9762c,stroke-width:2px,color:#2a1f14;
VM["Victoria Miller
2020 donor, $5,600"]:::donor --> DH["Dan Hemmert"]:::center
LB["Lance Bullen
2020 donor, $5,600"]:::donor --> DH
DH --> DP["Dakota Pacific Real Estate
lobbying client, 2023-2026
'core MIDA developer'"]:::donor
DH --> CG["Colmena Group / Colmena Capital
lobbying client
The Point / Draper prison redevelopment"]:::donor
Utah Division of Corporations records (Entity #12262272-0160, formed April 20, 2021, active, renewed March 30, 2026, next renewal due April 30, 2027) list Daniel Hemmert as LH Capital, LLC's registered agent and its only listed principal — Manager, at 1115 E 965 N, Orem. OpenCorporates' own record of the entity's officer history shows the same pattern going back further: Hemmert has held every officer position the entity has ever had — agent, registered agent, and now manager — with no other person ever listed, active or inactive. LH Capital is classified under NAICS code 52599 ("Other Financial Vehicles") and UN ISIC code 6430 ("Trusts, funds and similar financial entities"), consistent with a personal investment vehicle rather than an operating business. Attorney General Derek Brown's own official financial disclosure form separately lists LH Capital, LLC as an entity where Brown holds a Member position. Utah's LLC filing requirements don't require every member to be named on the state record, so Brown's absence from LH Capital's own filing isn't a contradiction — but the membership tie is currently sourced entirely to Brown's own disclosure, not corroborated by LH Capital's corporate registration itself.
Hemmert was previously a named partner at Election Hive LLC, a campaign infrastructure firm whose registered address — 136 S Main St, Suite A200, Salt Lake City — matches the address used by Derek Brown's own Attorney General campaign committee. Hemmert's profile was removed from Election Hive's site around the time of his MIDA appointment. Election Hive has separately been documented in this project's reporting as paying more than $114,000 to Brown's campaign and more than $186,000 to Gov. Cox in 2025, and its client list includes a wide swath of sitting Utah legislators.
| Entity | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|
| HEMMCO, LLC | Active (formed 3/31/2014, renewed 3/30/2026) | Registered agent/sole Manager: Hemmert, 1115 E 965 N, Orem. Donated $5,000 to Lincoln Hill PAC on 5/23/2024 — the same day Fides LLC donated $80,000, six days before Lincoln Hill PAC donated $5,000 to Derek Brown's AG campaign |
| RHRD, LLC | Active | Formed 3/31/2014, same day as HEMMCO, which was its original registered agent/Manager. Co-founding Manager: FISHCO, LLC (Ryan Fish). Is itself the sole registered agent/Manager of BizDevOps Consulting, LLC |
| BizDevOps Consulting, LLC | Active | Received $62,500 from the taxpayer-funded nonprofit Utah Workforce Housing Advocacy (UWHA) in Oct.-Nov. 2024 — a payment omitted from UWHA's year-end final spending report to GOEO despite appearing in an earlier interim report |
| LH Capital, LLC | Active (Entity #12262272-0160, formed 4/20/2021, renewed 3/30/2026, next due 4/30/2027) | Only listed principal is Hemmert (Manager); see Attorney General connection above |
| Indie Development, LLC | Active (formed 2/23/2025) | Hemmert is manager and agent |
| ETNA Capitale LLC | Active | — |
| DD BYU Homes LLC | Active (formed 8/22/2024) | Hemmert is manager, agent, and a member |
| CRONUT BOYS, LLC | Active (formed 4/16/2021) | Hemmert is manager; agent and registered agent roles now listed inactive |
| Hemm, Co. | Active (formed 5/19/2025) | Hemmert is CEO and agent. Formed the same day Ryan Starks started as EDCUtah's Executive Director — a date coincidence, not an established connection |
| Vinyx Systems, Inc. | Active (formed 9/5/2025) | Hemmert is director, agent, incorporator, and an officer |
| HEMMCCO Inc. | Inactive (formed 5/16/2025, terminated 6/9/2026) | Distinct entity from HEMMCO, LLC — Hemmert was director, agent, and CEO |
| Organization | Role & dates | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Utah World Trade Center Corporation | Director, since 10/24/2005 (now inactive) | 60 E South Temple, Suite 300, Salt Lake City. This is World Trade Center Utah — the organization Miles Hansen, 2023 UIPA Board Chair, leads as CEO. Hemmert also served on the Inland Port Authority Board starting April 2022 |
| ALL IN FOR UTAH | Director, since 1/27/2023 | 6905 S 1300 E #224, Cottonwood Heights. A separate PAC filing tracked elsewhere in this research, "All In For Utah PAC" (formed 4/17/2026), lists Hemmert as Treasurer alongside Owen Fuller as Chair — whether this 2023 nonprofit registration and the 2026 PAC are the same organization under different filings, or two distinct entities sharing a name, is not yet resolved |
| UAC Housing Foundation | Director & incorporator, 8/14/2024–11/21/2025 (now inactive) | Not yet researched — worth checking against the existing Utah Workforce Housing Advocacy (UWHA) research for any overlap in funding, personnel, or purpose |
| Geothermal Impact Alliance | Director, since 5/5/2025 | Not yet researched |
| Liberty pipeline inc | Agent, incorporator & president, since 3/11/2026 (Idaho nonprofit) | Filed under "Dan W Hemmert"/"Dan William Hemmert." A Whitepages record for "Daniel W Hemmert" lists his address as 1115 E 965 N, Orem — matching every confirmed Utah entity — and his work as "Partner at Hemmco, LLC," his own consulting firm. Strong corroborating evidence this is the same person, though not a primary-source confirmation |
| Liberty Town Canal Company | Agent, then president, since 4/30/2012 (Idaho nonprofit) | Ovid, Idaho address, same officer name pattern as Liberty pipeline inc above. See identity note on that row |
None of what follows is a claim that Hemmert broke a specific law — he has not been charged with anything. It's a comparison of governance mechanisms: what these fact patterns would typically set in motion at a publicly traded company, versus what actually happened here.
| What happened | What it would typically trigger in corporate America |
|---|---|
| Lobbied for an authority, then terminated most other clients and became that same authority's Executive Director | A cooling-off period and formal recusal review before an outside advisor could be hired into a role overseeing former clients — most public companies bar exactly this kind of direct advisor-to-executive transition without an independent review |
| An LLC he controls (HEMMCO) making a PAC donation six days before that PAC donated to the sitting Attorney General's campaign, while Brown's own disclosure names Hemmert's LH Capital as an entity where Brown holds a Member position | Mandatory disclosure of the business relationship as a related-party matter, reviewed independently of the individuals involved |
| A company he controls received $62,500 from a taxpayer-funded nonprofit, a payment that went missing from that nonprofit's own year-end report to its state funder | An auditor finding on the funder's books, and a compliance review of the vendor relationship |
Filed June 4, 2026, organizer/registered agent William J. Sefcik (Mapleton, UT address). No proof of ownership or involvement by Hemmert has been found — this is flagged as unverified naming-pattern speculation only, not to be treated as a real connection without an Operating Agreement, bank records, or correspondence establishing the tie.
A secondary, non-primary source (a municipal-intelligence data product) claims Hemmco was hired directly by Eagle Mountain to lobby against a state bill threatening the city's data center tax incentives, while Hemmco separately represents Meta — the incentive beneficiary — on the same facility. This specific bill has not been independently verified via direct search. If true, this would mean Hemmert represented both sides of the same incentive fight simultaneously.
Not yet established from any source found. The sequencing matters for understanding whether the business relationship predates or follows Hemmert's move into public authority leadership.
Not yet reviewed. MIDA board minutes and any recusal record covering matters involving Hemmert's former clients (particularly Dakota Pacific) would be the place this should appear, if it exists.
Hemmert is listed as a director of a nonprofit called ALL IN FOR UTAH, registered January 27, 2023. A separate filing elsewhere in this research shows Hemmert as Treasurer of "All In For Utah PAC," formed April 17, 2026, with Owen Fuller as Chair. Whether these are the same organization re-filed under a different structure, or two distinct entities that happen to share a name, has not been established.
Hemmert was director and incorporator of UAC Housing Foundation from August 2024 until it went inactive in November 2025. Not yet researched — worth checking against the already-documented Utah Workforce Housing Advocacy (UWHA) funding and personnel for any overlap.
Likely yes. Both are registered at 4795 Lanark Rd, Ovid, Idaho — a different address from the Utah entities — and Liberty pipeline inc names its officer as "Dan W Hemmert"/"Dan William Hemmert," a middle name absent from the Utah filings. A Whitepages record for "Daniel W Hemmert," however, lists his address as 1115 E 965 N, Orem — matching every confirmed Utah entity — and his work as "Partner at Hemmco, LLC," his own firm. That address-and-employer match is strong corroborating evidence this is the same person, though Whitepages is a data aggregator rather than a primary government record. A minor supporting detail: a 2010 USU hydrology thesis on the Bear River Basin lists a water right for "Hemmert Hot Spring" (priority date 1898) in the Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge area — the same stretch of Bear Lake County, Idaho as Ovid. A named landmark carrying the family name in that exact area, dating back over a century, is consistent with a long-standing family presence there, though this is a place-name detail from 1898, not proof of the current entities' ownership.
Both are recent director/officer roles — Geothermal Impact Alliance (Utah, since May 2025) and Liberty pipeline inc (an Idaho nonprofit, since March 2026). Neither has been researched yet. Both names suggest energy-sector activity, which would be worth cross-referencing against this project's existing energy-policy research if either turns out to be substantive.