Downeast founder to take over as president and CEO of World Trade Center Utah

SALT LAKE CITY — The World Trade Center Utah announced Friday that Downeast Founder and Utah businessman Jonathan Freedman would take over as president and CEO at the end of July.

Freedman is optimistic about the future of Utah-based businesses.

“I’ve worked with World Trade Center over the years,” he says. “It’s had a meaningful impact on my business, and so I really am excited to give back.”

Additionally, he says there has never been a better time to do business in Utah.

“I mean, we were just ranked the number one state in the nation by US News and World Report,” Freedman says. “We have a booming economy.”

He also knows what it’s like to start and grow a business here.

Freedman and his brothers founded Downeast, a clothing and home goods store that has grown into a household name in the state.

The brothers eventually sold Downeast to another Utah company, Malouf, three years ago.

Despite his business experience, Freedman says he still thinks leading the World Trade Center Utah will be a big career change.

“But I can’t help to look at World Trade Center Utah through that entrepreneurial lens,” he says.

Freedman also worked for years as an honorary consul to Ukraine. He even lead a group of Utah leaders to Ukraine last year. 

“What excites me, is taking this 15-year experience working with Ukraine, and putting it on a larger platform and scaling that to the world,” Freedman says.

He will continue in his role as honorary consul when he gets started as the new CEO of World Trade Center Utah at the end of July.

Samantha Herrera and Devin Oldroyd contributed to this article.

Follow @aims_babe