Courtesy BioUtah
Brad Brown, founder and co-chair of ATL Technology and CEO of BioUtah, is pictured in an undated photo. Brown died in a helicopter crash near Idaho Falls on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2025.
Springville-based ATL Technology is mourning the loss of its founder and co-Chair Brad Brown, who was killed in a helicopter crash Thursday, near Idaho Falls, the company announced in a press release.
Brown, 59, of Alpine, also was the CEO of BioUtah.
The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office said the helicopter crashed in an icy reservoir Thursday afternoon, killing Brown and leaving one other person injured, East Idaho News reported.
Brown founded ATL Technology, a company that specializes in manufacturing medical devices, in 1993 and was a longtime resident and community leader, the release noted.
He also was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a leader in the Utah life sciences community.
“Our close-knit family at ATL is devastated by the tragic loss of our founder and our hearts are broken for Brad’s family and friends,” said David Smith, president and chief operating officer at ATL Technology, in the release. “He was visionary, passionate, and dedicated to ATL, the life sciences industry and above all, his family and community.”
Brown graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in mechanical engineering, according to an online biography.
The businessman was said to be a private pilot with experience flying both helicopters and airplanes, with over 4,200 hours in the air.
Officials haven’t confirmed if Brown was flying the helicopter.
Brown was accomplished in building or acquiring operations for ATL Technology in China, Costa Rica, Great Britain and in other parts of the United States, officials from BioUtah said in a statement.
Most recently, he was named BioUtah’s executive of the year in 2024.
“Brad Brown, a true captain of industry and a pillar of the medical device community, not only in Utah, but worldwide, exemplified the spirit of an entrepreneur founding ATL Technology in 1993 and building it to a worldwide operation manufacturing products for nine of the top 10 medical device manufacturers across the globe,” Kelvyn Cullimore, president and CEO of BioUtah, said in a statement on social media. “He was a humble family man, a true Christian, and passionate about being a pilot, a skill he refined over decades of flying. His loss is devastating to our Utah life sciences community.”
Smith said their company is helping employees navigate the heartbreaking loss by providing mental health resources for employees. “It goes without saying (Brown) leaves an indelible mark on ATL and the global life sciences industry,” he said.
Federal Aviation Authority and National Transportation Safety Board investigators are looking into what caused last week’s crash.
Brown leaves behind his wife, Shannon, six children and two grandchildren.