ATL Technology Founder Brad Brown Dies in Idaho Helicopter Crash
By Curtis Booker
Springville-based ATL Technology is mourning the loss of its founder and co-chair, Brad Brown, who died in a helicopter crash near Idaho Falls on Thursday, February 19, 2025. The company announced the news in a press release.
Brad Brown, founder and co-chair of ATL Technology and CEO of BioUtah.
Brown, 59, of Alpine, also served as the CEO of BioUtah. According to the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office, the helicopter crashed in an icy reservoir that Thursday afternoon, resulting in Brown’s death and injuring one other person, East Idaho News reported.
Brown founded ATL Technology in 1993. The company specializes in manufacturing medical devices. He was a long-time resident and community leader. He was also 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 press 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. He was a private pilot with extensive experience flying both helicopters and airplanes, with over 4,200 hours in the air. Authorities have yet to confirm whether Brown was piloting the helicopter at the time of the crash.
Brown had a record of building or acquiring operations for ATL Technology in locations including China, Costa Rica, and Great Britain, among other locations within the United States. Most recently, he was named BioUtah’s executive of the year in 2024.
Kelvyn Cullimore, president and CEO of BioUtah, said in a statement on social media: “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. 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 stated that the company is providing mental health resources to help employees cope with Brown’s death. He added, “It goes without saying (Brown) leaves an indelible mark on ATL and the global life sciences industry.”
Federal Aviation Authority and National Transportation Safety Board investigators are looking into what caused the crash. Brown is survived by his wife, Shannon, six children, and two grandchildren.
