For BYU Marriott alum Brent Anderson, the Tanner Building houses memories of late night study sessions, meetings with professors, and his first date with his wife, Michelle, at a Divine Comedy performance.
Now, over three years later, the Andersons are married, parents, and business partners. “We both have always been entrepreneurial in attitude,” Brent says. “Before we got married, we talked about all sorts of business ideas, and we’re finally making it happen.” The couple cofounded Coriaria, a company aimed to strengthen families, in January. Their first product is Everflect, an app that encourages meaningful discussion between couples. The program is similar to the weekly companionship inventory conducted by LDS missionaries. Brent served an LDS mission in the Czech Republic from 2009 to 2011, and Michelle served in Hungary from 2012 to 2014. They met soon after Michelle returned to BYU and married a year later. Early on in their marriage, they began having weekly discussions about their goals. Now Everflect is helping them and others track those goals by prompting meaningful conversation. “Everflect is aimed at married couples who want to take a good marriage and make it better,” Brent says. The Andersons combine their diverse interests and skills to manage the company. Brent graduated from BYU Marriott in 2015 with bachelor’s in information systems and MISM degrees. He heads up Coriaria’s legal, accounting, and technical matters. Michelle graduated from BYU that same year in sociology, and she focuses on the design and marketing aspects of the company. “We make a good team,” Michelle says. “We wanted to focus on families, and we’re already seeing the impact.” The free app launched earlier this month and has already garnered positive responses from users. In addition to helping customers, Brent and Michelle have seen their own marriage become stronger as a result of their business venture. “One of the best parts of working together is that we have the opportunity to stretch, develop, and grow in our marriage,” Brent says.
_
Writer: Maggie Kuta
