LIFE IN UTAH 19
COMMERCE
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of Ogden and Provo. But business opportunity abounds throughout the Beehive State, whether urban or rural, and GOED has business resources for both.
It’s all in addition to 14 world-class ski resorts statewide, half of which are less than an hour from Salt Lake International Airport.
GOED programs such as Business Resource Centers and the Procurement Technical Assistance Centers help with business promotion and recruitment and with landing contracts to expand a company’s reach. GOED also directly invests in promising new University technology and research by awarding critical-stage competitive grants to companies seeking to commercialize that technology.
RURAL RICHES AND HEALTHY LIVING There’s a wide-range of companies fi nding new homes in the tight-knit rural communities that offer local support and a workforce that is skilled and productive. Utah’s rural areas support industries as varied as precision composite machining and food manufacture. Utah also boasts one of the nation’s youngest workforces at an average age of 29. GOED’s Rural Development Office works with local partners to help move grants and implement the Business Expansion and Retention (BEAR) initiative into rural areas.
PERFECTLY POSITIONED As the “Crossroads of the West,” Utah is a central location for manufacturing, transportation, distribution, and data storage and movement. The Wasatch Front is the meeting point of the three major rail lines leaving Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles ports. The confluence of three major interstates make Utah a central point for the Canada/Mexico trade corridor. At one geographical confluence is some of the nation’s fastestgrowing IT and software companies, part of Utah’s growing “Silicon Slopes.” IM Flash, Adobe and eBay have all set up shop at the Wasatch Front’s “Point of the Mountain,” where Salt Lake and Utah County meet, approximately halfway between the University of Utah and Brigham Young University, two of the nation’s top schools for university technology commercialization. Meanwhile, Utah has been recognized as the No. 1 state in the nation for Internet adoption and Utah boasts some of the fastest broadband speeds and availability of all western states. To meet the demands of its growing economy, Utah is designing and building a talent pipeline of qualified employees among its institutions of higher education and its most vibrant industry sectors. The public/private Utah Cluster Acceleration Partnership accelerates key industry clusters and leverages Utah’s economic development deepening the collaboration among the Utah System of Higher Education, GOED, Utah’s Department of Workforce Services and industry. Underlying it all, the Office of Tourism’s Utah Life Elevated® brand promotes Utah’s unparalleled outdoor recreational opportunities to prospective visitors around the globe by increasing the awareness of Utah and showing off the Beehive State’s extraordinary assets: five national parks, 43 state parks, national monuments and recreational areas.
The youthful and tech-literate workforce is embracing everything Utah has to offer. Utah is one of the happiest, healthiest states in the union, and largely has an optimistic view of the state’s economic future. To support an active lifestyle, Utah has a top-rated health care infrastructure. Access to health care choice is of great importance to the state. Consequently, the state recently launched Avenue H, an online health insurance marketplace designed to help small businesses get access to health care coverage. Avenue H allows greater choice for employers and employees, enabling employees to shop for an insurance plan that meets their needs and budget. Avenue H, like so many of GOED’s programs, is a local answer to local concerns. Once again, Utah is leading the way with market-based solutions to small business needs, like health care. It’s the pervasive spirit of industry and self-determination that drives Utah business people and has earned the respect of the world. WHO’S COMING TO TOWN: BioFire Diagnostics, Inc.
Salt Lake City
657 jobs
EMC Corporation
Salt Lake City
750 jobs
Family Dollar
St. George
450 jobs
FLSmidth
Midvale
124 jobs
Peterbilt
Salt Lake City
145 jobs
Rock West Composites
West Valley
93 jobs
Schiff Nutrition
Salt Lake City
400 jobs
Vexxel
Brigham City
101 jobs
Workday
Salt Lake City
250 jobs
Xactware Solutions
Utah County
859 jobs
Xi3
Salt Lake City
500 jobs
Adobe image by Phillip K Erickson Photography City Home Collective, courtesy of Adobe; JOBS Free Enterprise Campaign image courtesy of U.S. Chamber.