Letter from the Executive Director

State of Utah GARY R. HERBERT Governor

GREG BELL Lieutenant Governor Governor’s Office of Economic Development

SPENCER P. ECCLES Executive Director

Dear Legislators and Economic Development Partners,

Over the last several years the Governor’s Office of Economic Development has executed on Governor Gary R Herbert’s economic development plan Thanks to his leadership and the partnership with our legislature, local leaders, public and higher education representatives and importantly, the private sector, we have all benefited from the successes in job creation, broadening Utah’s economic base and building strong collaborative partnerships

Through economic gardening strategies, we have successfully assisted Utah companies in the expansion of their existing business and the consolidation of their operations around the globe into Utah Partnering with the education community and the private sector, we continue to work aggressively on improving the skill level of our workforce through programs like the engineering and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) initiatives Additionally, small and mid-sized businesses will benefit from an increased focus on our Business Resource Centers (BRC), and our rural business outreach via the Business Expansion and Retention (BEAR) program

In the coming year we will: • Continue to execute on the Governor’s vision and four economic development objectives • Leverage Utah’s many accolades and positive reports by developing and executing on a coordinated global branding and marketing strategy • Increase the global mindedness of all Utah Citizens and continue to diversify and grow our export base • Focus on the unprecedented partnerships forged over the previous years

I encourage you to use this report as a resource — it is designed to help guide you through our economic development toolbox Also, I urge you to explore the many ways that we can partner together to foster growth and success in your areas of influence

I know that as we work together to execute on our strategic plans, we will continue to be in a position of strength Utah will continue to capitalize on the mountain of opportunities attracted to our great state

Thank you,

Spencer P Eccles

To contact the Executive Director about GOED visit www.business.utah.gov or contact Sue Redington, Executive Assistant to Spencer P. Eccles at sredington@utah.gov or 801-538-8769.