Corporate Recruitment

Corporate Recruitment Growth Results in Thousands of Utah Jobs

Highlighting recent corporate expansions

Utah experienced unprecedented economic growth in 2019, with more than 13,000 new jobs created and over $1 billion in new capital invested across 21 new corporate expansion projects. With that momentum from 2019, Utah’s economic development officials had every expectation of surpassing 2019’s performance in 2020.

But COVID–19 had different plans. While 2020 wasn’t the record-breaking year Utah leaders were expecting, the state still saw significant corporate expansions and is positioned for substantial economic growth in the post-pandemic environment.

Malouf

In May of 2020, Malouf announced a $120 million corporate headquarters expansion in Cache Valley for its mattress and bedding business. The expansion will include over 1,195 new high-paying jobs. As an e-commerce company, Malouf’s business continued to grow at exponential rates during the pandemic. They also did their part to support the pandemic response by providing mattresses and bedding to temporary hospitals around the country.

GoHealth

In 2020, everyone became much more aware of the healthcare system and personal healthcare, which is good news for GoHealth. GoHealth’s mission is to improve access to healthcare in America by making the insurance enrollment process easier and less confusing. The company decided to expand its existing Utah operation in May 2020, with plans to add nearly 1,200 jobs to its presence in the Beehive state over the next five years. A new building is set to open Summer of 2022, making Utah GoHealth’s largest location in the U.S.

Misfits Market

Individuals in the western U.S. won’t have to worry about access to fresh, organic, and sustainably sourced produce and pantry staples thanks to Misfits Market’s new distribution facility in Utah, announced in August 2020. Centrally located, with two major interstates intersecting the state and significant rail infrastructure, western U.S. residents won’t need to worry about getting their products from Utah. As the country’s supply chains change, we anticipate other companies will follow Misfits Market’s footsteps and locate their manufacturing and distribution facilities in Utah to access the entire west coast and Midwest in two days or less.

Uniquely Utah

In the new “work from anywhere” environment, professionals from all over the country recognize that Utah’s quality of life and robust teleworking infrastructure create an unbeatable value proposition for professionals and families that enjoy the outdoors.

Many pandemic refugees from crowded and expensive cities already familiar with The Greatest Snow on Earth® experienced Utah’s best-kept secret this year. Utah summers include world-class mountain biking and hiking, socially distant fishing on the world-famous Provo river, or golf at one of Utah’s 120 golf courses, all providing a much-needed change from tiny overpriced apartments and endless Zoom calls. This new migrant workforce provides a significant talent advantage for Utah and local companies looking to tap into that workforce.

Against the odds, 2020 was a successful year for corporate expansion in Utah. As a national leader in economic recovery, and with positive systemic changes coming to the state’s economy, Utah is poised for banner years in 2021, 2022, and well into the future. To learn more about Utah’s corporate incentive program — a postperformance state tax credit — visit business.utah.gov and click on Corporate Recruitment & Incentives.