RISE Business Summit: Washington County Is the Place to Watch

ST. GEORGE

BUSINESS SUMMIT Washington County Is the Place to Watch

By Don Willie, President and CEO of the St. George Area Chamber of Commerce

The 2021 RISE St. George Business Summit, presented by Intergalactic and RAM Company, was unlike anything we’ve seen in Washington County—a star-studded lineup filled with worldclass entrepreneurs, thought leaders, brand experts, sales coaches, executives, and more. If you missed out on this annual summit, attended by over 500 business leaders from the St. George Area and across Utah, you’re going to want to spend the next couple of pages with me as I share some highlights and key takeaways from the day. Washington County is rapidly growing, but the data paints an even more exciting picture than we realized. We kicked off RISE 2021 with “Utah’s top economist,” Natalie Gochnour, who is widely respected across the state as THE go-to source for economic data and analysis. Washington County is the place to watch in Utah. We’re growing at an explosive rate (two times the state growth rate). We’re experiencing full employment (2.6 percent unemployment in Washington County versus 2.7 percent in the state of Utah and 5.9 percent nationally). Migration into Washington County isn’t slowing down anytime soon (30.5 percent growth over the last decade, the second fastest growing county in Utah). While our economy is strong, businesses can’t find workers, and we’re faced with a scarcity of natural resources that could constrain our future growth. Gochnour pointed out five touchstones to consider as we look to the future: 1. Growth is our constant companion. 2. Change requires a sense of urgency. 3. Opportunity continues to knock. 4. Understand the sense of loss. 5. A leadership imperative calls for a clear, compelling, and shared vision.

Entrepreneurs Brad Bonham, Carine Clark, and Steve Neeleman shared their entrepreneurial journeys from startup to exit and everywhere in between. Bonham fell into business by being in the right place at the right time and taking a big risk that paid off. After making some pretty significant pivots, he transformed a furniture business into one of Utah’s most successful drop-ship furniture companies. He encouraged entrepreneurs to (1) go with the flow by being willing to pivot smart, (2) prove your concept before rushing to market, and (3) refuse to let size constrain your decisions. Colliers International-Utah is regarded as the largest commercial real estate firm in Utah and is involved in many of the state’s most transformative commercial real estate projects. Brandon Fugal, Chairman of Colliers InternationalUtah, spoke about the boom of commercial real estate in southern Utah with developments like Tech Ridge and Desert Color. The commercial market in Washington County is tight, with a 1.5 percent commercial office vacancy rate and 114,000 square feet under construction. Industrial space is even tighter, with less than 1 percent vacancy of the nearly 11,000,000 square feet of existing or in progress space in Washington County. Fugal took the final few moments of his presentation to share what is happening at his most extraterrestrial piece of property, Skinwalker Ranch in Uintah County.

Local entrepreneurs Sherri Staheli Tate and Nicole Tanner excited those in attendance with their passionate stories of building their businesses in Washington County. Staheli Family Farms is a staple in our community but is shrinking as demand for residential and commercial real estate increases. To preserve the farm and to educate others on the value and importance of agriculture, Sherrie has pioneered agrotourism in the state of Utah and is succeeding! Nicole Tanner founded SWIG in St. George, Utah, and is the originator of the “dirty” soda. In 2017, SWIG was acquired by Utah-based Four Food Groups and has continued to expand regionally and into the Midwest. Nicole shared her authenticity with those in attendance, inspiring entrepreneurs to pursue their ideas, no matter how small or how unachievable they may seem. Who would have thought that the frustration of one customer wanting a quick soda would result in a nearly thirty-store soda empire? Founder and CEO of Lovesac, Shawn Nelson, along with HireVue co-founder Ryan Money, took the stage to talk about life as entrepreneurs. While it can seem glamorous at times, starting and running a company can exhaust your time, energy, and resources. Learning how to balance work, family, and fun can be a struggle. There will be ups and downs in work and family. Balancing the two, while difficult, is possible. David Viveros is the man who brought the LPGA Symetra Tour to Copper Rock Golf Club, and he’s not done. Viveros highlighted that southern Utah is primed for explosive growth in the sports economy. Already home to the IRONMAN world championships, St. George Marathon, and Redbull Rampage, southern Utah has the makings for much more. Is it time to start the Southern Utah Sports Commission? Over lunch, attendees heard from a power-packed panel of local business leaders, including panelists Chip Childs, CEO of Skywest; Clint Reid, CEO of Zonos; Jennifer Janke, CMO of Vasion; Issac Barlow, CEO of BusyBusy and managing partner of Tech Ridge; Macrae Heppler, managing partner at Eagle Gate Title-St. George; Amber Williams, Director of Finance at Desert Color; and Brian McCann, CEO of Intergalactic, who moderated the conversation. This impressive panel discussed important topics like water availability, economic opportunity, community branding, workforce, and much more.

We rounded out the day with a series of masterclasses (breakout sessions where critical business practices are applied). Topics included branding, sales, social media, workplace diversity, customer service, protecting your business, and taking your business global. In addition to the day’s impressive presenters, we enjoyed connecting with over thirty business service providers. Business leaders were able to connect with funding resources, software to increase efficiency, branding and marketing companies to help increase exposure, and much more—tools to help businesses thrive in our growing community. Just as a rising tide lifts all boats, the rising St. George area economy is lifting businesses. But those businesses need tools, resources, examples, and mentoring to grow with the economy around them. RISE 2021 did just that. This impressive one-day summit inspired, taught, empowered, connected, and armed entrepreneurs with the tools and resources they need to succeed. If you missed the summit this year, make sure you join us next year! We’re already looking forward to next fall and hope to see you at the RISE St. George Business Summit 2022.