Feb. 14, 2008

  

A Publication of the Economic Development Corporation of Utah
CEO Jeff Edwards

PRESIDENT'S

MESSAGE
Learning How to Connect With Utah's Increasingly Diverse Population

As a community, we face many complex challenges including that of extraordinary growth. The long-term economic viability of Utah?s economy depends on the kind of far-reaching thought that is expressed in reaching out to all segments of our increasingly diverse population.

Hispanics represent the fastest growing segment of our population. Corporate leaders recognize that they need to reach out to this emerging group. This week?s feature showcases the Third Annual Hispanic Marketing Conference in Utah.

In addition, today's Economic Review also includes links to many of the ED-related news stories from the past week. As always, if you have comments, suggestions or topics you'd like to see in the Economic Review, please contact us by clicking the ?Comments? button on the bottom of this page.

Enjoy!
Jeff Edwards
Jeff Edwards
President and CEO


FEATURE

Third Annual Hispanic Marketing Conference Slated for March 5
in Salt Lake City


Businesses interested in tapping into the $5 billion buying power of Utah?s exploding Hispanic market would do well to attend the Third Annual Hispanic Marketing Conference, to be held March 5 at the Salt Lake Hilton, downtown.

Sandra Plazas, vice-president of HMC La Agency, which is hosting the event, says this is the #1 conference for businesses interested in creating or expanding their Hispanic marketing initiatives. She adds that the regional Hispanic market is an enormous resource just waiting to be tapped and the Hispanic Marketing Conference is designed to help businesses use non-traditional marketing to effectively reach the Hispanic audience.

?It?s a great opportunity for CEOs and decision makers to learn about the Latino market and see how ?guerrilla marketing? techniques can help achieve greater success,? says Plazas. ?This conference will help CEOs and marketing/communications professionals develop non-traditional techniques and skills to be at the cutting edge of the marketing and advertising world, especially as it relates to the Hispanic marketplace.?

National keynote speakers at the conference include Kip Gienau, Jeff Symon and Christian Reslen. Plazas describes Gienau as the nation?s #1 guerrilla marketing coach. Symon is president of Alternative & Innovative Marketing, LLC (AIM), a rapidly growing, non-traditional marketing and promotions company that specializes in the Hispanic Market. Reslen, on the other hand, is creative director at Alma DDB, an award-winning Hispanic advertising company based in Florida.

The conference will also include break-out workshops, training sessions on non-traditional marketing resources, and Q&A sessions to help attendees better understand how to use the tools highlighted by the keynote speakers.

What?s more, Plazas says Zions Bank, the conference?s title sponsor, has developed a highly successful Latino marketing initiative and a model for others to follow. In fact, Robert Brough, an executive vice president for Zions Bank, will describe ?The Guerrilla Professional? during an afternoon session of the conference.

As an added conference bonus, a raffle will be held with the winner receiving five hours of free consulting from a professional marketing expert from of Zions Bank. ?This is a unique opportunity,? says Plazas. The winner will receive hands-on experience working with marketing experts and their strategies to reach the heart of the Hispanic/Latino market.?

The regular rate is $175 per person for the conference, but Plazas says EDCUtah?s membership will be able to attend at a discount rate of $150 per person. To receive the discount EDCUtah members should send an email to sandra@hmc-laagency.com because the regular registration on HMC La Agency?s Web site is not set up for discount prices.

Click here to view:
Conference agenda
Bios
Sponsors

The Governor's Utah Economic Summit: Managing Growth

March 20, Grand America Hotel

Utah boasts one of the strongest economies in the nation, thanks to a dynamic workforce and a favorable business environment. As the Beehive State becomes more prominent in the national and global arenas, the state?s business leaders will encounter new opportunities and challenges in managing unprecedented economic growth. At the second-annual Governor?s Utah Economic Summit, Governor Jon Huntsman and other prominent leaders will discuss how to push Utah to new heights.

This year?s summit will include two featured speakers, panel discussions, and four breakout sessions with five different track subjects to choose from:

Breakfast and lunch are provided. Register online before March 1 for a $50 discount.

CALENDAR


Feb. 20: Board (Westminster)
 

Mar. 19: Executive Committee (EDCUtah)
Mar. 20: Governor's Economic Summit (Grand America)

Mar. 26: Quarterly Update
 

April 1-3: JEC (Paris)

April 14-16: SME (Salt Lake City)

April 16: Executive Committee (EDCUtah)
 

May 4-7: CoreNet (San Diego)

May 18-21: ICSC (Las Vegas)

May 18-22: SAMPE (Long Beach)
May 21: Board
 

June 4: Golf Tournament (Wasatch Mountain)

June 9-12: AUVSI (San Diego)

June 17-20: BIO (San Diego)

June 18: Executive Committee (EDCUtah)
June 25: Quarterly Update (Thanksgiving Pointe)

Aug. 6: OIA Thought Leader

Sept. 13-17: IAMC (Oklahoma)

Sept. 25: What's Goin' Down Up North - Northern Utah Economic Summit Thursday, September 25, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Utah State University Innovation CampusNorth Logan. Registration form.

 

Oct. 9-12: CoreNet (Orlando)
Oct. 22: Quarterly Update

Dec. 17: Holiday Open House (EDCUtah)

EDCUTAH PARTNERS

Current Partners
Why Be a Partner?
Board of Trustees

IN THE NEWS

Economic Development Headlines from the Past Week

FedEx Ground begins work on $5.2 million facility in Vineyard

- FedEx Ground Package System, a unit of air express giant FedEx, has broken ground for a more than 66,000 square foot, $5.2 million facility in Vineyard, Utah County, that is expected to be complete in August or September.  (SL Enterprise)

Trane Rental Services to open Salt Lake City distribution center

- Trane Rental Services, an arm of Trane Inc., a global provider of indoor comfort systems and comprehensive facility solutions, is expanding its rental services business by adding a new 25,400 square foot maintenance and stocking location in Salt Lake City. (SL Enterprise)

RxAmerica expands, projects more growth through 2011

- RxAmerica, a Salt Lake City-based pharmacy benefit manager, has added an additional 21,000 square feet in the Salt Lake International Center to accommodate success that has seen the firm's revenues grow by nearly 2,000 percent during the last seven years. (SL Enterprise)

Bundt cake gift bakery to enter Utah market with Sandy location

- Nothing Bundt Cakes, which gained notoriety on the Las Vegas Strip, is preparing to enter the Utah market with its first gift bakery expected to open in Sandy in April. (SL Enterprise)

Jobs creation still increasing

- According to a Zion?s Bank report, the unemployment rate has jumped from 2.8-3.2 percent in the last two months. But that shouldn?t worry residents of Davis County. While the unemployment rate is still one of the lowest in the nation, the creation of jobs is on the rise yet again. (Clipper Today)

Big businesses holding the line on new hires

- Even with the statewide unemployment rate hovering near an all-time low, big businesses in Tooele County haven't done much hiring in the past year, and most don't intend on doing much in the near future either. (Tooele Transcript Bulletin)

Cottonwood Mall redesign gets go-ahead

- City officials gave final approval Thursday to an urban-renewal plan aimed at transforming the Cottonwood Mall. General Growth Properties Inc., the mall owner, plans to spend $550 million to turn the shuttered shopping center - only Macy's remains open during construction - into a high-end, mixed-use village. (SL Tribune)

Demand for businesses is noted in S. Weber

- John Bradshaw, who has lived in South Weber for about nine years, said he loves the closeness and quietness South Weber affords, but he's loath to drive to South Ogden to do his shopping, thus taking his tax dollars to Weber County. (Morning News)

Port 15 lots beginning to sell

- There are still a lot of empty lots at Port 15 Utah, Cedar City's ambitious business park, but port officials say they're selling fast. (The Spectrum)

Salt Lake film company buys land near Snow Canyon

- A Salt Lake City-based film production company and an investment partner announced their purchase of 1,700 acres near Snow Canyon State Park for a master-planned community and filming facility. (The Spectrum)

Wal-Mart Site Plan Gets Green Light

-The Ogden Planning Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to approve the site plan for the proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter at 1945 Wall Ave. (Standard Examiner)

Panel wants to keep eye on luring of firms

- A bill calling for better oversight of state financial-incentive programs to lure companies to Utah was approved by a legislative committee Wednesday. (Morning News)

Index slips as Utah employment edges up

- The Zions Bank Small Business Index for Utah fell to 108.1 in January, down from a revised 108.6 in December 2007. The increase reflected that total Utah employment is up an estimated 44,800 jobs during the past 12 months, according to Zions Bank economic consultant Jeff Thredgold. (Morning News)

Davis Chamber, DATC forming new task force

- The Davis Chamber of Commerce is teaming up with the DATC to create a composites technology task force. Composites are materials to make such things as planes, pipes, bicycles and maybe even cars. (Clipper Today)

Davis Chamber holding events for businesses

- As part of its mission to sustain a vibrant local economy and to unite the business community, the Davis Chamber is pleased to sponsor a trio of key business-building events in the coming weeks. (Clipper Today)

Full Funding for USTAR

- Sometimes it takes money to make money. Utah lawmakers seemed to grasp that principle in 2006 when they took a calculated risk and partially funded USTAR - the Utah Science, Technology and Research Initiative. They appropriated $15 million to recruit star academic talent, $4 million for a state-wide technology outreach program, and $160 million for state of the art research facilities at the University of Utah and Utah State University. (KSL)

More Action Downtown

- Ogden's proposed 14-story, 300-room hotel and adjoining water park has the potential to bring in nearly $2 million a year to the city in property taxes -- if, as hoped, the hotel and water park are moneymakers. (Standard Examiner)

Life Only Getting Better in Northern Utah, Experts Say

- While the rest of the nation nears an economic recession, Utah?s economy is going strong, according to experts who met to discuss Northern Utah?s economic trends and issues at Utah Business magazine?s roundtable Wednesday. (Utah Business Magazine)