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FEATURE

Match Grants Awarded to Support Local Economic Development Efforts

Every year since 1989 EDCUtah has awarded match grant money to communities, counties, and non-profit organizations around the state to support local economic development efforts, and this year is no different. Sherrie Martell, public development manager, who has managed the program for nearly ten years, says the match grant committee just announced awards totaling $49,225 for the 2007-2008 match grant cycle.

To date the committee has awarded grants totaling more the $700,785, according to Martell. The EDCUtah Match Grant Program is a statewide initiative that allocates funding in support of specific economic development efforts. The program offers match grants in three areas: Professional Development, Sponsorship, and Marketing.

“The EDCUtah Match Grant program bridges the funding gap that exists between non-profit and public budgets and a project’s success,” said EDCUtah President and CEO Jeff Edwards. “While individual grants are relatively small, their impact can be tremendous in terms of getting a local development off the ground. We applaud this year’s recipients for their efforts to become stronger economic development resources at the grassroots level.”

Professional Development

Professional Development Match Grants are used to enhance the professionalism and expertise of economic developers in Utah. Eligible courses are sponsored by the International Economic Development Council, however, other courses that demonstrate a resource for the tools necessary to the economic development profession may also be considered. Professional Development Grants awarded for the 2007-2008 grant cycle include:

• Canyon Region Economic Development Agency (CREDA), located in Southern Utah: awarded up to $800 to attend the Basic Economic Development course.
• City of Logan: awarded up to $800 to attend Real Estate Development and Reuse.
• City of South Salt Lake: awarded up to $800 to attend the Economic Development Institute Year I.
• Downtown Alliance: awarded up to $800 to attend the Basic Economic Development course.
• Price City: awarded up to $800 to attend the Economic Development Institute Year I.
• Wasatch Area Economic Development Agency: awarded up to $800 to attend the Economic Development Institute Year I.
• Washington City: awarded up to $800 to attend the EDI Advance Studies & New Entrepreneurship Course.

Sponsorship Match Grants

Sponsorship Match Grants assist communities and regions of the state with economic development events. Sponsorship-worthy projects include economic development events that address an economic need in the community and audience. Sponsorship Grants awarded for the 2007-2008 grant cycle include:

• Brigham City: awarded up to $2,000 for the Technology Expo for Businesses & Residents.
• Canyon Region Economic Development Agency (CREDA): awarded up to $2,000 for the Canyon Region Economic Development Alliance Summit.
• Wasatch Area Economic Development Agency: awarded up to $2,000 for the 2008 Economic Summit “What’s In Out Back.”

Marketing Match Grants

Marketing Match Grants help Utah's communities market themselves as attractive sites for business and economic development. Grant-worthy projects include development of direct marketing materials, web site development and redesign, as well as planning process/research projects that are directly applicable to recruitment strategies. Funds may also be used for preparation of potential SURE Sites properties, such as completion of environmental and geo-technical studies, infrastructure assessments and other preparatory analysis. Marketing Match Grants awarded for the 2007-2008 grant cycle include:

• American Fork City: awarded $4,000 for development of promotional material to market the city (media kits with insertions).
• Brigham City: awarded $5,000 for “SEED” (Stimulating the Expansion of Entrepreneurial Development) for Box Elder County.
• Cedar City: awarded $1,250 for the creation of a business portal on the city’s website.
• City of South Jordan: awarded $4,250 for media software and procuring a contract to create media clips of projects and programs supporting economic development. The clips will be posted on city website and used for other economic development purposes.
• Davis County Council of Governments Inc.: awarded $5,000 for “SEED” (Stimulating the Expansion of Entrepreneurial Development) for Davis County project.
• Eagle Mountain City: awarded $4,000 for development of promotional material to amplify the city’s marketing efforts (demographic information, zoning maps, photos, etc.).
• Murray City: awarded $2,500 to assist with creating branding identity and place making strategy for the Fireclay Transit Oriented Development Area (logo, street design, gateway sign, marketing strategy, etc.).
• North Salt Lake City: awarded $1,250 to redevelop its website.
• Sandy Area Chamber of Commerce: awarded $1,250 to redevelop the chamber’s website to optimize it for search engine marketing.
• Wasatch Area Economic Development Agency: awarded $5,000 to create a master plan for Heber City Industrial Park.
• West Jordan Chamber of Commerce: awarded $625 to redesign its website.
• West Valley City: awarded $3,500 to assist West Valley City with creating interactive site tours for the city’s website (inventory database of vacant industrial and commercial sites, 5 tours).

Martell says applications for the annual Community Match Grant program are due in September. The grant committee approves all eligible projects within the limits of the grant budget. Projects must be completed within one year of October 1.

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CALENDAR

Oct. 6-10: Industrial Asset Management Council (St. Louis)

Oct. 18: PTAC Symposium (Sandy, Southtowne Expo Center)
Cost: $50.00/person for the first person and $35.00/ additional registration from the same company. Fee includes a continental breakfast, lunch, and all the training sessions, exhibits and materials. Time: 7:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. Event Coordinator: Myrna Hill
Phone: 801-388-775. E-mail: ptac@utah.gov

Oct. 28-31: CoreNet (Atlanta)

Nov. 7: EDCUtah Quartely Update

Dec. 19: EDCUtah Holiday Open House

Jan. 9: "What's Up Down South?" Economic Summit at the Dixie Center in St. George. Contact Information:
Contact: Scott Hirschi, %Dixie College, 225 South 700 East
St. George, UT 84770  (435) 652-7750
www.whatsupdownsouth.com

IN THE NEWS

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Economic Development Headlines from the Past Week

327-acre business park taking shape in southeast Provo

- The 327-acre Mountain Vista Business Center in Provo has has received a $2 million economic development administration grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce to help pay for the costs of additional infrastructure improvements on the property, which represents the largest commercial assemblage of property remaining in Provo City.  (SL Enterprise)

Utah business leaders less confident, Zions forecast finds

- Utah business leaders appear less confident about their companies' economic climates than they were a year ago, according to the latest results from Zions Bank's Utah Quarterly Economic Forecast. (SL Enterprise)

Utah ranks No. 8 in nation for housing 'captive' insurers

- The Utah Insurance Department has the nation's eighth highest number of "captive" insurance companies under its jurisdiction, and could very well move to No. 6 by the end of the year, surpassing the State of New York. (SL Enterprise)

Ogden May Be New Base

- Adam Aircraft Inc. may relocate its assembly headquarters from Colorado to Ogden-Hinckley Airport -- provided the city and state can help offset $12.5 million in relocation costs. The move would bring 695 additional jobs to Ogden by 2013. (Standard Examiner)

Utah No. 1 in 'dynamism'

- Utah's economy is the hottest in the United States, and Utah County could be ground zero of a boom that will change the valley forever, Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and 20 other experts told business leaders assembled Thursday at Sundance. (Morning News)

Manufacturing network seeks more Utah funds

- The leader of the Utah Manufacturing Extension Partnership is making a pitch for more state funding, saying current amounts limit the group to helping only 2 percent of the manufacturing sector companies. (Morning News here and here)

Grant to aid Provo park

- A $2 million federal grant will help pay for a new road through Provo's emerging Mountain Vista Business Center, which federal leaders estimate will generate 1,500 new jobs in the city's old Ironton district. (Morning News)

Tourism office preparing flurry of Utah winter ads

- The Utah Office of Tourism is primed to launch its winter promotional campaign with a flurry of advertisements, highlighting tourism activities in the state, aimed at folks living outside Utah. (Morning News)

Provo/Orem in 8th place for best performing cities

- Provo/Orem has finished in eighth place among 200 metro areas in the Milken Institute/Greenstreet Partners 2007 Best Performing Cities Index. (Morning News)

New chamber chair puts focus on booming Tri Cities

- Bradshaw is the new chair of the Lehi Area Chamber, an active chamber with a synergy that has attracted members from Draper, Midvale, Sandy, Provo, Orem, American Fork, Highland, Pleasant Grove, Lindon and Lehi as well as Cedar Valley business owners and Saratoga Springs.
(Daily Herald)

Retail growth: STORES Magazine's Hot 100 list shows Beehive State is luring 'status' stores

- Utah is often maligned as being behind the curve when it comes to the newest and hottest trends, but an analysis of the fastest-growing retailers in the nation shows that the Beehive State may not be that far behind when it comes to shopping. (Morning News)

Governor Leads Trade Mission to India

- India is the next frontier for Governor Jon Huntsman's economic development efforts. On October 26th, he will lead a group of export-oriented Utah companies on a trade mission to Mumbai and New Delhi. Previous trade missions to China, Mexico and Canada have resulted in business deals for participating Utah companies. (KCPW)

Logan Downtown Alliance appoints new chair

- A longtime Main Street employee and former Logan Downtown Alliance board member is now chair of the group and many hope he will aid in a resuscitation of the city’s heart. (Herald Journal)

'Utah Hues' targets movie moguls

- The Utah Film Commission has produced a book titled "Utah Hues" that highlights the state's scenery. The commission plans to ship copies off to movie moguls worldwide. (Morning News)

HAFB development touted

- An alphabet soup of organizations, both public and private, are actively involved in promoting economic development in Davis County, specifically as regard to the west side development at Hill Air Force Base. (Clipper Today) 

School district planning $10 million technical ed center

- A partnership of local business, education and government leaders is searching for a location to build a $10 million technical education center in a centralized location in the Tooele Valley. (Tooele Transcript Bulletin)

SBA Advances Underserved Markets Initiatives

- At a series of events this fall, SBA Administrator Steve Preston will announce a set of new initiatives designed to spur economic development through small business growth in underserved markets. (Utah Business Magazine) 

Unemployment Rate Drops a Notch

- Utah's strong job growth and low unemployment should help residents deal with any fallout that might come from a nationwide crisis in the mortgage industry, a leading state economist says. (Standard Examiner)

Salt Lake City International Airport Waiting for liftoff

- Officials at Salt Lake City International Airport are laying the groundwork for a sweeping transformation of the airfield's antiquated concourses and terminals that will create headaches for travelers in the short term but should eventually mean more flights and destinations for travelers. (Salt Lake Tribune)
 

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