June 6, 2006

  

A Publication of the Economic Development Corporation of Utah

CEO Jeff Edwards

PRESIDENT'S  

MESSAGE

'Shovel-Ready' Sites Help Utah Win New Business


Time is money, and in today's world of economic development that statement could not be truer. When companies announce plans to expand in today's marketplace, they're ready to do so almost immediately, as "time to market" is critical. Therefore, having industrial parks like Tooele's Utah Industrial Depot (the subject of today's feature) is an excellent tool at our disposal, as will be the SURE Sites program being developed by EDCUTAH and scheduled for launch later this year, pre-qualifying development sites throughout the state in order to offer more timely information to our clients.

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 STORY

Manufacturing Cluster Grows

at the Utah Industrial Depot

Conestoga Wood Specialties' announcement last week that it is constructing an $18 million, 115,000-square foot manufacturing plant at the Utah Industrial Depot and creating an estimated 180 new jobs over the next three years adds further momentum to the Depot's expanding manufacturing cluster, which now employs over 700 workers.

Mark Smith, the Depot's director of marketing, lauds Conestoga's decision to locate here and Tooele's ability to meet the company's tight schedule. Smith says the Depot has parlayed into one of Utah's premier shovel-ready economic development Utah Industrial Depotsites and a prime location for manufacturing and light industrial concerns. Conestoga, a Pennsylvania-based maker of wood door and cabinet components, acquired a 20-acre parcel of land within the Depot and is on a fast-track to complete its new manufacturing facility by year-end. In addition to the new plant, Conestoga expects to lease additional warehouse space within the industrial park.

Situated on 1,400 acres of land, the Depot (formerly a military truck refurbishing center for the Tooele Army Depot, which was jettisoned during the 1993 round of Base Realignment and Closing), is now a private facility that boasts 2.5 million square feet of competitively priced warehouse and manUtah Industrial Depot offers 2.5 million square feet of available space.ufacturing space, 65 companies, and 1,100 jobs created.

According to Smith, the Depot is an attractive destination because it is comprised of both buildings and improved land with rail service, which can accommodate manufacturing, distribution and light industrial users. He says manufacturing and industrial companies find the Depot attractive for many reasons, including:

Logistics-it provides an excellent location for distribution to the western United States.
Quality and availability of the labor market-adjacent to Salt Lake Valley's population/employment base of 1.6 million people.
Shovel-ready-infrastructure is in place or close by, including fiber optic capacity. Utah Power & Light has also installed redundant power with the capacity to back feed from a separate substation, if necessary. The Depot is also zoned for heavy industrial use and can accommodate most industrial requirements.
Rail and interstate access-existing buildings have rail and truck docks and grade-level docks.
Easy commute-the Salt Lake International Airport is only 30 minutes away.
Flexible capacity-adaptable to most companies' needs for space, from one to 160 acres.

Other recent additions to the Depot's manufacturing cluster include Carlisle SynTech and its Hunter Panels subsidiary, both part of North Carolina-based Carlisle Companies. Carlisle SynTech and Hunter have built adjacent factories on a 50-acre site at the Depot. Carlisle SynTech manufactures single-ply roofing products and systems and is opening a facility to manufacture its Sure-Weld TPO membranes and accessories. The 250,000-sq. ft. facility is the company's fourth roofing membrane plant in the U.S.

Smith says DaimlerChrysler's Detroit Diesel division is the largest employer at the Depot, with 387 employees. DaimlerChrysler's Freightliner division, also located in the Depot, employs another 170. Freightliner recently expanded its used truck refurbishing facility from 134,000 sq. ft. to 196,000 sq. ft. Smith says the Freightliner division reconfigures long-haul trucks to make day trucks by removing sleepers and shortening their wheelbases.

The following is a list of companies that either own or lease property at Utah Industrial Depot:

Ad-Vantage Design & Screen Printing
Aire Expresso
Allen's Floor Cover
All-Tech Electric, Inc.
B-S Company, Inc.
Beehive Wireless
Burly Seal Products Co.
Carlisle SynTec Incorporated
Cartow
Charlie's Place
Charles O. Davis, Jr.
Coffman Painting, Inc.
Conestoga Wood Specialties
Depot Home Furniture
Deseret Peak Sports
Desert Power
Detroit Diesel Company
Dun-Rite Refrigeration HVAC
Ed's Auto Body
EG&G Defense Materials
EnCon Utah, LLC
Fred Swedin
Freightliner Corporation
Golden Game Rooms
Gorilla Welding, LLC
Gossamer Steel Fabrication
Greenfield Logistics
H.E.B. Auto Parts
Hill Brothers Chemical
Hunter Panels
James Gordon Holmes, Jr.
Kennecott Exploration Company
Ledge Sports
Lighthouse Community Church
MMS, Incorporated of Utah
Hallmark Pumps
Midwest Canvas
Midwest Fastener Corporation
Moore's Auto
P.H.E. Mechanical
Pallet Companies, Inc.
Parsons Infrastructure & Technology
Red Rock Leasing
Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers
SMART, Inc.
TASZ, L.L.C.
Timbercrafts of Utah
Tooele Sandblasting
UltraPet, Inc.
USANA
U.S. Magnesium
Utah Commodity Storage, Inc.
Utah Fabrication
Utah Military Museum
Utah Wool Marketing Association
Wal-Mart Stores East, Inc.
Ward Engineering Group
Wasatch Heating and Air Conditioning
W.H.Y. Precision Utah, Inc.
Zane Munson
 

CALENDAR

June 8:  EDCUTAH Quarterly Update

June 23: Non-Profit Organization Volunteer Fair at the Gateway

August 9:  EDCUTAH Annual Meeting
 

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IN THE NEWS


Economic Development Headlines

St. George Job Growth is No. 1 in the Nation

- Washington County's largest city continues to generate new jobs, beating out hundreds of other cities nationwide with a higher percentage in its job growth rate, according to a May 31 report issued by the U.S. Department of Labor. (Morning News)

Defense Related Biz to Hit $7B in Utah

- A renewed focus on homeland security and defense-oriented businesses by the Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED) is expected to reap billions for Utah businesses, which currently garner less than one percent of that market nationwide. (KCPW News) (Utah Business Magazine)

Tech Sector Enters Park City

- David Spann and Jim Banister envision Park City becoming a hotspot for the smart and creative, a place that draws people wanting to learn about and produce digital media. (Park Record)

Expanded U.S. Forest Service Facility Opens at Ogden-Hinckley Airport

- Ogden Mayor Matthew Godfrey said the expansion of the base will have a major impact on Ogden's economy because the 10 people moved down have an average salary of $70,000 a year. (Standard-Examiner)

North Ogden Wants More Business

- City officials are hoping to lure businesses to North Ogden to add shopping and ease the residential tax burden. The City Council, staff and Planning Commission are committed to pursuing more commercial development along Washington Boulevard. (Standard-Examiner)

USU to Welcome USTAR Recruits

- Utah State University is preparing for the arrival of its first two recruits through the Utah Science, Technology and Research Initiative. (SL Tribune) (Daily Herald)

9 Nominees Named to Allot USTAR Funds

- The names of nine people nominated to an advisory board that will divide up more than $200 million in research funds for Utah universities were announced Thursday. (Morning News) (SL Tribune here and here)  (Daily Herald)

Utah's Agricultural Production Declines as Population Growth Spurs Housing Boom

- This is the last year Newell and Louise Francis will sell their peaches alongside northern Utah's Highway 89, once framed by so many orchards that the 12-mile stretch south of Brigham City is known as Fruit Way. (SL Tribune)

Construction Companies Thriving in Utah

- Utah's top seven commercial contractors saw a combined revenue growth of 25 percent in 2005, according to Engineering-News Record, which has published its annual list of the top 400 contractors in the United States. (Utah Business Magazine)

Davis Conference Center Expansion Moves Closer

- The Davis Conference Center expansion could bring another $16 million in direct economic impact. That's what Davis County Commissioners were saying Tuesday as they approved a preliminary study with the architecture firm GSBS, de-signers of the facility. (Clipper) (Morning News)

Davis a Tourist Destination? Hotel Use Suggests It Is

- Davis County is becoming more and more of a tourist destination. In addition to consistently high statewide rankings for Lagoon and Antelope Island, the county's hotels are starting to pack people in - to the point the county ranks third, statewide, in percentage of full hotel rooms. (Clipper)

Station Park Signs on New Partner

- With the support of a new ally - CenterCal Properties, LLC - Farmington's Station Park project bounced back on the local radar screen Thursday night with renewed energy and added impetus. (Clipper)

Shale Oil - Now? Company says $40 Per Barrel Production is Possible in Utah

- A company says it can produce oil from shale mined from Utah within two or three years, at a cost of about $40 per barrel, and that notion has leaders in Washington, D.C., interested in ways to make it happen. (Morning News) (SL Tribune) (Rocky Mtn. News)

Longyear Moves to Salt Lake

- Boart Longyear, a systems and services provider to the natural resources, construction and quarrying industries, said Thursday that it has moved its global headquarters from South Africa to Salt Lake City. (Morning News) (Utah Business Magazine)

Business in Utah is Booming

- Amid rising concerns about inflation and a slowing economy, a report released Thursday shows Utah continuing to push ahead. The business conditions index for Utah's manufacturing sector climbed to 61.6 from April's healthy 59.4, according to a report from Creighton University in Omaha, Neb. (Morning News)

Questions About Salt Lake Plan Arise

- Day Two of the Salt Lake Chamber-led "Downtown Rising" initiative found chamber and business leaders stumping harder for a broad-based vision for downtown Salt Lake City, clarifying their message and acknowledging potential challenges. (Morning News)

Utah Bags New Hunting Convention

- Three major wildlife habitat conservation groups have chosen Salt Lake City to host the first Western Hunting & Conservation Convention Expo in January 2007. The four-day convention is expected to draw at least 30,000 people to Utah from around the world.
(Utah Business Magazine) (Morning News) (KCPW radio) (SL Tribune)

Johanns Announces Over $17 Million in Funding to Promote Economic Development Projects--Utah Will Receive Funding

- Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced the award of 67 loans and grants totaling over $17 million to fund targeted rural economic development projects in 23 states. The funds will create or save an estimated 1,400 jobs. Utah is one of states to receive funding. A complete list of the loans and grants announced is available from the USDA. (Press Release)

The Need to Envision Downtown's Future

- In 1963, Utah's civic, business and religious leaders created a remarkable "Second Century" plan that described the vision of how they wanted downtown Salt Lake City to look by 1985. Some of it included plans already under way. (Morning News editorial) (Morning News) (SL Tribune editorial) (SL Tribune)

Ogden Council Rejects Mayor's Expansion Plan

- The City Council has voted down the mayor's proposal to pay The Boyer Co. nearly $400,000 in annual lease payments to add two floors to a proposed four-story office building at The Junction development. (KSL)

Logan Home to Lowest Annual Wages

- Logan's metropolitan area may be the safest in the country, but it's also home to the lowest average annual wages. (Herald Journal)

Conestoga Wood to Construct New Plant in Tooele

- Conestoga Wood Specialties, a Pennsylvania-based maker of wood door and cabinet components, said Wednesday that it will build a new manufacturing plant in Tooele, which will create about 180 new jobs over the next three years. (Morning News) (SL Tribune)

Dangerfield Starts New Role as Economic Development Director

- Cedar City officials have appointed former Utah Summer Games Director Bryan Dangerfield as the new economic development director after Terry Keyes suddenly resigned. (Spectrum)

DATC Wants to be Economic Engine

- The Davis Applied Technology College wants to become the "recognized leader in economic development and business growth." That was one of four goals presented to the board of trustees, Thursday. (Clipper)