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FEATURE

EDCUTAH Hosts Spring Site Consultant Event at Deer Valley

This weekend a handful of site consultants from across the country will converge on Deer Valley for a weekend of skiing, meetings with the governor, social events, and informative focus group discussions designed to gather information and foster interest in doing business in Utah.

Each year EDCUTAH conducts two retreats for site consultants, a specialized group of professionals who do most of the legwork when companies seek to expand or relocate their operations to other areas. Some consultants have visited Utah before, while others have not. Jeff Edwards, EDCUTAH president and CEO, says the retreats provide two significant benefits for the state: First, they allow EDCUTAH to introduce the site consultants to Utah’s matchless quality of life, year-round recreational opportunities and cultural diversity; Second, the consultants participate in focus group sessions that help EDCUTAH discover the perceived strengths and weaknesses of Utah as a potential location for business expansion or relocation.

Marketing to Site Consultants Pays High Dividends

Because approximately 75 percent of all EDCUTAH recruiting projects originate through site consultants, building and maintaining close relationships with them is integral to EDCUTAH’s recruitment efforts. In fact, over the last 10 years, nearly 90 percent of the high-paying, high-impact company relocations that have come to Utah have originated through site consultants.

“Marketing to this group and keeping Utah front-of-mind pays high dividends for the state,” Edwards says. “Determining where and when to relocate or expand operations is a critical decision for the future success of any company, and one not taken lightly.”

Professional site consultants often do most of the initial work on relocation projects, disseminating requests for proposals (RFP’s), sifting through submitted bids, and researching locations and communities that fit a company’s specific parameters. “Once the initial work is completed, the consultant proposes a short list of potential sites best suited to the company’s expansion or relocation needs. Our goal is to make Utah a brand name and keep the state at the top of each consultant’s list of preferred locations,” says Edwards.

Site Consultant Database

EDCUTAH maintains a site consultant database and regularly markets to this group of individuals through direct mail, newsletters, personal visits from the Business Development staff, meetings at industry events such as CoreNet, and consultant retreats. EDCUTAH works with everyone from the “big houses” (KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Staubach, Ernst & Young, etc.) to the smaller boutique shops that often specialize in one or two industries (financial services, back office, distribution centers, international, etc.).

Site consultants have indicated they prefer to work with private economic development groups like EDCUTAH because they can make one call and get the most current information and a detailed response for an entire state. They also regularly comment on the quality of data and contacts they receive from EDCUTAH, returning again and again as they work on projects through the years.

As EDCUTAH receives requests for proposals from site consultants, it rapidly disseminates them to economic developers throughout the state. EDCUTAH’s role is to collect bids from participating cities/counties and compile them into one bid package, along with other research, which it then submits to the site consultant. EDCUTAH has also compiled significant comparative analysis information and general information publications, which it regularly provides to site consultants and local economic developers throughout the state.

In the end, EDCUTAH’s role is a success if a company chooses a site in Utah. However, it is just as important to maintain positive, long-term relationships with the site consultants, as they may return to our state with other prospects in the future.

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CALENDAR

Mar. 14:

Quarterly Investor Update

Mar. 22:

Governor's Economic Summit, Grand America Hotel

April 5-6:

Utah League of Cities and Towns Conference (St. George)

April 11:

EDCUTAH Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and Open House

April 29-May 2:

CoreNet (Denver)

May 6-9:

BIO 2007, Boston

June 6-8:

The New West Summit, in Big Sky, Montana will bring together business leaders, entrepreneurs, politicians, journalists, academicians, and engaged citizens to talk about the future of the Rocky Mountain West.

June 20:

EDCUTAH Golf Tournament