November 29, 2005

A Publication of the Economic Development Corporation of Utah, edcUTAH.org

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Our Work with Site Consultants

Site consultants. It’s a term we use daily, one you’ve likely seen referred to in various correspondence from EDCUTAH, and a group of individuals we work with a great deal. But who are they, what do they do, and what role do they play in economic development? Today’s feature article addresses the role site consultants play in economic development and our relationship with this select group of professionals, giving you a better perspective with one of the key target markets on which we focus.

As always, this issue includes a number of ED-oriented stories of the past week and another of our Investor Spotlights. If you have comments, suggestions or topics you’d like to see in Economic Review, please send your comments by clicking the “Comments” button on the bottom of this page.

Enjoy!

FEATURE STORY

The Role of Site Consultants at EDCUTAH

As part of its mission as a catalyst for job growth and capital investment for the state, EDCUTAH focuses a great deal of effort on a select group: site consultants, a specialized group of professionals whose sole objective is to find the best possible location for companies looking to expand or relocate.

Approximately 75 percent of all EDCUTAH recruiting projects originate from site consultants. Furthermore, over the last 10 years, nearly 90 percent of the high-paying, high-impact, projects that have come to Utah have originated from site consultants. Thus, marketing to this group and keeping Utah “front-of-mind” pays high dividends for the state.

Companies looking to expand or relocate often rely on professional site consultants to do the initial legwork. This involves disseminating requests for proposals (RFPs), 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 from which the company decides to expand or relocate—a critical decision for the future success of a company, and one not taken lightly.

Consequently, developing quality relationships with site consultants is extremely valuable to economic developers. EDCUTAH maintains a consultant database and regularly markets to a constantly changing pool of about 700 national site consultants through direct mail, newsletters, personal visits from the Business Development staff, and 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.) EDCUTAH’s goal is to make Utah a brand name and keep the state at the top of each consultant’s list of preferred locations.

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.

Each year EDCUTAH conducts two site consultant retreats to bring them, in person, to our state. Some consultants have visited Utah before, others have not. These events provide two significant benefits for the state. First, the retreats allow EDCUTAH to introduce site consultants to the state’s matchless quality of life, year-round recreational opportunities and cultural diversity. Second, the consultants agree to take part in focus group sessions that help EDCUTAH discover the perceived strengths and weaknesses of Utah as a potential location for business expansion or relocation.

In 2004, EDCUTAH hosted 16 site consultants and their guests to a weekend at Deer Valley Resort. During their stay these consultants and guests enjoyed the area’s multitude of recreational activities and participated in frank and informative focus group discussions about doing business in Utah. The focus groups shed important light on the most critical criteria for determining where to relocate a business, and gave EDCUTAH perspective regarding Utah’s real or perceived strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges.

Occasionally, site consultants choose to work directly with city/county economic developers. In such cases, local economic development staffs often ask for EDCUTAH assistance in assembling data and setting up site visits and meetings with key organizations. As EDCUTAH receives requests for proposals from site consultants, it rapidly disseminates them to economic development leaders 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 has compiled significant comparative analysis information and general information publications, which it provides to site consultants and local economic development leaders throughout the state.

Ultimately, EDCUTAH’s role is a success if the company chooses a site in Utah. But even more important is the continuation of the positive, long-term relationships with this key group of influencers that may return to our state with another prospect in the future.

INVESTOR SPOTLIGHT

Name/Title: Mike Cameron, President

Company: Christopherson Business Travel

Company's Mission: Utah’s leader in business travel

Education: Accounting degree – University of Utah

Growing up: Bozeman, Montana, until I was 10 years old and Salt Lake City since then.

Family: Married to Camille. We have four children and four very cool grandchildren (ages 3, 5, 7 and 9).

Hobbies: Travel, reading and hanging out with my family.

Motivations/Ambitions: Building a growing company; to provide a great future for the people that work for me. “Sharing the wealth” is not just a nice thing to do, it’s a sound business principle that pays off.

Why economic development is important: Business success is the economic driver behind meeting the social needs for the people in our state. Businesses provide the profits, the investment and the jobs that create the taxes. A healthy economy is the only way we can pay for education, healthcare and the infrastructure we need.

Continued in the next column...

IN THE NEWS

Business Headlines from the Past Week

Utah’s Medical Construction Boom

- Utah's construction boom isn't confined to new houses or office buildings. As a growing population increases the demand for health care, more hospitals, surgical centers and technical complexes will remain steady through 2015, predicts Layton Construction Co. “Facilities are at capacity, people are (living) longer, inpatient beds are being created, outpatient services are being expanded. Nationally, the aging population has put a pretty big hit on health-care construction."

The $387 million Intermountain Medical Center, which spans five specialty hospitals and spreads across roughly 100 acres, represents the climax of Utah's health-care construction boom. (D-News)

Developers Gobbling Up Dixie Land

- Developers are snatching up land around Utah's Dixie at such a fast and furious pace that city officials are scrambling to keep up. Most of the nearly 85,000 acres of developable land within Washington County lies on the southeast side of I-15 and is already pegged for future residential projects. (D-News)

Ogden Council Approves $16 Million Bond for Rec Center at Old Mall Site, Plans Other Development

- The Ogden City Council voted to borrow about $16.3 million to help fund construction of a high-adventure recreation center at the downtown mall site. (Standard-Examiner) (SL Trib)

In addition to the construction of a high-adventure recreation center, the city is taking steps toward other developments at the downtown mall site, including shops, restaurants and an 11-screen movie theater built by Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller. Add to that a $10.3 million, 120,000-square-foot condominium complex, with a grocery store and a coffee shop on the ground floor of the complex and office space on the second floor, and 28 condos above. On the northeast corner of the mall site, the real estate investment arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Property Reserve Inc., is preparing to build a four-story, 75,000-square-foot office building. (Standard-Examiner)

Judge Approves Sale of Geneva Steel Land

- A bankruptcy judge has approved the sale of Geneva Steel's 1,700 acres to a Sandy-based developer for $46.8 million. Anderson Development LLC, the highest bidder in an auction for the site, intends to develop the property into smaller sections encompassing industrial, commercial, office and residential uses, with proposals to develop high-speed commuter rail tracks to run in the middle of the Geneva property. (D-News) (SL Trib) (Daily Herald)

CALENDAR

Nov. 29

EDCUTAH Tour of Tooele County

Dec. 1-2

TM2 Conference (Click here for more information)

Dec. 2

First Fridays’ Small Business Expo and Raffle Extravaganza (Click here for more information)

Dec. 2

UITA Hall of Fame Dinner

Dec. 7

GOED Open House

Dec. 8

Utah County ED Roundtable

Dec. 15

EDCUTAH Holiday Open House (EDCUTAH Offices)

Jan. 11-13

"What's Up Down South" ED Forum (St. George)

Feb. 10-12

EDCUTAH Site Consultant Event (Park City)

EDCUTAH PARTNERS

Current Partners
Why Be a Partner?
Board of Trustees

Investor Spotlight Continued...

Hottest economic development issues you see (either for the state or for your company): Christopherson’s economic world revolves around the future of the airline industry. It is important to the health of the Utah economy to have a major carrier like Delta Air Lines continue to provide service to Salt Lake City. We manage the travel for more than 600 successful companies and they need good airline service to do business in Utah.

Improvements in economic development you’d like to see: A continued focus on making sure Utah is competitive when companies are considering us as a place to move good paying jobs. Proudest moment: Moving into our new corporate office building. We consolidated four offices and moved in on the week of September 11th, 2001. We had already sent out the notices for the grand opening and decided to hold it anyway. We turned it into a patriotic event with lots of flags and a speech from Mayor Dan Snarr of Murray.

Most embarrassing moment: I was asked to serve as the Chairman of the Salt Lake Chamber President’s Ambassadors Committee. I showed up 10 minutes late to the first meeting that I was to conduct and greeted 40 committee members waiting for me in the conference room.

Favorite book: “Good to Great” by Jim Collins – If you combine the right leadership with the right strategy you can take an ordinary business to great heights.

Favorite mentor: My Father. He started an accounting services business when I was 17 years old, Robert Cameron & Associates (I was the Associates). I worked for him and watched him grow the business from an idea to a thriving business. This is the business “lens” that I have always viewed the world through.

Your Personal Motto: Treat people the way you want to be treated – it can create magic.

Anything Else You'd Like to Share: We’ve all had a “bad boss” at some point in our career. We all know what we want from our boss (and what we don’t want), so where do all of the “bad bosses” come from? Who teaches them to be that way?