Nov. 17, 2006

  

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

PRESIDENT'S  

MESSAGE

Salt Lake County's Innovative 'Up Grade' Website Assists Businesses

With the upturn in the economy, economic development activity in the Salt Lake Valley has steadily increased. An important part of EDCUTAH’s mission is to help local community partners with retention programs, which target existing businesses and keep them healthy and productive in the state. Today’s feature article discusses the importance of assisting businesses in a busy climate and what one EDCUTAH partner, Salt Lake County, is doing to accomplish this through its innovative Up Grade program.

As always, this issue of the Economic Review includes links to many of the ED-related news stories from the past week. If you have comments, suggestions or topics you’d like to see in the Economic Review, please contact us by clicking the “Comments” link on the bottom of this page.

Enjoy!

Jeff Edwards
Jeff Edwards
President and CEO

FEATURE

Upgrade: Salt Lake County Provides Online Economic Development Tool



If you are thinking of starting or expanding a business in Salt Lake County, the county’s economic development office has an excellent resource to provide you with assistance: www.upgrade.slco.org.

Marian Hein, a small business coordinator for Salt Lake County, says Upgrade went online last July to provide businesses in the county with a variety of economic development resources.

Salt Lake County's economic development site: UP GRADE“The mayor is a small business person who wants to see small businesses flourish in Salt Lake County, but with three people on our staff, we don’t have the resources to be all things to all people,” she says. Consequently, the county developed Upgrade as a way to leverage information and connect businesses to the resources they need.

The site provides links to a variety of information, including links to the Utah State Tax Commission, Department of Commerce, Job Service, the Small Business Administration and SBA programs, the small business development centers and the small business resource centers. “We also link to the chambers of commerce in the county and provide information about all of the cities here,” Hein says.

Upgrade also provides essential economic development information regarding financing and incentives, demographic data, and useful information about real estate, transportation, and labor. The “Fire Up” page provides links to “help you Fire Up your business to the next level.” From there site visitors can link to “Heads Up,” a collection of upcoming training programs provided by state and local governments, area chambers, law firms, accounting firms, SCORE, and the SBA, while the “Study Up” section provides daily business tips from Salt Lake County business leaders.

“We have many businesses that come to the county for information,” Hein says. “The website helps answer initial questions. Beyond that we try to determine their needs and match them up with the resources we have available, or if they need help with a business plan we might refer them to the small business resource center. It all depends on their needs.”

Hein says Salt Lake County is anxious to partner with other organizations that provide resources for small businesses. “We know we can’t do everything. We really want to make the Upgrade web site a spot where businesses can receive a variety of help. We are happy to partner with anyone that assists small businesses.”

Utah Businesses Win Contract with the U.S. Army


Utah Native American Company recognized as a Leading Federal Contractor


In 2003 when Travis Parashonts of the Cedar Band of Paiutes founded Suh’dutsing Technologies, LLC, a Utah Native American company, he had only $8,000 in seed capital. But with some early contracting and development assistance from the Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) at the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED), the company has grown to become the 6th best 8(a) minority contracting firm in the nation, so named by Federal Computer Week, a government technology magazine.

What's more, Suh'dutsing is ranked 121st best contractor of any size in the nation by the publication. The top-ten 8(a) ranking has brought national attention because the company is only three years old. This year Suh’dutsing Technologies received four national awards for outstanding work in the information technology field.

Concurrent with the ranking, Suh’dutsing was recently awarded a $4 million dollar contract with the U.S. Army, from the Tank Automotive Command in Warren, Michigan. The contract is to install computer fleet management systems into army trucks. These computer systems are manufactured by another Utah-based company, DriverTech Fleet Management Systems. Suh’dutsing Senior Vice President of Business Development Carey Wold says, “Team Suh’dutsing, in partnership with experts from DriverTech is looking forward to providing value added services on the contract.”

Fred Lange, director of the Procurement Technical Assistance Center Program (PTAC) says the contract given to Suh’dutsing and its technology partner DriverTech is a perfect example of how the PTAC program helps Utah businesses mature.

GOED's Procurement Technical Assistance Center continues to provide Utah businesses of all sizes with opportunities to develop and expand their services. Utah companies interested in assistance from the PTAC program can go on line at www.goed.utah.gov/PTAC or call the main PTAC office at 801-538-8655. PTAC offices are placed statewide and are staffed with officers trained to assist companies in government contracting.

EDCUTAH PARTNERS


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IN THE NEWS

Economic Development Headlines

350-Unit Chain of Mexican Restaurants to Enter Utah Market

- El Pollo Loco, a popular California Mexican fast food restaurant, has signed a new franchise agreement that will bring 15 of its restaurants to Utah within the next eight years. (The Enterprise)

Developer of Software for Truckers Opens Utah Office

- McLeod Software, a Birmingham, Ala.-based provider of dispatch and accounting fleet management software, has selected Utah as the site for the first office outside its home state. (The Enterprise)

Walt Disney Co. Picks SLC as Site for New Video Gaming Studio

- Salt Lake City will be the home of Disney's Fall Line Studios, a new video game division of Disney's Buena Vista Games (BVG), which will develop games for Nintendo's DS and Wii hand held gaming systems. (The Enterprise)

Life Elevated: Campaign Did Not light a Fire

- The initial marketing foray of the state's "Utah - Life Elevated" tourism promotion campaign has done pretty well, but not great, in capturing attention in three targeted cities. (SL Tribune)

Very Light Jets Poised for Aviation Stardom

- Business jets have traditionally been the domain of the super-rich and high-powered corporate executives who don't have time or patience for getting frisked at airport security checkpoints. But a new smaller aircraft could make private air travel more available for less-wealthy folks, and a company with a new plant under construction in Ogden is among those looking to capitalize. (Standard Examiner)

Low Jobless Rate Weighs Down Index

- Utah's small businesses continue to struggle to find good workers amid the state's impressive economic environment, according to a report released Tuesday by Zions Bank. (Morning News) (Utah Business Magazine)

Rural Partnership Board Pushes Development

- Gov. Jon Huntsman recently met with the Governor's Rural Partnership Board (GRPB) to hear recommendations on economic development in rural Utah communities. The Board, which has met for eight months, stressed the importance of a college-educated workforce and the availability of technology in order to attract and maintain a strong business economy in rural towns.  (Tooele Transcript)

Kane County Tourists Spend More Despite Controversy

- Skyrocketing gas prices across the nation. Towering flames along the Grand Canyon. A headline-grabbing boycott against Kanab's natural-family resolution. Given those ingredients, tourism no doubt fell in southern Utah's Kane County this year, right? Wrong.

(SL Tribune)

ZCMI Staying Around Longer?

- Although both downtown Salt Lake City malls are scheduled for demolition, it's likely ZCMI Center Mall will be open for business months longer than neighboring Crossroads Plaza. (SL Tribune)

Deseret Book Makes Plans to Relocate

- Deseret Book took the lead-off spot Thursday on the roster of downtown mall retailers announcing their plans for the impending redevelopment.

(Morning News)

Tai Pan Trading Opens in Clearfield

- A new “big box” has opened in Clearfield, but it’s not part of a national chain. Tai Pai Trading Company unveiled its second store Tuesday morning in Clearfield. The 100,000-square-foot store is billed as a wholesale-to-the-public home decorating and accessories mega-store. (Clipper Today)

Luxury Resorts Flourish in Utah

- A super-luxe influx of high-end resorts is springing up near Utah's accessible ski slopes and otherworldly red rock spires. The luxury accommodations are putting Park City ahead of Aspen and Sun Valley in resort real estate sales and will increase one southern Utah county's assessed property values by 20 percent. (Morning News) (The Enterprise)

A Training Place

- Manufacturers in Weber County have been lamenting a shortage of skilled workers for years. A new public-private partnership could be the solution to their problem. Jet engine manufacturer Williams International has teamed with Ogden-Weber Applied Technology College to establish a center at Business Depot Ogden that will train students in lean manufacturing techniques and advanced machining starting next year. (Standard Examiner)

IM Flash Looking to Hire at Lehi Micron Plant

- There is good economic news in Utah County after Micron is gearing up to open its Lehi plant to manufacture memory cards. It means about two thousand new jobs-- jobs that are finally coming after a delay of several years. (KSL)

Clearfield's Economic Coup

- In the history of good news for Clearfield, the proposed Midtown Village development must rank near the top. Developers hope to create $100 million worth of entertainment, dining, retail, hotel, office and residential space in about 1 million square feet of space on the city's eastern border. (Standard Examiner)

Real Estate Update

- Real estate action in Utah continues to be brisk as new businesses move into the market and existing businesses expand or relocate.

(Utah Business Magazine)

Construction Update

- Utah’s building boom continues, with construction planned or underway on a number of projects. In addition to new homes, restaurants and offices, these projects include medical buildings.
(Utah Business Magazine)

Upgrade of Atlas Mining Company Dragon Mine Processing Facility Moves to Completion

- Atlas Mining Company has announced that the new processing plant at the Utah-based Dragon Mine is operational. (Utah Business Magazine)

CALENDAR

Nov. 12-15:

CoreNet Global Summit (Orlando, FL)

Dec. 14:

EDCUTAH Holiday Open House (Salt Lake), 4 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Please RSVP to Trina Stanley by Thursday, Dec. 7 at 801-328-8824 or by email at tstanley@edcutah.org.

Jan. 10, 2007:

Washington County Economic Summit (St. George)
7:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., for more information contact: Dixie Business Alliance, 225 South 700 East, St. George, 84770. Call (435) 652-7724 or email; website:
http://www.whatsupdownsouth.com

Feb. 8, 2007:

23rd Annual Investors Choice® Venture Capital Conference (Salt Lake City)
Learn the venture process, build a fundraising presentation and meet with venture, corporate and angel investors.  Submission deadline is October 30th. For more information visit: www.venturecapital.org/utah.

June 6-8, 2007:

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.