REGION PROFILE: CEDAR CITY

Cedar City: Where Businesses Go to Celebrate

by SAVANNAH KING

Cedar Breaks National Monument

Photo: Getty Images

With a nickname like Festival City USA, it’s hardly a surprise that Cedar City offers an exceptional quality of life. But it’s also a prime location for businesses looking to celebrate growth and success.

In addition to its proximity to Utah’s national and state parks, the area is also close to several ski resorts and even has its own golf course. Cedar City is called the “Festival City USA” for its many popular festivals that include the

Tony Award Winning Utah Shakespeare

Festival, the Utah Summer Games, the Cedar City Livestock and Heritage

Festival and Groovefest American Music

Festival.

Located in the southwest corner of the state, Cedar City is a growing community with easy access to Interstate 15,

Cedar City, with a population of 29,000, is the largest city in Iron County and is expected to continue growing over the next decade. By 2030, Cedar City’s population is expected to grow to more than 50 percent to just over 71,000 people.

The area’s economy is diverse with a focus on developing clusters around tourism, manufacturing, renewable energy and small business development. Companies like Genpak, American pacifi c Corp., Metalcraft Technologies and GAF call Cedar City home.

Iron County Offi ce of Economic Development along with the Governor’s Offi ce of Economic Development and the Economic Development Corp. of Utah, helped to attract several companies to the area and help expand existing companies.

Muller Industries opened a new, stateof-the-art copper manufacturing facility in Cedar City in 2017. The Tennesseebased company produces copper tube parts and is expected to create some 125 jobs over the next several years. For the last two decades, Decorworx has grown in Cedar City and has since become a preferred vendor for independent supermarkets across the country. The company revitalized a historic building in the city’s downtown and will create 164 jobs over the next few years.

The region is also a hotbed for renewable energy and solar energy development. More than 12 utilityscare solar energy power plants and 17 solar projects have been developed in the county recently on more than 7,000 acres.

Iron County offers a well-educated workforce, with both Southern Utah University (SU) and Southwest Tech College (STU). Both institutions have partnered with each other to offer high school students in the region a Dual Enrollment Program that allows high school students to earn college credits before graduating. The two campuses are located six blocks from each other and have a history of working together to develop programs and credentials. SU has been ranked as one of the Best in the West by U.S. News and World Report for its strength at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. The university is also well-known for its affordability and for being the “Most Outdoorsy University” with more than 20 national parks and monuments within a five-hour drive. SU is also known as “The University of the Parks.”