FROM UP HERE,
YOU CAN SEE THE ECONOMIC RECOVERY. UTAH #1 “BEST STATE FOR BUSINESS AND CAREERS” —FORBES
THE COUNTRY’ MANAGED STA BELIEVE-IT-O ABOUT UTAH. *THE PEW CENTER ON THE STATES
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S BEST TE AND OTHER R-NOT FACTS *
business.utah.gov 2
The Gateway, Salt Lake City
At a time when it’s hard to imagine “best managed” and “state” being used in the same sentence, Utah is a breath of fresh air. During the economic downturn, our fiscally conservative style of governance has served us well by positioning Utah among the strongest business environments in the country.
The same work ethic and collaborative spirit that helped Utah’s pioneers settle the West is just as evident in the state’s current partnerships with the private sector. The result is some of the country’s most innovative economic development legislation and aggressive incentive programs. Take our postperformance incentives, for example. Utah offers a refundable tax credit for up to 30% of new state tax revenues over the life of the project as well as a grant for the creation of high-paying jobs. Utah also offers a 20% incentive for movies made in the state (film.utah.gov), all of which indicate a style of management that’s brought companies and accolades to the state.
Utah: #1 Best Business Climate. Business Facilities Magazine
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Utah Valley, Utah County
“Utah’s low cost of doing business made it the obvious choice.” Mike Dowse, President and GM, Amer Sports (Salomon, Atomic, Suunto and Bonfire), Ogden Ogden, Weber County
Salt Lake City
Procter & Gamble™ has built a new $300 million plant in Utah. (The first one they’ve built in North America in 30 years.) Box Elder County
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RANKED #1 E OUTLOOK IN IF YOU NEEDED TO RELOCATE,
*2010 ALEC-LAFFER STATE ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS
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CONOMIC THE NATION. *
WHERE WOULD YOU GO?
business.utah.gov 6
Salt Lake City International Airport
Park City
Old Main, Utah State University, Logan
Ogden
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out the best place to weather an economic crisis. But if you were a rocket scientist, or an investment banker, or a biotech engineer, you’d feel right at home in Utah. Our focus on targeted economic clusters that play to our state’s strengths enables us to provide a particularly attractive environment to specific industries and even fostered the environment for one of our residents and educators to earn a Nobel Prize*.
It’s this kind of thinking that has kept Utah above water during the downturn and is helping us rebound faster than almost every other state in the country right now. It has also convinced companies like Procter & Gamble™, eBay,® Sephora®, Specialized® Bicycle, and Hershey® to put down roots here. Of course, now that you know what they know, where would you go? 7
*Mario R. Capecchi, Ph.D., 2007 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
TARGETED ECONOMIC CLUSTERS Utah’s focus on the following industry clusters offers tangible benefits to its businesses, citizens, and educational institutions—not to mention a very bright future indeed.
AVIATION & AEROSPACE • Advanced Composites • Propulsion Systems • Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul
DEFENSE & HOMELAND SECURITY
ENERGY & NATURAL RESOURCES
• Unmanned & Autonomous Systems
• Alternative Energy
• Electronics & Communications • Logistics & Distribution
• Renewable Energy • Mining & Extraction • Energy Efficiency
FINANCIAL SERVICES • Industrial Banks • Support Services • Regional Headquarters for Western and Intermountain Banking
OUTDOOR PRODUCTS AND RECREATION • Medical Devices LIFE SCIENCES
• Natural Products
• Winter Sports
• Personalized Medicine
• Climbing
• Human Genome Studies
• Bicycling
• Salt Lake City, Home of Outdoor Retailers Summer & Winter Shows
SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY • Web Services & Software Applications • Semiconductors & Components • High-Performance Computing • Digital Media
Utah is #1 on Forbes Debt Weight Scorecard. ®
(Lowest debt per citizen.)
Historic 25th Street, Ogden
Utah: 2nd lowest commercial electric rates in the Western U.S. Brigham City
eBay has invested over $300 million on projects in Utah. ®
(Of course, the “Buy It Now” price was even better.) 8
BUSINESS SUCCE LOCATION, LOCAT A REMINDER FRO UTAH, UTAH, UTA
*Every real estate agent you ever met.
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ESS HINGES ON * TION, LOCATION. OM THE FOLKS IN AH.
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Salt Lake City
Utah’s Capital City is Investing $1 Million a Day in Improvements. DowntownRising.com
Wondering how to succeed in an economic downturn? Maybe you should ask yourself where instead. Utah’s centralized location makes it the ideal low-cost distribution point for the West, offering direct rail lines to L.A., Oakland, Portland, and Seattle. And Utah is a one-day truck drive from almost every major city in the Western U.S.
Want more? Salt Lake City International Airport plays host to over 700 daily flights and the second busiest Delta hub in the nation. This makes our state easily accessible from anywhere in the country, not to mention the world, with daily direct flights to Europe and Asia. Once you’re here, our remarkably efficient public transportation and interstate highway systems ensure your employees will spend more time working and less time commuting—which should be a big reason for choosing a location like Utah in the first place.
Utah named Happiest State in the Nation.* Disney Interactive Studios® moves in. Coincidence? 11
* GALLUP STUDY
University of Utah, Salt Lake City
Utah: A Leading State in Export Performance. U.S. Department of Commerce
Salt Lake City Designated a Foreign-Trade Zone.
Photo courtesy of James Belmont
U.S. Department of Commerce
Salt Lake City
Utah: Best State for Commuters. Forbes.com
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DO WE HAV SKILLED WO ™
WELL, P&G, eBAY, AND GOLDMAN SACHS
*Curious about the scenery? www.visitutah.com 13
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E A HIGHLY RKFORCE? AREN’T HERE JUST FOR THE SCENERY.*
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IM Flash Technologies, Lehi
One of the most attractive things about Utah has little to do with our breathtaking landscape. The local workforce here is one of the most highly educated and diverse in the country. Case in point: our populace is fluent in over 137 languages and excels in everything from banking and technology to manufacturing and sales.
Fortunately, our populace is not only highly skilled but extremely healthy as well. Utah is the fifth healthiest state in the country according to the United Health Foundation’s America’s Health Rankings. No wonder some of the world’s largest and most successful companies are coming here for our people. Of course, the scenery isn’t too bad either. (www.visitutah.com) 15
Utah is a Right-to-Work state with only about 6% of employees affiliated with unions. ATK, Utah
Photo courtesy of First Wind • Photographer: Douglas Barnes Photography
90% of the world’s primary languages are spoken in Utah.
First Wind, Milford
®
Specialized Bicycle came for the strong work ethic. (Moab had nothing to do with it. Honest.) Moab 16
INCREASE YOU BY A FEW THO
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R BOTTOM LINE USAND FEET. It’s hard to imagine topping the recreational possibilities of a place like Utah, unless you consider the potential for business here. We’ve got an unmatched labor force for international or domestic business and an ideal location whether you’re moving freight to a major seaport, flying in or out for a meeting, making a movie, or planning a vacation. We also have a quality of life that continues to attract the Fortune 500 in surprising numbers. In short, it’s a lot easier to attain higher revenues when you start at 4300 feet. For more in-depth facts and figures about Utah’s possibilities for your operation, call 801.538.8769 or visit business.utah.gov. 18
business.utah.gov 801.538.8769
Business Resource Centers • Capital Formation • Corporate Incentives • Film Commission Health Services/Exchange • International Development • Procurement Assistance Rural Development • State Science Advisor • Technology Commercialization Tourism • Broadband Development • UGREEN