Just a few years ago, the Utah Economic Summit was a bit of somber affair as the state’s economy struggled through the worst recession since the Great Depression.
The 2012 edition of the event on Tuesday, by contrast, was an upbeat Utah love fest, coming on the heels of a slew of corporate expansions and top-tier national rankings for Utah in terms of business and job growth, and overall economic well-being.
The sixth annual summit was part business-development conference, part update on what some of the largest companies in the state have announced or are planning.
Managing editor Mary Helen Sprecher, who attended the summit, said the fact that three of the company’s 30 awards this year were for Utah expansions is noteworthy given the state’s small size from a population perspective. "Three companies receiving awards from Utah —that’s never happened before," Sprecher said. "Certainly, it speaks to all of what’s happening in the state right now."
Governor Herbert said interest in Utah has been climbing in the past year, both among corporations seeking to expand and the national media. The governor recently spent time with not one but two reporters from Reuters, who tried to answer the question: Why are so many companies expanding in the Beehive State? (Read their conclusions at http://reut.rs/zZr0fM) Salt Lake Tribune
