Business report puts Utah in U.S. Top 10
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By LORETTA PARK
Standard-Examiner Davis Bureau
lpark@standard.net
La-Z-Boy loss notwithstanding, state seen as destination spot
Outsourcing is not just a Utah problem, but a national one, a study's author said.
Utah was ranked No. 9 in the Pollina Corporate "Top 10 Pro-Business States" report Wednesday, the same day La-Z-Boy Inc. announced it was closing the Tremonton plant and heading to Mexico after 30 years of service.
"Outsourcing is a significant problem, which is not going away," said Brent Allen Pollina, the vice president of Pollina Corporate and the study's author.
"Some states are trying to stem the tide, but it's an economic reality and unfortunately some states don't do anything and actually encourage businesses to leave," Pollina said.
The Pollina report is an analysis of what all 50 states are doing to market themselves to businesses, he said.
Utah offers incentives for new businesses to set up shop, he said, while encouraging established businesses to stay.
This is the second year Utah ranked in the top 10, said Jason Perry, the executive director of the governor's office of economic development.
Last year Utah ranked No. 5, but Perry said just being in the top 10 "is huge."
One of the areas that pulled Utah down was the increased cost of unemployment insurance, Pollina said, and Utah officials are not doing as good a job as they could to market the state.
"Shame on us for not tooting our horn louder than we have," said Sen. Sheldon Killpack, R-Syracuse.
Killpack said while it may seem that way, officials are talking to businesses outside of the state. However, the results of those talks will not be noticeable for a few years.
Even with the news of a plant closing, Rep. Brad Dee, R-Washington Terrace, said other businesses have their eye on the state. Large corporations want to know what local businesses can do for them, especially in the aerospace industry.
"As we bring those partnerships together and these marriages take place, local Utah businesses thrive," Dee said.
County leaders say they are also courting new businesses.
Davis County Commissioner Louenda Downs said Weber and Davis counties are working hard to bring jobs to the area.
The new Davis Economic Advisory Council is an example of that attempt, Downs said. The council is seeking ways to attract businesses to the area, which brings more jobs for those living here.
Perry said one of Utah's big draws is its workforce. The state ranks No. 1 out of the 50 states in that area.
"We have the youngest workforce, who are very well educated, many bilingual and very well trained," Perry said.
Dee and Killpack agreed that a big motivation for bringing businesses to the state is planning for the future.
"We want to keep the brightest kids in Utah," Dee said .
Even with one company leaving the Top of Utah, there are others, such as Proctor & Gamble, coming, Perry said.
"There will still be tremendous opportunities because we are working with significant companies who are very serious about relocating," Perry said.
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