California dreamin': Utah economic developers court West Coast companies.

• Author: Webb, Gaylen
• Position: Feature

Ever thought of conducting a trade mission to, say, California? Not that the Golden State is a foreign country--the typical destination for trade missions--but economic woes in California make the state a fertile field for economic developers as companies look for more business-friendly environments--like Utah.

The Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED) is already sowing the seeds in a campaign to educate California businesses about Utah's beneficial business environment. In collaboration with the Economic Development Corporation of Utah (EDCUtah), GOED has already conducted two mini trade missions to California this year.

In late August, a delegation of leaders from GOED and a representative of EDCUtah who is based in California visited seven companies in Silicon Valley, inviting company leaders to consider relocating or expanding their operations into Utah. All of the firms wanted more information about Utah and its business-friendly climate, with two specifically interested in looking at moving some part of their businesses to the Beehive State, says Clark Caras, GOED's director of marketing.

In another mini trade mission last May, leaders from GOED visited six companies in Southern California. As a result of that effort, two of those companies were handed off to EDCUtah project managers for additional work to help them move toward relocation or expansion into Utah.

The mini trade missions are part of a larger, million-dollar West Coast marketing campaign that GOED has been conducting since April. Through the marketing effort, 1,100 top corporate executives and professional site selection consultants on the West Coast have received personal contacts from GOED on behalf of Utah.

"We didn't set out to beat anybody up, but we did set out to beat our chests a bit," says Caras, "As a nation, we'll all be better off when California's economy turns around, but it's plain and simple: Many companies are looking for a safe environment to conduct business and we want them to know Utah is the place."

The Place to Be

Utah's good vibrations with California companies haven't gone unnoticed in the Golden State. Following Adobe's recent announcement of its expansion into Utah, the Sacramento Bee interviewed Gov. Gary R. Herbert and

published a story Aug. 15 on the front page of its Business section, in which it recognized the inroads the Beehive State is making in recruiting California-based technology companies by, "touting Utah's business-friendly environment, alluring tax incentives, comparatively affordable cost of living and pleasing recreational attractions, including Olympic-grade winter sports facilities."

"And it's working," the paper said. The story went on to highlight a number of notable California-based businesses that were successfully recruited to...