Closing the achievement gap.

• Author: Francom, Sarah Ryther
• Position: From the Editor

For 13 years, Utah Business has been celebrating outstanding businesswomen in our 30 Women to Watch program. Year after year, we are amazed at the accomplishments these women have achieved for their companies, communities and the state. Ranging in industries and titles, these honorees are another testament of the important role that women play in shaping Utah's future. Read their stories beginning on page 66.

There's no doubt, that Utahs businesswomen are integral to the states robust economy. More than 66,000 women-owned businesses employ 57,400 and contribute SI 1.4 billion to the states economy each year, according to the most recent American Express OPEN State of Women-Owned Businesses Report. And the number of women-owned businesses is increasing at a steady 57 percent.

Despite these positive figures, disconcerting trends persist. For example, Utah's businesswomen hold fewer c-level management and board-level positions. And while more women in the state are enrolling in higher education, Utah has the largest gap in the nation between male and female college graduation rates, according to the Department of Workforce Services.

Furthermore, studies have again revealed that Utah's working women receive unequal compensation. The latest report from Equal Pay Day revealed that Utah's wage gap between men and women is the third worst in the nation (outranking only Louisiana and Wyoming). Utah women earn just 69 cents for every dollar paid to their male colleagues, resulting in a yearly gap in wages of Si4,446. Nationally, women working full time are paid 77 cents per dollar.

I recently spoke with MaryPat Kavanagh, president of the Salt Lake Chapter of NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners), about the vital role of women in Utah's...