Elevating your quality of life is good for business.

• Author: Hale, Val
• Position: LETTER FROM VAL HALE, GOED

There's a state that has been named the "#1 Best State for Business" by Forbes magazine four times in the last five years. There's a state that has maintained its AAA bond rating since 1965. There's a state that's leading the nation as the best performing economy while being recognized as a premiere global business destination.

Does it sound like a place where you want to do business? Of course it does. You want Utah.

Utah claimed its spot as the best state for business by ranking in the top ten in most of the Forbes "Best State for Business" criteria.

* Utah ranked #5 in business costs--12.9 percent below the national average.

* #4 in labor supply because the state government and private sector actively work to meet the demand for a highly skilled workforce.

* Utah is #10 in growth prospects

* #9 in regulatory environment.

Forbes is not the only organization that is finding Utah to be a business friendly place. To add to these impressive rankings, Utah holds the spot for the "#1 Business Climate" by Business Facilities, and Utah is at the top of the "Pollina Corporate Top 10 Pro-Business States" ranking. These accomplishments are fostered by an educated and skilled workforce and a government that understands the needs of the business sector.

Fiscally responsible Utah has the tenth lowest tax burden in the country, with a flat 5 percent corporate and personal income tax rate. The corporate tax rate hasn't risen in years, creating a stable and predictable environment in the state for business growth and expansion. Consequently, a broad diversity of small vendor and innovative start-up companies are joined by major firms like Boeing, Goldman Sachs, eBay, Adobe, Wells Fargo, UPS and many more major firms that are proud to call Utah home.

Utah has the fourth most diverse economy in the United States, with a targeted focus on six strategic industries or economic clusters that have sufficient mass and workforce to make a major impact on the community. Those industries are: aerospace and defense, financial services, energy and natural resources, outdoor products and recreation, life sciences, as well as software development and information. High tech manufacturing capability cuts across all of the sectors. Importantly, Utah actively promotes international business and has continuously increased its yearly export total. Supporting this effort, Utah, for its size, is the most linguistically diverse state in the country with over 130 languages spoken...