Exceeding expectations.

• Position: Work: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Innovate. Invest. Grow.

You've probably heard comments that Utah is the place to be for business. We're happy to report that the talk is true. With a business-minded governor leading a business-friendly community, the Beehive State is continually growing and gaining recognition both nationally and internationally.

Utah No. 1 for 2011-2013, 2015 "Best State for Business and Careers"--FORBES MAGAZINE

Utah No. 1 Best State for Business, 2014--POLLINA CORPORATE

Utah the only state to rank in Top 10 for all categories (e.g.: Exports, Business Climate) --U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, ENTERPRISING STATES

Utah No. 1 Economic Dynamism--STATE NEW ECONOMY INDEX, 2014

Utah No. 1 for Economic Outlook--AMERICAN LEGISLATIVE EXCHANGE COUNCIL, 2014

Utah's capital, Salt Lake City, is a hive of activity. Multiple national corporations are locating headquarter operations, and other major business units are opening in the newly rebuilt city center. The arts are flourishing with a new ballet training facility and multiple stage performance centers being filled nightly, plus a nationally ranked symphony and our own summer jazz festival--all helping to add to the full sense of community in Salt Lake City. On the economic front, the city is home to the state's largest chamber of commerce and provides a center place for the business community to gather.

Utah's statewide economy is thriving, as evidenced by an unemployment rate of 3.6 percent and 3.3 percent job growth as of December 2014.

A state long-identified with mining and agriculture, Utah has steadily diversified its industry mix through economic ups and downs. All of this is underpinned by the Governor's Office of Economic Development's (GOED) commitment of resources to target and stimulate economic clusters around strategic industries that have sufficient critical mass to drive major economic expansion. Aerospace and Defense, Finance, IT/Software, Energy, Life Sciences, Agriculture, High Tech Manufacturing, and Outdoor Products and Recreation round out the key industries that drive the state. The Hachman Index, which measures the similarity and diversity of different regions and the nation as a whole, has found Utah to be the fourth most diverse economy in the country.

Working with GOED, a wide range of companies have expanded and relocated operations in the state this year. To mention a few: Goldman Sachs, ATK, Varian Medical Systems, Young Living, Jive Communications, Oracle, Vista Outdoor and others have...