THERE'S A CERTAIN PERCEPTION ABOUT UTAH.

• Author: Griffin, Elle

As a transplant here, I am so aware of it. I almost didn't move here because of it. But eventually, my husband and I decided to give Utah the benefit of the doubt. To see if the perception we had of Utah was really true.

We moved here for a one-year trial, keeping our house in California should we wish to return to it. But, by the end of that first year, we had fallen in love. We had discovered "our place." We sold our California home and never looked back.

But that doesn't mean there aren't things we want to change about our state. Talking with Michael Beedie; James Jackson, III; Emma Houston; Cameron Williams; and Bruce Hancey-who all took part in this month's cover story-I learned that I'm not alone. That there are many who absolutely love living here and who want to make it better here.

And there are so many people who are doing just that. Who are taking matters into their own hands by starting grassroots movements to cultivate our state into the Utahopia we know it can be. The African American Chamber of Commerce, for one, is working to attract diversity to our state, and to create communities those diverse populations can join when they arrive.

Zion's Bank, eBay, Domo, and L3 are among the many Utah companies committed to changing the way organizations hire and compensate diverse talent...