Three decades of change.

• Author: Stewart, Heather Dawn
• Position: From the Editor

Welcome to 2016! This year marks a new milestone for Utah Business--it is our 30th anniversary. Over the past three decades, Utah Business has gone through nearly as many changes as the state's business community. In fact, this will be an exciting year for us, as we'll be launching a brand new website, complete with webcasts and other digital offerings. Keep an eye on utahbusiness.com and let us know what you think!

Utah Business magazine was founded in 1986--a time that is not so long ago, but is light years away in terms of economic development in the Beehive State. In 1986, the idea of hosting the Winter Olympic Games was just a glimmer in the eye of Utah business leaders. It was four years before Larry H. Miller began construction on an arena for the Utah Jazz. The magazine launched in an era that pre-dates TRAX and the then-controversial Jordanelle Reservoir.

Flip back through the pages of time, and some familiar names pop out--like WordPerfect, ZCMI and Geneva Steel, an industrial edifice that immediately calls to my mind an image of my grandfather in his well-worn blue Geneva Steel coveralls, which he wore both at work and for any task around the yard. Geneva Steel highlights the roller-coaster nature of economic development in Utah; it ended in bankruptcy, leaving a legacy of environmental damage. But now, decades later, the Geneva Steel site is the heart of new construction and development in a burgeoning community.

The...