Utah Receives National Recognition As An Economic Powerhouse

Utah Receives National Recognition As An Economic Powerhouse
For third year in a row Utah is recognized as a leading pro-business State

Published: 29th June, 2009; Source: GOED; Author: Michael G. Sullivan

Salt Lake City – Utah has jumped from ninth most business friendly state in the country to second, just slightly behind Virginia. In one of the most widely recognized annual economic studies in the country, Utah was named, for the third year in a row as one of the “Top 10 Pro-Business States.” In the report released today, the “Pollina Corporate Top 10 Pro-Business States for 2009: Rebuilding America’s Economic Power” once again ranked each state in the annual study of job retention and creation by the 50 states and the federal government.

Dr. Ronald R. Pollina emphasized “the effort to make America more business-friendly must come from all levels of government. America must be an integral part of global business if it is to remain a superpower, but thus far we have done a terrible job of integrating ourselves in the 21st century marketplace,” says geo-economist and corporate relocation expert Dr. Pollina. “There are, however, states that serve as a model for the rest of the country.” The report goes on to recognize Utah as one of those states leading the way.

Jason Perry, executive director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and the newly named transition director for incoming Governor Gary Herbert noted, “Utah has worked tirelessly to be a business friendly state. Our productive workforce, favorable tax climate and overall business friendly environment has been successful in growing and recruiting some of America’s leading businesses. This report recognizes that success and our ongoing commitment to keep the Utah economic engine humming.”

The Pollina Corporate Top Ten Pro-Business States for 2009 are:

1. Virginia
2. Utah
3. North Carolina
4. Wyoming
5. South Carolina
6. South Dakota
7. Kansas
8. Georgia
9. Florida and
10. Nebraska

The study evaluates and ranks states based on 33 factors including taxes, human resources, right-to-work legislation, energy costs, infrastructure spending, workers compensation laws, economic incentive programs and state economic development efforts.