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FEATURE

Rotary International Convention Provides City and State with International Exposure

In terms of national and international exposure, the 98th Annual Rotary International Convention, held in Salt Lake City this week, is the largest international gathering the city has hosted since the 2002 Olympics. With more than 17,000 attendees and approximately 200 countries represented, the convention has been billed as a “mini United Nations,” but in economic development circles, it’s more like a “reverse trade mission.”

Call it what you want, the exposure is going to be exceptional, says Shawn Stinson, Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau spokesman. “We’ve got business, civic, educational, and economic leaders from around the world here and they’ll experience a lot of what Salt Lake City, the state, and the region has to offer—many of these visitors, international and domestic, are tying their vacations in with the convention and extending their stays. They’ll be vacationing locally, visiting national parks, and seeing what the region has to offer,” according to Stinson.

Rotarians tend to be high net worth individuals, so they typically eat in their hotel restaurants or other upscale venues, extend their stays and spend time sightseeing, so the economic impact is expected to be substantial—more than $15 million to the local and state economy, according to some estimates. “Many attendees bring their families and vacation before, during, and after the convention,” says Eugene Banks, chairman of the host organization committee and Rotary district governor.

To give the Rotarians and their families a flavor for Utah’s key industries and help them think of Utah for years to come, EDCUtah, the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED), and World Trade Center Utah created a 20-foot by 20-foot booth called the “Utah Industry Pavilion,” which was situated in the Convention Center to showcase 13 different Utah industries. “It featured everything from aerospace and composites to life sciences,” says Kim Lofgreen, vice president of marketing and communications for EDCUtah. “We wanted to showcase Utah and the sophistication of its industries to the conventioneers.”

The Rotary International Convention is highly sought after and a real boon to the state. (The last time Salt Lake City hosted the convention was in 1919.) Still, it came at a difficult time for the capitol city, with the central business district torn up and under reconstruction. Salt Lake City was not scheduled to host the international convention until 2011, however, with New Orleans (the original host city) torn up and still recovering from Hurricane Katrina, Salt Lake City was asked to take the 2007 convention. “We really didn’t want to do it in 2007,” says Banks. “We knew the city would be torn up and look ugly, and we didn’t want it to be shown in construction mode, that’s why we sought and won the 2011 convention.”

Banks says he preferred to wait until 2011, but when asked by Rotary International on November 8, 2005, to make the switch with New Orleans, he agreed to do the convention—“and it was great! There wasn’t anything we could do about the construction, so we focused on the positive.” To that end, this convention featured seven different venues in which attendees could participate, each providing exposure to some of Utah‘s unique attractions.

Rotary International bylaws suggest only two venues, but Banks says this convention hosted seven because of the limitations caused by construction. Hosting seven venues was a little tricky, since 40 percent of all the participant tickets are typically sold on location rather than in advance, but it gave the Rotarians more options and, like the Olympic Winter Games, will help create relationships that will last for many years.

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IN THE NEWS

Economic Development Headlines

Nation's largest home furniture maker to open two Utah stores

- Ashley Furniture Industries Inc., an Arcadia, Wis.-based designer, manufacturer and retailer of furniture, will enter the Utah market later this year with stores in Salt Lake City and Layton. (SL Enterprise)

Barrett Business Services Enters Utah Market Through Acquisition

- Barrett Business Services Inc., a Vancouver, Wash.-based staffing agency, has entered the Utah market through its acquisition of Strategic Staffing, a five-office Utah staffing company that has been headquartered in South Salt Lake. (SL Enterprise)

Proposed Utah Health Insurance Exchange Could Help Workers, Employers Access Health Care

- The Governor's Office of Economic Development has begun developing the Utah Health Insurance Exchange to help employers, employees and individuals more easily and cheaply access the health care they need.
(SL Enterprise)

Mexican restaurant chain to make franchise debut in Utah

- Chihua (pronounced chee-wah) Tacos y Cortes, a Mexican restaurant chain from the northern Mexican city of Chihuahua open its first U.S. restaurant in West Jordan. (SL Enterprise)

Ogden Can Keep Grant Funding

- Ogden City does not have to repay a $900,000 grant it got from the state four years ago to buy a historic complex for conversion into a high-tech center. (SL Tribune)

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The EDCUTAH Economic Review is a weekly publication of the Economic Development Corporation of Utah. It is distributed to EDCUTAH partners and selected other government and civic organizations interested in Utah's economic development. If you prefer not to receive this newsletter, please use the link below. Subscribe or Unsubscribe Your comments and suggestions regarding this newsletter are always welcome. Click here: Comments

Economic Development Headlines...continued

Ogden’s New Chapter

- Like the railroad in its heyday, a new economic engine downtown may prove to be Ogden's gravy train. All aboard The Junction, an ambitious development that will debut with the opening of the $18 million Megaplex 13 cinema Friday and $19.5 million high-adventure Salomon Center on Saturday. Standard Examiner) (SL Tribune)

Steve & Barry's discount apparel retailer coming to Utah

- Steve & Barry's LLC, a Port Washington, N.Y.-based operator of nearly 200 retail stores offering heavily discounted casual apparel for men, women and children, will enter the Utah market in August with an approximately 42,000 square foot store in Murray. (SL Enterprise)

Wal-Mart, Cedar Hills are Still Talking

-  Wal-Mart wants Cedar Hills residents to know that the company has not dropped plans to build a store in their city.  (Daily Herald here and here)

Development for North Salt Lake Now On Track

- The North Salt Lake City Council this week approved a development agreement with a Salt Lake-area developer to transform a gravel pit on the hillside east of I-15 into a mixed-use development. (Morning News)
(SL Tribune)

Layton Revisits Retail Renovation Plans

- The City Council here on Thursday tabled adoption of a plan for redeveloping downtown on both sides of Interstate 15 into walkable neighborhoods of small shops, condominiums and offices. (SL Tribune)

Towering Plans Are In Works for Provo

- Superman will have to jump higher to leap tall downtown Provo buildings in a single bound. And he'll have to leap more often. (Morning News) (SL Tribune) (Daily Herald) (SL Enterprise)

Tai Pan Trading to open in St. George, expand SLC distribution center

- Sandy-based Tai Pan Trading International, has broken ground for a store in St. George and will move its distribution center and corporate headquarters to a larger facility in Salt Lake City this month. (SL Enterprise)

Conditions Improve for Small Businesses

- Economic conditions improved for Utah's small-business sector last month, and the future remains bright for the state as whole, according to a new report. The Zions Bank Small Business Index for Utah was 105.4 in May, up from a revised 104.7 in April. (Morning News)

Rotary Convention Short of Attendance Goals, But Still Slated to Succeed

- Last year, organizers of the Rotary International Convention tapped more than 150-thousand public dollars to tout Utah as this year's event destination. (KCPW) (Morning News) (SL Tribune)

SL County Officials OK Stadium Funding Agreement

- The Salt Lake County Council and Mayor held their noses and signed an agreement guaranteeing ReAL Salt Lake it's 35-million tax dollars for a stadium in Sandy. Mayor Peter Corroon tried to make clear his signature only approves collecting the hotel tax, and is NOT an endorsement of the stadium funding deal.
(KCPW)

Construction in Davis is Booming All Over

- Boom! Boom! Boom! No, it’s not the 4th of July. All that noise echoing through the county isn’t coming from fireworks. It’s the sound of Davis County’s construction boom. (Clipper Today) 

80-Acre ‘Buffer’ Zone May Start New Research Park

- The word is a business may be interested in buying 80 acres of land near the waste-to-energy facility, here. It’s been used as a buffer by Wasatch Integrated Waste Management District.
(Clipper Today) (Standard Examiner)

Big box or Not? Layton Council Debates Issue

- The county’s largest city is home to many big box stores. But city planners and city officials have so far said they hope a big box will not dominate a new development due for the old Fort Lane Shopping Center area. (Clipper Today)

People Still Hate Real Deal

- With funding arrangements for the new Real Salt Lake stadium still going through public processes, it's important to keep reminding officials that a strong majority of Salt Lake County residents don't agree with using taxes for such a thing. (Morning News)

S.L. County Seeks to Save Money on Real Bonds

- Salt Lake County leaders have already said "no" to at least two funding deals for a Real soccer stadium, and now that the state is forcing them to be involved, they say they want to save taxpayers as much money as possible. (Morning News)  (KCPW)

S.L. County Votes to Retain Hotel Tax for Next 20 Years

- Salt Lake County will keep its hotel taxes flowing - even though the state plans to skim about $35 million off the top to help pay for Real Salt Lake's soccer stadium in Sandy. (SL Tribune)

Utah’s Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award Winners Announced

- Ernst & Young honored the winners of the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2007 for the Utah region Thursday. (Utah Business Magazine)

Another Record Season for Utah's 13 Ski Resorts

- Despite what some would call a lean snow year, Utah's 13 ski resorts continued to put up record numbers. (Morning News) (SL Tribune)

Mount Holly Restraining Order Axed

- Lawyers representing the developers of a proposed private club high in the Tushar Mountains east of here were a happy bunch when court recessed for the day on Wednesday. (SL Tribune)

Spanish Fork Still Waiting for Details on North Park

- Since Spanish Fork approved a massive commercial development at North Park, residents have been eager for details. (Daily Herald)

Construction Remains Driving Force of Utah Economy

- Utah's employment situation stands to benefit from a slowing economy in Nevada and Arizona. Construction remains one of Utah's strongest growing industries and experts believe it's likely workers from neighboring states will turn to Utah for employment. (KCPW)

Utah Job Growth Stays Strong

- Utah's job machine kept humming along in May, and a state economist says that "cruise control situation" is likely to continue for the rest of the year. (Morning News here and here) (SL Tribune) (Standard Examiner)

Guvs See Money in Saving Planet

- While many Americans see global warming and the country's dependence on oil as impending disasters, there are those who view finding solutions to these complex problems a colossal money-making opportunity. (SL Tribune)

Manufacturing Sector Gaining Jobs in Utah

- All systems are a go for the manufacturing sector in Utah. In contrast to the rest of the nation, Utah’s manufacturing industry is adding more jobs, according to the monthly employment report released by the Department of Workforce Services Tuesday.
(Utah Business Magazine)