Feature Story
EDCUtah Extends Fond Farewell to Special Advisor Dr. Kelly Matthews; Welcomes Dr. Arthur Nelson

It's no fluke that Utah had one of the best economies in the nation, prior to the recession, or that it will yet reclaim that status in the near future, says Dr. Kelly K. Matthews, who will retire this month from his roles as senior economist and executive vice president for Wells Fargo Bank, and also from his role as special advisor to EDCUtah.

Matthews, who received his bachelor's and master's degrees from BYU and his Ph.D. from the University of Colorado, has been analyzing and prognosticating about the national and local economies for the past 36 years. He attributes much of Utah's solid economic status to a fiscally responsible government under the leadership of former Governor Jon Huntsman and now Governor Gary Herbert. "Utah is well-positioned to once again be one of the nation's best state economies," he says.

Over his career, Matthews has traveled widely and conducted a rigorous speaking schedule that has taken him throughout Utah and across the nation. He estimates that he has given 7,600 talks on the economy to civic, education and business groups, and his monthly press briefings about the Wasatch Front consumer price index have become a staple of the Utah business diet.

For the past five years, EDCUtah has been fortunate to draw upon Matthews' knowledge and experience as he has served on the organization's executive committee and board of directors.

"Dr. Matthews has been a wonderful resource and we are deeply grateful for his service to EDCUtah and to the state," says EDCUtah president & CEO Jeff Edwards. "His reports and insights have been extremely important to us as we have strategized and formulated our economic development efforts."

For Matthews' part, he looks back fondly on the years in which he has served as EDCUtah's special advisor. "I enjoyed pulling economic data together and offering my opinion. EDCUtah is the spearhead of economic development in the state and an important component in helping companies to grow here or come to Utah," he says. "Thanks to EDCUtah, everyone involved in economic development in Utah is on the same page, from state government to county and city leaders; everyone is working together, telling the same impressive story."

A native of Bear Lake, Idaho, Matthews began his career as an economist for Eastman Kodak in New York. After receiving his Ph.D. he landed at First Security Bank and stayed on when it was sold to Wells Fargo. Despite his retirement, he says he will remain actively engaged in what he still loves -- the economy and its many facets. He's greatly concerned about potential budget cuts to higher education during the next legislative session.

"Utah's budget situation will require a huge debate and ultimate cuts by the legislature, but I worry that a significant cut to education, specifically higher education, will have a detrimental and long lasting impact on our future growth potential," he says.

EDCUtah Welcomes Dr. Arthur C. Nelson
After spending the past 25 years in the South, Dr. Arthur C. Nelson is pleased to be in Utah and EDCUtah is pleased to welcome him as its new special advisor, to replace Dr. Matthews.

"Dr. Nelson is a national authority on economic development and we are thrilled to have him join our executive committee and board of directors," says Edwards. "He will be a significant resource and we hope to draw upon his knowledge and expertise."

Of this new opportunity Nelson says: "EDCUtah is a topflight organization, one of the best in the country, and I am pleased to be a part of it. Utah is impressive because everyone is on the same page, with one strong message. That makes the state more competitive and changes the whole dynamic for businesses look to relocate."

Nelson has published in all the leading economic development journals, keynoted major national and international economic development conferences, and advised governors of several states on economic development strategies. What's more, he is an international authority on projecting land use and facility needs for comprehensive planning purposes. His work has shaped the planning policies of several states, and his projection method is used widely.

Nelson came to the University of Utah in July 2008, after academic stops at Kansas State, the University of New Orleans, Georgia Tech, and Virginia Tech. Prior to academia, he managed his own West Coast consultancy in planning and management, and continues to provide professional planning services. In 2000, his professional planning, education, and research accomplishments were recognized with his election to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Certified Planners. In 2000-01, he served HUD as an expert on smart growth and growth management for the Clinton and Bush administrations. In this capacity, he helped expand HUD's university scholarship programs and create HUD's doctoral fellowship program.

At the U. he is a presidential professor in the Department of City & Metropolitan Planning, director of the Metropolitan Research Center, and director of the university's new real estate master's program. In addition, he teaches public finance, real estate finance, and growth management and development policy.

For the past 30 years, Nelson has conducted pioneering research in growth management, urban containment, public facility finance, economic development, and metropolitan development patterns. He has written more than 20 books and more than 300 other works. Numerous organizations have sponsored his research, including the National Science Foundation; National Academy of Sciences; U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Commerce, and Transportation; Environmental Protection Agency; Lincoln Institute of Land Policy; Fannie Mae; American Planning Association; National Association of Realtors; Urban Land Institute; and The Brookings Institution.

Like Dr. Matthews, Dr. Nelson travels widely to speaking engagements in Utah and around the nation. He has given approximately 20 speeches in Utah since his arrival, will provide the keynote address at an event in Plano, Texas this week, and will also speak before the Virginia Legislature. Last October in Atlanta, Georgia, he keynoted the annual conference of the International Economic Development Council -- the world's largest economic development organization.

A native of Portland, Oregon, Nelson received his Ph.D. in regional economics from Portland State University.