Incentives offered to lure firm to Utah

Published: Friday, July 15, 2005 8:03 p.m. MDT
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Utah soon could land the headquarters of a 7,000-employee sporting goods company.

The Governor's Office of Economic Development Board on Friday approved a tax-rebate incentive to lure the headquarters to Utah, which would result in the creation of about 100 jobs in the state.

The board and other officials did not disclose the name of the company Friday, but they did reveal bits of information about it. Details revealed during and after the meeting and in a press release issued later indicate that the company — which manufactures, markets, sells and distributes sports equipment — is based in the eastern United States and is being acquired by another public company.

The combined entity would have more than 7,000 employees and sales of about $2 billion annually. It currently has no operations in Utah and has not indicated yet where in Utah it would place the headquarters.

Utah is competing with Colorado as the site for the new headquarters.

The board approved an overall tax rebate of 30 percent of the incremental taxes created over a 10-year period.

"It's a significant company, well-recognized and well-known, and this is a real opportunity for the state of Utah. It truly is," board member Jerry Oldroyd said during the meeting.

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"It's very impressive," board member Richard Nelson said. "It would be great to have a headquarters company."

"It's a great company," board member Mark Howell added. "It would really be a boon to the state, so we're really excited about this one."

The other tax-rebate incentive approved Friday again was for an undisclosed company to expand in Salt Lake County. The company, serving the medical equipment market around the world, has operations in Salt Lake and Nevada and wants to create a 50,000-square-foot space for manufacturing.

The board approved a tax-rebate incentive of up to $2.5 million that the company would receive if it created 100 to 250 new full-time jobs in Utah paying 125 percent of the Salt Lake County median. It would need to commit to keeping the jobs in Utah for at least 10 years to receive the funds, which amount to up to $1 million.

"We are matching competitive bids by other states," said Martin Frey, managing director of GOED.

"This also is a great company," Howell said. "It would be great to get these additional jobs in the state."

Oldroyd complimented the Economic Development Corp. of Utah for its work on the latter project. Jeff Edwards, EDCU's chief executive officer, said both companies receiving incentive approvals Friday likely will make decisions about their moves during the next 60 days.

Friday's board meeting was the first for the group under the new name of the Governor's Office of Economic Development Board. Formerly it was the state Board of Business and Economic Development.


E-mail: bwallace@desnews.com

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