We agree with John Florez's Jan. 23 column in one respect: Simply gathering data without doing anything with it would be a waste of time, energy and money. However, how does the state, or any other organization for that matter, properly address any issue or measure any progress without proper baseline data?

Florez mentions in his opinion piece that government bureaucracies have collected data on ethnic minorities for years. This is not the case in Utah. In fact, in most cases there has even been a resistance to do so. Although there is some national sampling and an abundance of anecdotal information, there is a lack of Utah-specific data regarding ethnic minorities.

The Hispanic/Latino Legislative Task Force unanimously supports HB236 sponsored by Rep. Mark Wheatley, D-Murray, and Sen. Curtis Bramble, R-Provo. This bill would simply direct the Utah Department of Commerce to allow individuals applying to incorporate their business the option, if they so choose, to designate if they are a woman or minority-owned business based on federal standards.

Utah's ethnic minority population has increased more than 150 percent over the past 15 years. Ethnic minorities amount to approximately 500,000 of the state's population, yet there is no reliable information as to the number of businesses they own or the location of such businesses. Similarly, women make up half of Utah's population, yet an estimate of the number of women-owned businesses in the state is conducted only every 10 years, without documenting the type of businesses or their locations.

Utah is currently being praised for outpacing the nation in job-growth rates. All economic indicators show that Utah's economy is strong and will continue to be strong in the coming years. New businesses continue to add to our economy. However, Utah currently does not have a means to account for the number of its minority-owned and women-owned businesses. Thus, we do not have any current data on two of the fastest-growing sectors of Utah's business population.

Florez states that we need more action instead of more surveys, studies or numbers. In certain arenas, that may be true. However, when it comes to the crucial issue of tracking the number of women and minority-owned businesses in Utah, his conclusion is unsubstantiated.

There has been much action and growth in these sectors without a mechanism to measure them. Ultimately, to harness and nurture this burgeoning demographic, we need to better understand how much they have grown and in what areas. The growth in the minority business sector is evidenced by a number of minority business organizations operating in Utah, including the Utah Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Utah Latin American Chamber of Commerce, the Ogden Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Asian Chamber of Commerce. Two more ethnic chambers are in the process of being formed: the Black and Pacific Islander Chambers of Commerce. In addition, the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce has a Multi-Ethnic Business Committee, and the Pete Suazo Business Center is in its fourth year serving the growing needs of the minority business population.