OREM — Rep. Stephen Clark, R-Provo, has been hired as director of the Small Business Development Center, a program run in part by Utah Valley State College.

UVSC President William Sederburg noted Clark's prominence in a prepared statement announcing the hiring of Clark and Ken Fakler, former owner and manager of Fakler Tire Service, as manager of business development at the center.

"As UVSC gears up to become a regional state university, we need to play a more prominent role in economic development in our area," Sederburg said in a prepared statement. "These two men, with their business experience and their contacts throughout the region and the state, will give us a major presence in the business community."

Clark said he is aware UVSC wants to become a university.

Before UVSC could become a university, however, Utah lawmakers would have to approve a change in its name and mission.

Clark is seeking re-election in November for District 63 in Provo. His wife, Cindy, is a member of the Provo City Council.

Clark said that he approached UVSC for the job.

He will declare the potential conflict of interest to the legislature as legally required, he said.

He is not a member of any legislative education committees.

He is chairman of the House Business and Labor Committee, but said his relationships at the Small Business Development Center and the legislature are not conflicts but beneficial.

Clark declined to reveal his salary to the Deseret Morning News. The college told the newspaper the salary ranges between $50,000 and $55,000, but a college spokeswoman did not have the exact amount.

UVSC runs the center on behalf of Salt Lake Community College, which administers the Small Business Development Centers throughout the state, said Greg Panichello, state director of the statewide program for small business centers.

The program is funded through federal and state governments. The center at UVSC helps small-business owners in Utah and Wasatch counties, Panichello said.

Clark, 62, for about 30 years owned Clark Mechanical Contractors Inc. and installed plumbing, air conditioning and heating in large buildings.

He sold he his shares of the company to his sons and decided to leave "because my sons are taking over and they don't need me looking over their shoulder," he said.

In the upcoming year, he anticipates 3,000 people will visit the Small Business Development Center, located off-campus at 500 W. 1200 South, in a building owned by UVSC.

The center helps people start small businesses. Current small-business owners can receive advice about operations and financing from the center, he said.

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E-mail: lhancock@desnews.com