Governor sets work-force goal

Economy to thrive with a few changes, he says

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. outlined plans Thursday to keep Utah's economy humming, including the development of a research park along the border of Hill Air Force Base.

Speaking to a crowd of about 800 at the Governor's Utah Economic Summit at the Grand America Hotel, Huntsman said the Falcon Hill Aerospace Research Park could be a center for companies specializing in advanced materials, composites and propulsion systems.

He envisions such a research park as an economic engine akin to the University of Utah Research Park, which has 4,700 employees at 42 companies and has launched 17 firms from its technology during the past year alone.

Another priority will be improving the way the state provides work-force development and technical training. "We're not doing a good job in this particular area," Huntsman said. "We will look at that, and we're going to get it right."

The move would maximize the capabilities of the advanced technical colleges to produce employees that Utah companies need, he said.

The governor also stressed the need to improve education for Utah youngsters, especially for children in kindergarten through third grade, and improving opportunities for Utahns to attend college.

Another key is continuing a move toward health-system reform. The current system is "economically unsustainable," he said. "Health-care costs are killing small businesses in our state."

Acknowledging "a lot of uncertainty out there" regarding the national economy, Huntsman urged Utahns to stand firm against all the negativity.

"As participants in this great (state) economy, we must not let the negativity of what we're hearing about throughout the nation become a self-fulfilling prophecy," Huntsman said.

"Our state is resilient and it is strong, and I believe that we are going to remain as such. Yes, we're cruising along at 35,000 feet and we're experiencing the wind shear generally tied to the nation's economy, but we're doing OK."

The governor described Utah as "the most successful business state in America" and said Utah's demographics, government fiscal position and economic statistics indicate "extraordinary times" for the state. He noted that several major companies have decided to place operations in Utah — moves that will create hundreds of jobs.

"Our goal has and always will be to have the premier economy in the United States, plain and simple," Huntsman said. "That is our goal, and we will not rest until we can prove that point, year after year after year."

Reinforcing Utah's economy are a revamped tax structure that results in a better business environment, an improved Utah Fund of Funds program that has created more than 1,000 jobs, the recruitment of strong companies into Utah, improved global opportunities for Utah companies, and a focus on incentives to existing businesses growing in rural parts of the state, he said.

Rural Utah projects are accounting for 60 percent of the state's overall economic development, he said.

"For the first time in our state's history, we're finally listening to what people are saying out there," Huntsman said. "We are providing incentives to local businesses that want to expand and grow like any other business. And in the past, there's always been showing some sort of deference to those coming in from the outside."

That policy has changed, he said: "We are excited, and we will continue to take care of our own."

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E-mail: bwallace@desnews.com

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