Women's firms booming in Utah

Sharon Moore thought one day that it would be fun to learn to weld. She was looking for a hobby and decided to make some metal art.

She showed up at a community college, one of two women in a beginning welding class. The instructor told her to throw on some coveralls. The rest, as they say . . .

"I had to borrow some men's coveralls, and they were large and scratchy," Moore said. "It got me thinking."

Moore discovered that no one was making coveralls for women, but there were women who would wear them if they were available. About 18 months ago, she founded Rosie's Coveralls for Women. The company specializes in cotton-denim coveralls designed and scaled for women. This year, the business broke through the profitability barrier, and Moore said she hopes to do $200,000 in sales.

On Wednesday, Moore joined other women business owners and Utah Gov. Olene Walker to celebrate the announcement from the Center for Women's Business Research that Utah ranked first in the nation in the growth of women-owned businesses — defined in this report as privately held companies with women holding a 50 percent or greater ownership percentage.

"It's a great symbol about our state," Walker said. "That we are business friendly, that we have an atmosphere where businesses can succeed. . . . Opportunities are open to everyone in this state. Often it's challenging, and often it is risky to start a business. But these women have said, 'I can do it.' "

Utah ranked first in overall growth, followed by Arizona, Nevada, Idaho and New Mexico and Kentucky (tied for fifth). Between 1997 and 2004, the center reported that the number of women-owned businesses in Utah grew 34.7 percent, compared with a national average of 17.4 percent. Employment by women-owned firms increased 70.2 percent during that period. Nationally, the average was 24.2 percent. Sales by women-owned firms increased 72.2 percent.

The center used data from the U.S. Census Bureau to determine its rankings.

There are about 102,194 women-owned firms in Utah, or 50.1 percent of all privately held firms in the state. That places Utah 33rd among the 50 states and the District of Columbia in the number of women-owned firms. The state ranked 31st in employment and 33rd in sales.

Jan Hemming, president of the Salt Lake chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners, said six factors have contributed to the explosive growth of women-owned businesses in Utah:

• Location. Hemming noted that all five of the top finishers were Western states. "Utah is located in the hottest region for growth in the country," she said.