Transportation is a key challenge Utah County businesses will face as the county continues to grow, Cook said. Utah County's current population of 437,000 could double in 25 years, but the funding to increase highway capacity is not keeping pace, he said. Most of the growth — up to 70 percent — is coming from Utah County's own birth rate, he said.

Traffic on I-15 in Utah County grew as much in the 1990s as it did the 30 years previous, Cook added. It is estimated it will cost $4.1 billion to meet critical highway needs in Utah County over the next 10 years, with $2.8 billion of that presently unfunded.

"A lot of our business goes north," said Dave Wride, plant supervisor at Longview Fiber.

That issue makes transportation a big concern for him. Realtor Brenda Evans has similar concerns.

"I'm on the road constantly," she said.

Both came to the conference to learn and network with other businesses.

"This is a great opportunity for people of all businesses to come together," Evans said, echoing Cannon's suggestion.

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E-mail: rodger@desnews.com