Utah No. 2 on top 10 pro-business states

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah ranks second on the list of Pollina Corporate Top 10 Pro-Business States for 2010, marking the second year in a row the Beehive State has achieved that ranking.

The ranking, which is informally referred to as the "Gold Standard," is devised to recognize states "that serve as a model for the rest of the country in job retention and creation."

The ranking was made public the same day Gov. Gary Herbert announced that Adobe Systems, which is working with the Governor's Office of Economic Development, will be growing its Utah operations and adding 1,000 new jobs in the future. Adobe also plans to keep its Omniture Business Unit in Utah, which means that 620 jobs currently here will remain.

Utah's economic health and its pro-business and tax structure are among its best "selling points," according to the Pollina ranking. The state has undergone an economic development "renaissance" in the past few years, according to Brent Pollina, vice president of Pollina Corporate Real Estate Inc.

— Linda Thomson