Utah small businesses to get boost

SALT LAKE CITY — Since there are more than 100,000 Utahns without jobs, and since small businesses employ most of the workers in the state, several business and government organizations have gotten together to create a new resource for entrepreneurs.

Representatives from business and government on Monday announced the new Utah Small Business Coalition, which offers resources and expert advice for small-business owners.

"We have to do what we can to help small businesses and entrepreneurs," said Natalie Gochnour, chief economist for the Salt Lake Chamber.

She noted that there are 68,000 small businesses (with fewer than 500 employees) in Utah, meaning more than 90 percent of the companies in Utah are considered small businesses.

These employ 60 percent of the state's 1.2 million workers and, both nationally and statewide, have been the driving force behind the creation of new jobs.

The coalition's new website, utahsmallbiz.com, will provide assistance for both startup and growing businesses and will include a question-and-answer section called "Ask An Expert" that will display a "community chest" of information for others to use, Gochnour said.

The coalition also plans to identify new resources when they emerge, avoid duplication and "celebrate the successes" of small businesses.

Spencer P. Eccles, executive director of the Governor's Office of Economic Development, said the Utah Small Business Coalition will add one more useful aspect to the arsenal of economic development tools available to people in the state.

"We recognize the significance of any one person who is out of work, and we know our job isn't finished until we help them," he said. "So, what is the role of government? To prime the pump."

Among the types of assistance now available are such things as the state's Business Resource Centers, which offer one-stop shopping for business owners.

Eccles said Gov. Gary Herbert has identified the three E's he wanted to focus on: the economy, education and energy. And Eccles said Herbert is putting his support behind efforts to help startup and existing Utah enterprises.

Scott Pynes, the owner of Cactus & Tropicals, said that as a small-business owner, he can speak for others when he said that they do not want special favors, but they do want a level playing field.

"We're really not afraid to compete," he said.

When another company he owned years ago was up against a huge firm for a big contract on the East Coast, he learned that his company got the job because the people making the presentation for the huge firm were "speaking like employees," while he spoke as a business owner.

Small-business owners have "an emotional attachment" to their product or service, and that can make a huge difference, he said.

"We hope, at all levels, that people recognize the majority of taxpayers are employed by businesses like ours," Pynes said.

e-mail: lindat@desnews.com