DUDES, where's my business?

FARMINGTON — Davis County has created a new coalition to spur economic development while helping cities court businesses.

The Davis Unified Development and Economic Strategy (DUDES) coalition is designed to bring economic development players to the same table to create marketing information, identify sites in Davis County that are ripe for development and train cities how to work with developers or businesses and provide incentives for them.

Marlin Eldred, an economic development specialist with Davis County Community and Economic Development, said he has visited nearly every city in Davis County with his boss, department director Kent Sulser, and has begun lining up an economic development point of contact to join DUDES.

Currently, six sites have been identified in Davis County where businesses could move if they wanted to set up shop. The sites are located in Layton, Clearfield and Centerville.

But Eldred said his goal is to identify 60 locations in the next six months.

That's doable, Eldred said, because each of the 15 cities could easily come up with at least three sites.

A list of 60 locations means that site selectors for businesses have to consider Davis County as a player, Sulser said.

County commissioners have long espoused economic development for the traditional bedroom community. Economic development and higher paying jobs mean more people can stay in the county for work, meaning more money is spent locally. A more robust economy brings lower taxes and a higher quality of life, they say.

Over the past 18 months, commissioners have met with the Davis Economic Advisory Council, which has seven goals for development in the county, including business retention and expansion, business recruitment, business creation and business park development.

E-MAIL: jdougherty@desnews.com