Pro-business report ranks Utah 2nd

Utah is ranked second in the country, just behind Virginia, in the "Pollina Corporate Top 10 Pro-Business States for 2009: Rebuilding American's Economic Power" report, released this week.

Utah was ranked ninth last year and was in the top 10 the year before that. States are ranked based on job retention and creation.

"From a policy standpoint, clearly Utah is making the statement that it has set up a very pro-business operating environment, and economic development efforts and incentives are going to be their tool for attracting business and investment," said Brent Pollina, vice president of Pollina Corporate Real Estate and author of the study, in a prepared statement. "Utah is also the most pro-business state with close proximity to West Coast markets, lending strong weight for distribution and other industries that rely on being a day's drive from California."

— Brice Wallace