Business Web site revised

State officials have reworked a business-related government Web site and believe its new features will save businesspeople from a lot of hassle, especially with registration.

The new business portal www.business.utah.gov replaces the "Doing Business in Utah" section on Utah.gov and is designed to aid business owners rather than the general public.

A new feature, the OneStop Business Registration, streamlines the registration process by allowing simultaneous registrations at the federal, state and local levels.

"You can register your business online 24/7," Tracie Cayford, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Community and Economic Development, told the Board of Business and Economic Development recently. "And while other states have similar applications, Utah's is the best."

The OneStop service can cut the registration time to as little as 30 minutes. "That will, hopefully, save business owners a lot of time," Cayford said.

OneStop allows an owner to register a Utah business with the Internal Revenue Service, the State Tax Commission, the Utah Labor Commission, the Utah Department of Commerce, the Utah Department of Workforce Services, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Salt Lake City, Sandy and Provo without going to each agency or community separately.

It is believed to be the most comprehensive online business registration service in the country.

The redesigned site also is supposed to have more intuitive navigation, with content accessible from one place.

Among its features are news content from various government sources and partners; more than 300 links to business information, including those to access federal, state and local government information; and major sections on starting, running, relocating and closing a business.

"It's the whole life cycle of a business," Cayford said.

Work on the redesign started in January, and the site should be updated in the future. Cayford said possible additions to come include an opt-in subscription service, a Utah business directory, a business calendar and online chat capability for partners.

"It's just another step in our efforts to bring government services to people online," she said.

Among those contributing to the redesign were Utah Interactive, the portal developer and a managing partner; the Department of Community and Economic Development, also a managing partner; the Department of Workforce Services; the Department of Commerce; the State Tax Commission; the Utah chief information officer's office; the Utah Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration; and Small Business Development Centers.

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