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Utah urged to set up a world trade center

Salt Lake City. World trade center.

Several Utahns believe those two phrases fit quite nicely together and are asking developers for ideas about a building in downtown that would serve as an officially licensed World Trade Center, housing agencies and businesses to foster the state’s international trade.

By Brice Wallace
Deseret Morning News

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,595106404,00.html

"If we have a legitimate, licensed World Trade Center here, we’re going to be perceived around the world as a legitimate global player," said Jack Sunderlage, chairman of the Global Engagement Opportunities Council, a group of government, education and business leaders appointed by Gov. Olene Walker in September.

Sunderlage’s comments were made at a Thursday meeting of the state Board of Business and Economic Development.

The goal is a visible, centralized, downtown location — either a new or existing building — that would have a few core government and businesses tenants involved in global trade. That group would attract other tenants.

The site also would house various training and perhaps cultural activities.

The state’s Division of Facilities and Construction Management on Thursday released a "request for information" to gauge the interest of developers and others in the concept. If interest is strong, a request for specific proposals will follow.

Brian Farr, the council’s executive secretary, said many states and regions have global strategy councils, and some have an international business center with an "embassylike" setting.

The council wants any facility to obtain a World Trade Center Association license, which would allow it to access the WTCA network and use the name "Salt Lake City World Trade Center." That license would have a one-time $200,000 cost, plus a $10,000 annual price tag.

"After talking to a number of them who have gone this way, there is a real value of having that ‘World Trade Center’ logo on your building. . . . People like the prestige of having that sort of a location — just the name of the World Trade Center building," Sunderlage said.

The United States has 58 World Trade Centers, and there are 277 worldwide. Many offer a full complement of trade services, he said.

( For information about the Montana World Trade Center: http://www.mwtc.org/ )

"This is the model that we want to pursue. We think there’s a great opportunity here, as Brian mentioned. We think we have some unique assets in the state where we can make Utah a global player," Sunderlage said.

Utah companies are involved in $4.2 billion in annual exports, and the council knows of at least 2,500 companies doing business outside the United States. At the same time, many small companies want to trade globally, "but they’re just not sure how to start that process," he said.

Global companies often confront a variety of approaches with their international trading partners, too, he said.

"What you find out is that there is a lot of differences in terms of how you do business, and to the extent that we can educate companies on doing business internationally, we think it is a very valuable service," Sunderlage said.

Business board member Clifford White said he likes the idea of the Utah Division of Business and Economic Development, which contains the state International Business Development Office, being in any new center.

"I think Utah Economic Development, DBED, needs to be in a better place with higher visibility," White said.

Although Walker appointed the council, Sunderlage said Gov.-elect Jon Huntsman Jr. supports the Salt Lake City World Trade Center concept.

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