Utah’s Smart Sites Initiative Bringing About Fundamental Change in Rural Business Communities

"It says a lot when one of our programs excels in competition with population centers such as Albuquerque, Atlanta, Boston, Newark, New Orleans, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and San Diego." So said Jeff Gochnour, director of the Utah Division of Business and Economic Development, as he accepted the 2003 Excellence in Economic Development Award from the US Department of Commerce.

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Thanks to Chris Gibbons of littletongov.org for passing this along- Russ

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According to a press release announcing the award, "The Utah Smart Site Initiative develops family- sustaining employment opportunities in rural communities through the attraction, creation and expansion of businesses that use the Internet to provide information technology outsourcing services for clients anywhere in the world. Services include: software development and testing, technical call centers, database management, data entry and web site development."

The Utah Smart Sites Initiative recognizes that rural communities have many advantages over urban areas. They offer lower cost of living for employees, lower rents and cost of doing business, as well as a way of life and sense of community that is increasingly important to many people. At the same time, the Initiative provides opportunities for agricultural workers to transition to the knowledge-based economy. So far, companies participating in the Smart Sites Initiative have created over 700 new jobs.

What we find so innovative about the Initiative is that not only is it positioning the rural character of its communities as a competitive advantage, Smart Site companies actively pursue opportunities to collaborate with one another. These efforts allow them to leverage their strengths and pursue otherwise unattainable opportunities to strengthen their communities’ economies.

The next time you call the help desk or take an online course to bolster your technical skills you could be interacting with a Utah Smart Site company! To learn more, visit http://smartsites.utah.gov/