Business Facilities - May 2008 - (Page 10)

COVER STORY By Brian Donahue How Micron and Intel’s Joint Venture Became Utah’s Largest Business Investment U tah scored big in 1994 when it landed Micron Technology Inc.’s globally sought-after semiconductor fabrication plant. But, within a year’s time, the expected watershed of high-paying jobs and economic benefits would be derailed due to unforeseen market changes, leaving a giant facility sitting mostly empty in the small town of Lehi, UT for nearly a decade and a lot of dashed hopes. While Micron used the facility to some degree over the years after the market forced the company to pull back, the mammoth plant was never utilized to its full capabilities. “There was some concern that the building would ever be able to reach its full potential,” says Jamie Davidson, a Lehi resident at the time who now serves as the city M AY 2 0 0 8 by other locations were, at times, just staggering, because there’s an acknowledgement that having a semiconductor manufacturing facility is a huge economic stimulus. —Stan Lockhart, Government Affairs Manager, IM Flash “ The incentives offered ” administrator. “And for the residents and the community [there was concern because] a lot of the local economic market was predicated on the success of Micron.” So, in January 2006, when Micron and Intel announced they were joining forces to form IM Flash Technologies to produce NAND flash memory products for iPods, digital cameras, and other consumer products, Lehi and the state jumped at the opportunity to bring IM Flash to the city. IM Flash was born out of Intel’s desire to manufacture NAND, which had become the fastest-growing segment of the semiconductor market. Intel had the capital. Micron had the technology. The two combined would have the power to become a global player in the market, and they sought to establish a presence as quickly as possible, says Dave Baglee, co-chief executive officer at IM Flash with Rod Morgan. State officials in Utah wanted to spare no effort to win the project, so 10 PHOTO CREDITS: IM FLASH TECHNOLOGIES

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Business Facilities - May 2008 Contents First Word Snapshots The UK's Most Lucrative Locations, Pound for Pound Economic Development in a Flash Corporate Moves: Massachusetts Florida: A Ripe Climate for Innovation Innovating Big in Rhode IIsland Retail Set to Ride Out a Recession Corporate Moves: New Jersey South Carolina: A Sweet Spot in the Southeast Endless Opportunities in North Carolina Economic Awakening in the Mohawk Valley Metro Spotlight: Alexandria, LA Where Call Centers Call Home Texas Receives First Business Facilities State of the Year Award Advertiser Index Inside Livexchange

Business Facilities - May 2008

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