Business Facilities - September 2008 - (Page 11)

16 important state policy variables. Here are some of the reasons for these high marks. “We are one of today’s emerging economies [due to] our amazing workforce,” explains Jason Perry, executive director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. “We have the youngest workforce, with an average age of 28. They also are the most well-educated workforce, and are mostly bilingual with a one of the highest percentages of bilingual capability in the U.S. We have a pilot program going on right now in the grade schools and high schools with more kids learning to speak Chinese than any other state. We’ve also had one of the lowest unemployment rates in the U.S. for the past year and a half, with lots of new talent moving here every day.” This skilled workforce is one of the reasons Procter & Gamble says it chose Box Elder County, just outside of Salt Lake City, for it’s first new U.S. facility in 30 years. The company broke ground early this year on a $540-million project that will provide a projected 1,000 jobs. “We are very excited about the beginning of this long-term relationship with the state of Utah and Box Elder County,” Matthew Donthneir, Salt Lake City, UT skyline human resources manager for the new site, said in announcing the project. “We anticipate great opportunities to leverage the local work force and culture, to provide superior “ We have the youngest workforce, with an aver- age age of 28. It also is the most educated workforce, and has a very high percentage of bilingual speakers. —Utah Office of Economic Development ” ness. At least five new expansions announced in 2007 came from the seven industries targeted by Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. and his economic development team. They include: Barnes Aerospace, which expanded to add 474 new employees; Goldman Sachs, which doubled its workers to 700 in Salt Lake City; Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., a life science company, expanding to add 196 new jobs; Fiber TEK choosing the state to manufacture its energy-efficient building materials; and Smith Sports Optics, an outdoor products manufacturer expanding its facilities and adding 64 new workers. MIDLAND, TX Midland, TX, located in the western part of the state and just south of Lubbock, is a relatively small city in terms of size, but huge in terms of its impact in the energy market. In today’s economic climate, that means Midland is not only recession-proof, it’s experiencing economic expansion at a time when few other metropolitan areas are growing. This explains why Midland shot up ten places to the number one slot on Inc. magazine’s list of top small cities in which to do business. “We’re an oil and gas energy cluster here,” says Mike Hatley, vice president of economic development for Midland. “That means we have a lot of talent, such as engineers, geologists, management, experts in drilling. Every kind of employee you need for this industry is right here.” With the exception of Houston, TX, no other area in the U.S. plays a more important role in the nation’s energy industry than the cities of MidBUSINESS FACILITIES 11 products to our customers in the Western U.S. This is a partnership where we will both win big.” Procter & Gamble was so focused on finding a location with a great workforce that, according to Perry, they even did a little “mystery shopping” in Salt Lake City by walking the streets anonymously and speaking to people to get to know what their prospective future employees were like. When officials in Utah choose industries to target, they mean busi- PHOTO CREDIT: FLICKR.COM http://www.FLICKR.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Business Facilities - September 2008

Business Facilities- September 2008 Contents First Word Snapshots Corporate Moves:�Mississippi Editor's Location Picks 2008 The Palmetto State Reaches Across the Sea Corporate Moves:�Tennessee Metro Spotlight:�Spokane, WA Biotech: Building Block for Development Wind Power Lifts Iowa Germany:�Europe's Economic Juggernaut California Here We Come Up, Up and Away in North Carolina Corporate Moves:�West Virginia Metro Spotlight:�Decatur/Greensburg, IN Advertiser Index Ask the Expert

Business Facilities - September 2008

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