Provo to become nation's third Google Fiber high-speed city

Residents of Provo will soon be among the most technologically connected people in the country with a chance for free Internet service at the fastest speeds in the country.

Mayor John Curtis Tuesday announced an agreement to make Provo just the third city in the United States to have access to Google Fiber’s ultra high-speed gigabit Internet. In addition, Provo will become one of the first cities in the world to have ubiquitous Internet connectivity in virtually every home.

The deal is subject to City Council approval, which is expected. Google Fiber will then offer free Internet service for those currently on the existing iProvo network, Curtis said. There will be a one-time $30 activation fee, "but that's it," he said.

Under the terms of the agreement Google Fiber would purchase the city’s existing fiber-optic network, iProvo. Deseret News

Provo-to-Oakland jet service, coming soon

Allegiant airline will begin nonstop jet service between Provo and Oakland International Airport beginning June 7 and is introducing its service with one-way fares as low as $59.99.

The new flights will operate twice weekly.

Allegiant began offering nonstop flights between Provo and Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport on Feb. 15, 2012. It announced that service shortly before Frontier Airlines ended its service between Provo Municipal Airport and Denver International in January 2012. Salt Lake Tribune

American Fork planning for 2nd fire station

As American Fork grows, so do its fire protection needs, and that has Fire Chief Kriss Garcia planning for a second fire station.

Garcia has a goal of getting the process started to find land and design a station by 2014. It could be funded by money received in public safety impact fees. American Fork Citizen

How Do Utah's Largest Metro Areas Stack Up in Terms of Economic Competitiveness?

When evaluating the 100 most populous metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) in the U.S., how do Utah's major metros stack up in terms of economic competitiveness? Very well, in fact.

A report out earlier this month on NewGeography.com says the Provo-Orem, Salt Lake City and Ogden-Clearfield metro areas all rank in the upper third of the top 100 metros in terms of competitiveness. Provo-Orem actually ranks fourth, behind San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA, Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, and Bakersfield, CA, while the Salt Lake City metro ranks sixth. Ogden-Clearfield ranks 29th.

Of the Provo-Orem metro, NewGeography says: "This metro area just south of Salt Lake City has seen surprisingly large job gains in professional, scientific, and technical services; administrative and support services; specialty trade contractors; state/local government; and computer and electronic product manufacturing.

NewGeography.com says its goal with the rankings was to see which metros are becoming more competitive (gaining a larger share of total job creation) and which are losing their share of the jobs being created. Hence, all 100 metros were ranked based on the overall competitive effect and what percentage of jobs (from 2010-2012) are based on competitive effects.

To determine the competitiveness rankings, the organization analyzed data from Economic Modeling Specialists Intl (EMSI) using a method called "Shift-share." The analysis focused on overall job change from 2010-2012 in the 100 most populous metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) in the U.S.

As NewGeography.com explains, Shift-share analysis can also be referred to as "regional competitiveness analysis." It helped the organization distinguish between growth that is primarily based on big national forces (a rising tide lifts all boats) and local competitive advantages. The primary components of NewGeography.com's Shift-share analysis are:

• Industrial Mix Effect -- Representing the share of regional industry growth explained by the growth of the specific industry at the national level.
• National Growth Effect -- This explains how much of the regional industry’s growth is explained by the overall growth of the national economy.
• Expected Change -- This is simply the rate of growth of the particular industry at the national level (equals the sum of the industrial mix and national growth effects).
• Regional Competitiveness Effect -- This explains how much of the change in a given industry is due to some unique competitive advantage that the region possesses, because the growth cannot be explained by national trends in that industry or the economy as whole.

"To generate our ranking, we summed the overall competitive effect for each broad 2-digit industry sector (e.g., agriculture, manufacturing, health care, construction, etc.) and added them together to yield a single MSA-wide number that indicates the overall competitiveness of the economy as compared to the total economy. We calculate the competitive effect by subtracting the expected jobs (the number of jobs expected for each MSA based on national economic trends) from the total jobs.

"The difference between the total and expected is the competitive effect. If the competitive effect is positive, then the MSA has exceeded expectations and created more jobs than national trends would have suggested. It is therefore gaining a greater share of the total jobs being created. If the competitive effect is
negative, then the MSA is below what we would expect given national trends. In this case the MSA is losing a greater share of the total jobs being created," NewGeography.com explains. Utah Policy

Irish company buys Utah’s Panoptic Security

Utah’s Panoptic Security Inc., a provider of services to ensure merchants comply with credit card security standards, has been purchased by an Irish company.

Sysnet Global Solutions of Dublin bought Panoptic Security to help accelerate its growth in the U.S. market, the companies said.

Panoptic has about 20 employees in Salt Lake City who will stay put for now, a spokesman said.

Much like Sysnet, Panoptic provides products that help small- and medium-sized businesses, banks, underwriters and credit card processors to comply with industry standards designed to protect the security of customer account information.

"With Sysnet and Panoptic joining forces, it allows the combined group the opportunity to offer a larger global footprint and a broader product and service offering," Panoptic CEO Matt Hoffman said. Salt Lake Tribune

A Catalyst for Downtown Economic Activity

Amid the bustling energy and recent growth of Provo’s downtown Center Street, the $40 million Utah Valley Convention Center has risen. Located on 220 W. Center Street in Provo, the 83,578 square-foot convention center is projected to bring many visitors to Utah Valley as well as cater to the needs of local residents.

Plans have long been brewing for a convention center in Utah County. In 2006, John Q. Hammonds broke ground for both a hotel and convention center in Pleasant Grove, only to have it come to a halt a few months later as the economy took a nose dive. Utah County took matters into their own hands, financing Provo’s Utah Valley Convention Center, which broke ground in June 2010.

The return on investment for a convention center is different than most commercial buildings. Revenue is distributed to the city rather than to the facility itself. Thus, convention centers facilitate financial opportunities for local businesses. Visitors require lodging, entertainment and transportation – all which influence the economy of the county.

“A lot of people think it’s only the businesses right around the convention center that are benefiting,” said Wheeler. “But there’s a thing called compression.When you get people into downtown Provo, they’re staying in the Provo Marriott, and the people that would have been staying there are now staying in Orem and Lehi. It spreads it out for the entire county.” Utah Facilities

UTA changes include some surprises

The Utah Transit Authority unveiled some surprises Wednesday as it finalized schedule changes that take effect on Dec. 9 — including reducing weekend TRAX service because of budget constraints, and shortening how far the TRAX green line will run from West Valley City every day.

Also, FrontRunner riders who travel in the opposite direction than most peak-time commuters soon will find less-frequent service. And one FrontRunner train a day is being restored to the Pleasant View station north of Ogden, service that had been totally cut recently.

UTA projects overall revenue next year to increase by 5 percent — from $290.8 million to $305.6 million
— thanks to greater fare, sales tax and federal grant revenue.

Even amid rail expansions, UTA said budget constraints are forcing it to cut back weekend TRAX service beginning Dec. 9. Saturday TRAX service will begin about an hour later at about 6 a.m. Sunday TRAX service will have an earlier end time, with last trips of the day departing between 8 and 9 p.m.

The new FrontRunner service between Salt Lake City and Provo will end express buses from Utah County to Salt Lake City, and replace it with more local service in Utah County, often designed to connect to FrontRunner. Salt Lake Tribune

High West to build second distillery

Park City’s High West Distillery & Saloon will soon be seeing double — and not because it’s been sneaking shots of award-winning rye. On Thursday, High West will break ground on a second distillery and restaurant as part of a larger western-themed resort in Wanship.

High West is joining forces with Blue Sky Adventures for the project, which includes construction of a large luxury lodge. The project is being billed as the "world’s only distillery and resort."

When completed, in about a year, The High West Distillery at Blue Sky Ranch, should give guests a taste of two enduring symbols of the American West. Salt Lake Tribune

Ridley's Market coming to Eagle Mountain

Less than a year after losing a long-sought grocery store, a major new company has stepped forward to give Eagle Mountain residents a place to buy food at home.

The owner of Ridley's grocery stores met with Eagle Mountain council members recently to confirm the company's plans to build a 55,000-square-foot store in the city.

The store will bring between 75 and 100 part-time and full-time jobs to Eagle Mountain. And the good news doesn't stop at groceries. The store will include an attached Ace Hardware, a made-from-scratch bakery and a deli. And although banking services will not be in the store, there are two retail pads on the property and "I imagine it is highly likely that one will become a bank" or credit union, Jackson said.

The store will open in the fall of 2013. Daily Herald

Utah County FrontRunner, airport TRAX lines still on track

Commuters heading to Salt Lake City from Utah County may have an alternative form of transportation sooner than expected.

Construction and testing on the FrontRunner South commuter rail line is moving ahead faster than anticipated, according to the Utah Transit Authority.

It promises commuters they will save time when the new FrontRunner South line opens Dec. 10. The agency projects approximately 6,800 passengers will ride the train each day. In addition to four stops in Utah County, FrontRunner South will also have stops in South Jordan and Murray.

According UTA spokesman Gerry Carpenter, who said the FrontRunner South line is expected to begin transporting passengers beginning Dec. 10. He added that the project is also under budget thus far.

He said this phase allows the agency to ensure that all track signals are working properly, operators are fully trained and schedules are appropriately aligned. Test trains run at maximum speeds of up to 79 miles per hour, he said, the same top speed allowed when service begins.

As for the Airport TRAX line, the $350 million extension is scheduled to be operational by April 2013.

Under construction since January 2009, the new light rail line is one of five rail projects UTA has had on its construction agenda in the past few years. The others include the $535 million Mid-Jordan TRAX extension and the $370 million West Valley TRAX line — which both began operation in August 2011. Also in the works are the $212 million Draper TRAX extension and the aforementioned $850 million FrontRunner South commuter-rail line that will run from downtown Salt Lake City to Provo. Deseret News

Utah Valley center already booking lots of big business

Even though it doesn’t officially open until Saturday, the Utah Valley Convention Center has been a busy place. Even as construction workers slap on the final coats of paint, the center has hosted a high-school prom, a business-college graduation and a Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting.

County officials are optimistic that activity will only grow, and boost Provo and Utah County’s economy in the process.

Jared Morgan, executive director of Downtown Provo Inc. predicts the city’s downtown will thrive among the center, Nu Skin Enterprises’ new headquarters complex, a new LDS Temple and the planned arrival of FrontRunner in 2013.

The convention center is a joint project between Provo and Utah County. The city provided land, while the county is paying the $41.8 million price tag. The county is using proceeds from hotel room taxes and the county’s share of the Tourism, Restaurant, Cultural and Convention Center tax, also known as the restaurant tax, to cover the cost.

Workforce Services opens Lehi facility

he Utah Department of Workforce Services opened a new facility to serve the surrounding community on March 2 in Lehi and is celebrating the move with a grand opening, a ribbon cutting and open house from 9 to 11 a.m. Thursday.

The logo reads "Utah's Job Connection" and each building occupied by workforce services is a place where those with or without gainful employment can meet. The American Fork Workforce Services shut down in February and moved into a new 7,500-square-foot building at 557 W. State St. in Lehi, which is strategically located near mass transportation and several bus lines.

The move will save $117,300 annually and close to $700,000 in the next five years.Along with the growth, the promise of Frontrunner, bus routes and ease of accessibility to the building on State Street has made the more visible location better suited to serving the public.

With area growth and high-profile businesses moving into north Utah County, center staff say they hope to help employers and job seekers connect. Operations manager Greg Whittaker oversees the new center as well as four others in the region.

Within the Lehi offices are a computer and phone center, counseling area and training and meeting rooms. Behind the scenes is a large room for offices for those who process cases and follow up on employer and customer needs. Daily Herald

DWS Lehi Employment Center open for business

Today, March 2, 2012, the new Lehi Employment Center is open for business to serve Lehi and the other communities in the northern end of Utah County. Come see us at our new location!

Location: Lehi, Utah
Phone #: 801-753-4500

Utah offers incentives to lure hundreds of new jobs

The state of Utah on Thursday approved an incentive of as much as $3.2 million for Lifetime Products Inc., which plans to add 282 jobs in Davis County in the coming years. The company, which already has 1,700 employees in Clearfield, accepted the state’s incentive offer immediately after it was approved by the Governor’s Office of Economic Development Board, which reviews incentive applications and is made up of business people and community leaders. State officials said the average wage of the new jobs is about $41,800 annually, including benefits. The company anticipates adding about 40 people a year over the next two decades.

The economic development board also improved an incentive of as much as $2.2 million for SAIC, a Fortune 500 technology company that also already has a presence in Utah and has plans to expand. As with Lifetime, SAIC company officials said they accept the state’s incentive offer. The company said it plans to add nearly 300 new full-time technology positions over the next 10 years and make a $10 million capital investment in an expansion in Salt Lake, Davis or Utah county. Average wage for the new jobs at SAIC is about $52,000 annually, including benefits, state officials said. Salt Lake Tribune

A third incentive of as much as $522,000 was approved for The Home Depot, which said it plans to open a customer service center in Ogden to handle calls. The company accepted Utah’s incentive offer, payable over 10 years in the form of a tax credit. A spokeswoman said a facility in Ogden will handle inbound customer-service calls and employ nearly 700 people, 600 of which are expected to be hired by fall of next year. Hiring for those positions will begin in August 2012. Only 181 jobs out of the nearly 700 being added by The Home Depot meet the income threshold set by the state for companies receiving incentive money. The incentive money is based on those 181 positions, which average about $41,000 annually, including benefits, the state said.

Local businesses already preparing for NSA data center near Lehi

Government agencies and businesses are preparing now for the National Security Agency's $1.93 billion intelligence data center's completion in March 2013 by hosting and attending workshops and creating programs to optimize relationships with the new neighbor.

The NSA just completed two full days of training for approximately 400 small Utah vendors.The NSA is looking for services in landscaping, construction, supercomputers, math, training materials, languages, encryption and much more. It will take some preparation for local companies to seek contracts to provide these services. For the last fiscal year, $440 million came in statewide from government contracts, of that $60 million were landed by Utah County businesses. The NSA center has the potential to raise that number dramatically. Holley said the project will require approximately 2,000 Utah-based employee contracts during construction. Daily Herald

Convergys Hosts Recruitment Open House

Convergys Corporation is seeking candidates for 40 full-time positions at its contact center in Orem. Interested candidates from Utah and surrounding counties are invited to attend an on-site recruitment open house from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday at Convergys, 1409 N. Research Way in Orem. New employees will provide customer service and sales support for a Convergys client in the cable/satellite industry. Daily Herald

Overstock seeks Java savvy employees

Overstock.com president Johnathan Johnson is in need of some Java for his Provo development office, sans the caffeine. Approximately 50 jobs are currently open in Provo for experts in the Java programming language. So far they have filled eight positions. Java is a sophisticated computer language that Johnson said will help with new online applications in development. "We are working on new finer applications to help make our business better. Our projects are pretty cutting edge," he said.

Overstock.com opened its fifth Utah office in Provo on Feb. 24, and is considered an employee-centric company. It was recently named in Forbes Magazine employee survey the No. 1 retailer to work for. Overstock.com was also ranked ninth out of the top 100 best places to work. Daily Herald

Sundance rebounds, Utah movie industry on the rise

The Sundance Film Festival is bouncing back from a two-year economic downturn, and the head of the Utah Film Commission said the state has seen an upturn in the film business in recent months.

“Our projections are the overnight attendance for the festival will be up 12 percent this year over last year,” said Chamber of Commerce CEO Bill Malone. “It’s not just on the front end or the back end, it’s an increase in visitation every day of the festival.” This comes after Sundance business took a hit in 2009 and 2010 because of the struggling economy.

For his part, Utah Film Commission Director Marshall Moore described an uptick of another kind.

“Not only are we the host state of the Sundance Film Festival, we hosted 25 film and television productions” in 2010, Moore said. The list includes “127 Hours” and the upcoming movies “John Carter of Mars,” “Darling Companion,” “The Age of Dragons” and “Unicorn City.”

“Overall, the film industry in the state of Utah is healthy. We had our best year ever last year,” said Moore. Movie and TV productions brought the state “over a thousand jobs last year, and over a $50 million impact for the state of Utah.”

He said that was especially true in rural Utah, “where much of the economic impact took place. Although a lot of it does take place in Salt Lake, we saw it in areas like Moab and Kanab and Delta and Hanksville. More than we’d seen in any other single year since I’ve been the director of the film commission.” Salt Lake Tribune

Sundance economic impact $62.7 million says Gov. Herbert at Salt Lake City Gala

Herbert threw out $62.7 million as the economic impact from a University of Utah study. Add to that $18.5 million worth of Utah media coverage around the world from the 10-day event and its easy to see why Herbert was all smiles. Deseret News

Megaplex Theatre expansion in Lehi to quadruple facility's size by October

A multimillion dollar expansion of Thanksgiving Point's Megaplex Theatre is under way and is expected to create 150 full- and part-time jobs. The existing theater complex will expand from eight screens to 17 and will offer a variety of new amenities by fall 2011. Deseret News