Utah

Utah Inland Port Authority leaders unveil new brand, promise transparency

Published

2 years ago

May 17, 2023

Estimated read time: 6-7
minutes

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Inland Port Authority doesn’t want to see the Crossroads of the West occupied by a sea of warehouses and it certainly doesn’t want to see Utah’s roads congested with cargo trucks.

On Wednesday, the port authority’s leaders unveiled its new brand identity and vision for the future, with a specific emphasis on transparency.

“The branding process for the Utah Inland Port Authority has provided an excellent opportunity to refocus the port around our core mission and values,” said Ben Hart, executive director of the Utah Inland Port Authority.

The new logo also comes with a new and improved mission for the port authority.

“We maximize long-term economic benefits in Utah by developing and optimizing economic project areas and logistics-based infrastructure,” Hart said.

So what does that mean?

Essentially, it means reducing what Hart classified as Utah’s “over-dependence” on roads and cars, especially when it comes to transporting goods. Instead of clogging the state’s roads, the port authority wants to create “multimodal” transportation options with a particular emphasis on rail transportation.

Doing so will give Utah companies a competitive advantage in both national and global markets “thanks to the world-class shipping and logistics infrastructure that we have here in the state of Utah,” said Miles Hansen, Utah Inland Port Authority board chairman and president and CEO of World Trade Center Utah.

Hart noted that this won’t be accomplished by simply building ports, though they do have an important role to play in modernizing Utah’s cargo transportation options.

and here’s the new logo! pic.twitter.com/CPvlWfjYtx
— Logan Stefanich (@loganstefanich) May 17, 2023

“(Our focus is) building a better statewide logistics system,” Hart said. “Inland ports play a key role in that strategy in our efforts to take trucks off of (the) road at access points throughout the state of Utah.”

Furthermore, Hart said inland ports provide jobs and help inject more life into the local economies they’re situated around.

“In coordination with inland port rail projects, we are also collaborating with communities to create employment hubs that will lift all areas of the state economically,” Hart said.

The Utah Inland Port Authority’s board of directors in April unanimously approved the Iron Springs Project Area resolution, creating Utah’s first-ever rural inland port in Iron County.

Hart said that the move will help support and boost a rapidly growing southern Utah.

More transparency

Utah Rep. Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, a Utah Inland Port Authority board member, thanked Hart and the rest of the port authority team during Wednesday’s brand unveiling, saying the dedication and hard work over the last year has allowed the port authority to “finally get to a point to where we can realize what the true goals are of the inland port.”

A legislative audit of the Utah Inland Port Authority last September said the board needed to outline clear goals for the future — which it hadn’t done at the time of the audit — before starting to spend some of the $150 million in bonds approved in 2021.

Auditors said they found a few “concerns,” including “financial commitment without adequate planning, gaps in organizational structure that reduce internal controls, and the need for stronger procurement and contract management.”

The report also noted contractors were largely “sole sourced” by the Inland Port Authority, meaning it solicited contract proposals from only one business at a time rather than going through the typical competitive request for proposal process.

Shortly after, a second audit of Utah Inland Port Authority practices said the agency should adjust its contract agreement policy, which state auditors said “lacks adequate transparency and accountability.”

Following the audits, the port authority and its board of directors decided to pause “all major capital projects” until it developed a Northwest Quadrant Master Development Plan.

“If our planning efforts determine a transload facility is right for this market, there will be robust engagement with neighborhoods on the west side of Salt Lake County and the business community,” Hart, who was the newly named director at the time, said in a statement to KSL.com. “A project of that size would also require a board resolution passed in a public meeting. Until then, we’re talking with all our stakeholders to ensure this master plan reflects what best suits Utah and its logistics needs.”

To Hart and the rest of the board, Wednesday’s unveiling can hopefully signify a move away from the issues that plagued the Utah Inland Port Authority over the last year which Hart himself previously described as “some super sketchy crap.”

“We needed a significant change at the port,” Hart told members of the Utah Legislature’s Business, Economic Development and Labor Appropriations Subcommittee in January. “I appreciate the fact that (state auditors) have given us a little bit of time to get this house in order because it really needed to happen. … There was some super sketchy crap going on at the inland port.”

There’s not anything happening behind closed doors, we have to bring it out. We found good government happens in the light, when everyone gets a chance to contribute and have their voice heard.

– Ben Hart, Utah Inland Port Authority executive director

Schultz said it’s imperative for the new board to not be hampered by the same issues that marked the time of the port authority’s previous leaders.

“I feel like the previous board had the vision but got sidetracked with a whole bunch of other things,” Schultz said. “Now, it’s incumbent upon us to move forward with that vision.”

Hart — who wasn’t involved with the Utah Inland Port Authority during the timeframe the audits criticized — added that the audits gave the new board a game plan in terms of things they needed to identify and do in a more “transparent manner.”

“We’ve been meeting with several stakeholder groups that have certainly pushed us a little bit and invited and asked us to be more transparent than what we were being,” Hart said. “(For) more significant documents such as a project area plan and budget, we’re doing a two-meeting public meeting cycle. Both meetings are required to have public comment prior to our board being able to adopt them and we’re also posting those documents 10 days prior to (the public meetings).”

The board has also reworked its procurement policy to make sure funds are being used in the way that the board outlined.

“There’s not anything happening behind closed doors, we have to bring it out,” Hart said. “We found good government happens in the light, when everyone gets a chance to contribute and have their voice heard.”

Hart noted recent community opposition to the Utah Inland Port Authority establishing a Tooele County Project Area, saying that the port authority will take more time with that proposal and meet with local stakeholder groups to hear their concerns.

“Whether it’s by rail, by road or by air — as Utah is becoming not just the Crossroads of the West but the crossroads of the world — we have to stay on the cutting edge of all transportation options or we’re going to be left behind,” Hansen said. “The importance of the port authority is that we are uniquely responsible for modernizing Utah’s infrastructure for the next generation of shippers.”

Contributing: Carter Williams

Most recent Utah Inland Port stories

Logan Stefanich is a reporter with KSL.com, covering southern Utah communities, education, business and military news.

Utah National Guard gets new, top-of-the-line Apache helicopters

Published

54 mins ago

November 25, 2024

Press Room

Utah National Guard gets new, top-of-the-line Apache helicopters

WEST JORDAN, Utah — The Utah National Guard has been serving the state since 1894 with roots dating back to the Minutemen of the 17th-century American colonies.

This weekend, they received quite the boost in the form of the Army’s most advanced attack helicopter.

“These aircraft are extremely fast compared to our other aircraft,” said Col. Patrick.

On Saturday, the Utah National Guard took their new Apache helicopters for a spin.

“The flight went better than we could have hoped for. A little weather on the east coast, but after that, it wasn’t bad at all,” Patrick said.

The first four of 24 Apaches arrived early Saturday morning after they went under full inspection.

“They’ve got software on there that it’s like playing a video game. You just fly the video game and the airplane… is fast and smooth, which is the good thing, and so it’ll just hold the altitude and airspeed and just keep on trucking along. It’s pretty good,” Patrick said.

The first Apache helicopters arrived in Utah back in 1992.

“It just continues the legacy of the air pirates and what we bring to not only Utah, but really to the global fight and security, really,” Patrick added.

The colonel calls it a major step forward.

“What a great day for Utah as we advance into the next couple decades of combat operations and what we can provide to, you know, the global security.”

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Utah

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Utah Hockey Club – Game #21 Preview, Projected Lines & TV Info

Published

9 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Utah Hockey Club – Game #21 Preview, Projected Lines & TV Info

The depth continues to be tested as the bodies keep dropping out of the lineup up front. Tonight, a resilient Maple Leafs team is seeking its fourth consecutive win as Alex Nylander debuts on an all-Marlies line against a tired 8-9-2 Utah Hockey Club (7:00 p.m. EST, TSN4).

Head-to-Head Stats: Maple Leafs vs. Utah

In the 2024-25 regular season statistics, Utah holds the advantage in three out of five offensive categories and three out of five defensive categories.

Game Day Quotes

Craig Berube on what he learned from the pre-scout of Utah’s 6-1 win over Pittsburgh last night:

The power play was good. They got three. They’re fast, and they have a lot of skill. They make a lot of plays — a lot of west-west plays — and get up the ice really well. Their D are involved.
We have to check well tonight. We have to stay out of the penalty box. Our PK is going to be important.
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Overall, we need to take time and space away from this team right out of the offensive zone. Be hard on them breaking plays up. That will be very important tonight.

Berube on the decision to start Joseph Woll over Anthony Stolarz tonight:

[Woll] had a really good game against Vegas. We are just thinking ahead here. Stolly has played a lot. We have some time here. He is working in practice and doing a lot of good things.
That’s really it. We just talk about things and make decisions on what we think is best for the goalies and the team.
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I talked earlier about how both goalies are going to see more net than they have in the past. It is important that we manage it to the best of our abilities.
Woll is coming off a real solid game against a real good team. We wanted to go back with him.

Berube on what improvements he is looking for from his team offensively after a week of practice:

Attacking more than we are. There are times when we tend to just control the play a little bit too much on the outside. We could attack more with more shots to the net, get pucks low to high, and do more on-and-off shooting while getting people to the net with numbers around there.
Resets to the back of the net, making quick plays out of there, doing things a little bit quicker, moving it quicker, supporting it quicker, and getting more pucks to the net than we are.

Berube on why Fraser Minten is so trustworthy despite his lack of experience:

It goes back to a great draft pick, finding a player who is so responsible at a young age. You guys aren’t on the bench, but just hearing him talk on the bench and how he sees the game, he says all the right things.
You don’t see young guys do that very often. He is already doing it at a very young age with very little experience. It is great to see. It’s refreshing. It really is.

Minten on the keys to success for his line with Nikita Grebenkin and Alex Nylander:

We just have to be simple with pucks and forecheck, using our speed to get pucks back on the forecheck. From there, let the skill make things happen. Those guys are really good when they get it back, so we have to make sure we are forechecking hard to retrieve pucks, and we’ll go from there.

Minten on the keys to success in the net-front role on the top power-play unit:

Try not to overcomplicate it too much. Get the goalie’s eyes, get in sight lines, try to get pucks back, get some tips, get some screens, and cause a little chaos. You can draw a defender with you. If you’re going backdoor, you give them a little more space. Be ready for anything coming to you. They are great players, so just try to read off of them, and hopefully, it goes well.

Minten on his experience level in front of the net on the power play:

In junior, I was mostly a flank guy with the puck more, but last year, I kind of got into it more at the end of the year, and I have been playing that role with the Marlies every game so far this year.

Minten on Morgan Rielly’s guidance at the NHL level:

He has been amazing. We have a lot in common, being from the same place. He took me under his wing a little bit and has been super nice. It makes it easy when you are coming in at 18 or 19 and there is a guy who comes to talk to you and is a really nice, supportive guy and friend. He has been awesome.

Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines

Forwards
#74 Bobby McMann — #91 John Tavares — #16 Mitch Marner
#89 Nick Robertson— #29 Pontus Holmberg — #88 William Nylander
#71 Nikita Grebenkin — #39 Fraser Minten — #92 Alex Nylander
#46 Alex Steeves — #24 Connor Dewar — #18 Steven Lorentz

Defensemen
#22 Jake McCabe — #8 Chris Tanev
#44 Morgan Rielly — #95 Oliver Ekman-Larsson
#2 Simon Benoit — #25 Conor Timmins

Goaltenders
Starter: #60 Joseph Woll
#41 Anthony Stolarz

Extras: Jani Hakanpää, Philippe Myers
Suspended: Ryan Reaves (four games remaining)
Injured (IR): Auston Matthews, Max Domi, Matthew Knies
Injured (LTIR): Calle Jarnkrok, Dakota Mermis, Max Pacioretty, David Kampf

Utah Hockey Club Projected Lines

Forwards
#9 Clayton Keller — #27 Barrett Hayton — #8 Nick Schmaltz
#22 Jack McBain — #92 Logan Cooley — #11 Dylan Guenther
#63 Matias Maccelli — #17 Nick Bjugstad — #67 Lawson Course
#15 Alex Kerfoot — #82 Kevin Stenlund — #53 Michael Carcone

Defensemen
#98 Mikhail Sergachev — #2 Olli Maata
#28 Ian Cole — #10 Maveric Lamoureux
#7 Michael Kesselring — #41 Robert Bortuzzo

Goaltenders
Starter: #70 Karel Vejmelka
Jayson Stauber

Injured: Sean Durzi, John Marino, Connor Ingram

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NHL On Tap: Maple Leafs host Utah, seek 4th straight win without Matthews | NHL.com

Published

17 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

NHL On Tap: Maple Leafs host Utah, seek 4th straight win without Matthews | NHL.com

Welcome to the NHL On Tap, a daily look at the games on the NHL schedule. There is one game on the schedule for Sunday, which will be televised nationally in the United States and Canada.

Game of the day

Utah Hockey Club at Toronto Maple Leafs (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, TSN4, NHLN, Utah16)

Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares have all stepped up for the Maple Leafs (12-6-2) in the absence of captain Auston Matthews and look to continue the trend against Utah (8-9-3) at Scotiabank Arena. Marner has 12 points (four goals, eight assists), Nylander nine points (four goals, five assists) and Tavares eight points (four goals, four assists) in the seven games without Matthews, who is out with an upper-body injury. Toronto has won three in a row and is 6-1-0 without Matthews, who skated prior to practice Saturday and said he could return from an upper-body injury this upcoming week. Marner leads Toronto with 26 points (six goals, 20 assists) in 20 games and has points in six of the seven games Matthews has missed. Maple Leafs goalie Joseph Wall made 31 saves in a 3-0 win against the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday for his first shutout of the season and second in the NHL. Utah is playing the second game of a back-to-back for the first time in team history and will look to build on a 6-1 win at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. Dylan Guenther had two goals and an assist, and Clayton Keller had three assists, helping Utah end a three-game losing streak. Goalie Jaxson Stauber could make his Utah debut after being recalled from Tucson of the American Hockey League on Wednesday; the 25-year-old has not played an NHL game since Feb. 22, 2023, with the Chicago Blackhawks. No. 1 goalie Connor Ingram has missed the past two games with an upper-body injury.

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