Utah
Utah still an economic powerhouse but some of the glimmer is fading
Utah government and business leaders united at a Friday gathering to celebrate the state’s high-flying economy, including a plaudit earlier this week from The Wall Street Journal that named the Salt Lake metropolitan area the country’s top spot for jobs, but also cautioned that rising challenges must be addressed to keep the mojo rising.
At the One Utah Summit held in downtown Salt Lake City, the event formerly branded as the Governor’s Economic Summit, Natalie Gochnour, associate dean for the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business and director of the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, gave her annual rundown of the state’s economic highs and lows for the past year and some things to keep an eye on in the days ahead.
A bumpy road ahead?
Gochnour noted that while Utah’s economic growth has been following a yearslong trend outpacing the national average, the last few months have seen those tracking lines converge and Utah has been knocked from its perch as the nation’s growth leader, now finding itself trailing six other states on that metric. And two of the job sectors that once represented bragging points for Utah, high tech and financial services, have seen negative momentum in recent reports.
Gochnour said Utah’s population growth, and a change in dynamics when it comes to how that growth is fueled, has put extra strain across a number of critical areas including congestion, air quality and, perhaps most significantly, housing prices. Utah, she said, has come out on the positive side of net migration in 32 of the past 33 years, adding 650,000 new residents. And the housing needs of those newcomers have helped tip the market into a supply deficit, and resultant price surges.
Gov. Spencer Cox shared his own concerns about the current state of the housing industry in Utah.
“The single greatest threat to our people is the untenable price of attainable housing,” he said. “If you can’t afford to live here, you’re not going to start a business here.”
The state of startups
There are also plenty of positives, including the state’s nation-leading job participation rate, healthy wage growth and an economic expansion that, while it may have cooled off, is still running well into positive territory.
The state is also tops in the nation when it comes to best places to start a business, according to Utah’s entrepreneur-in-residence Brad Bonham.
Bonham, a veteran entrepreneur and business educator, said those who launch their business enterprises in Utah are 70% more likely to build those endeavors to the vaunted “unicorn” status, a term coined by the tech industry for companies that reach the $1 billion valuation level. He also touted the debut of the Startup State Initiative and associated website that provides a step-by-step guide, along with a slew of resources, for those looking to start a business in Utah.
Salt Lake Chamber president and CEO Derek Miller said the same formula that helped Utah achieve its current high performance economy will help it navigate the growing pains that have accompanied success: planning, foresight and ingenuity in the private sector.
“Private sector innovation along with public sector support, that will unleash the power of free enterprise,” he said.
Business ‘Jeopardy’
Virginia Pearce, director of the Utah Film Commission, touched on the state’s historic, and ongoing, success as a destination venue for filmmakers looking for unique landscapes and local talent while representatives of some of Utah’s emerging industries gathered for a round of custom-themed “Jeopardy.”
Some answers, and subsequent correct questions, from the ad-lib competition:
Answer: “This university had the first ARPANET node outside of California.”
Question: “What is the University of Utah?”
Answer: “These three states have the highest density of life sciences employees.”
Question: “What are Massachusetts, New Jersey and Utah?”
Answer: “At $780 million, this was the largest exit for a life science company in Utah.”
Question: “What is Tolero Pharmaceuticals?”
Answer: “This person became known as the ‘father of computer graphics’ while at the University of Utah.”
Question: “Who is Evan Sutherland?”
Answer: “Over the next decade, more of Utah’s economy will be shaped by these four industry segments at an accelerated pace.”
Question: “What are aerospace, defense, cybersecurity and space exploration?”
UTAH COUNTY, May 11, 2026 (Gephardt Daily) — Two males, ages 14 and 19, were transported to area hospitals Sunday after the side-by-side they were riding rolled down the side of a mountain.
Utah County Sheriff deputies and Santaquin police responded to the 6:07 p.m. call. Two medical helicopters were called to the scene, in the Pole Canyon area, as was a Department of Public Safety helicopter with a hoist in case it was needed, Sgt. Austin Edwards, Utah County Sheriff‘s Office, told Gephardt Daily.
“Eventually, rescue workers were able to make it to the spot on the hill where the vehicle had come to rest, and they were able to secure the victims, stabilize the victims, and get them back down the hill again to where the helicopters were waiting,” Edwards said.
“The 19-year-old male was transported to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo, and the 14 year old was transported to Primary Children’s in Lehi.”
Both were said to have critical injuries, which were not considered to be life threatening, Edwards said.
“The cause of the rollover is still under investigation, so we don’t have that information available just yet.”
Photos: Utah County Sheriff
In what has a chance to be one of the most important nights in Jazz history, the Utah Jazz jumped in the NBA Lottery to the #2 spot for the upcoming NBA draft.
Here are the final results, which show all the movement.
Aside from it being a massive night for the Wizards, Jazz, Grizzlies, and Bulls, it was a devastating night for a few teams, but no one more than the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers, in their trade for Ivica Zubac, had a stipulation on their pick that if the pick was top-4 they kept it. But if it fell below 4, they would give it to the Clippers which is exactly what happened. Now, the Clippers, who are without Zubac, find themselves with a #5 pick to build around.
For the Jazz this is a culmination of four years of rebuilding that ends with an extremely satisfying end. Utah will now have one of the tier-1 players from this draft: AJ Dybantsa or Darryn Peterson. The player Utah drafts will be one of their cornerstone pieces and will have the chance to not only play, but be a part of a team that will be competing for the playoffs this season.
The Utah Jazz now have a Sinister Six core: Darryn Peterson (If AJ Dybantsa goes #1), Keyonte George, Ace Bailey, Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Walker Kessler (if he signs). It’s quite the core with a mix of youth and veterans in their prime. With this group, the Jazz will have a chance to be one of the top teams in the Western Conference. Yes, the Thunder and Spurs are going to be difficult to beat, but Utah has the mix of talent, coaching, and depth that could absolutely do the trick.
Now the Utah Jazz look forward to the NBA Draft that be on June 23rd. Let the posturing begin!!
PROVO — An organization that has been a beacon of hope for Utah children and families just got a big upgrade in Provo.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah County on Friday held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its newest facility, marking the start of a new chapter in providing support for those who need it the most.
The new Kent B. Nelson Clubhouse, 131 N. Olympic Blvd., replaces the organization’s former Provo clubhouse, which had been in operation for more than 50 years. Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah County leaders said they had outgrown the aging facility and needed a larger, more modern space to support more community members.
“This new clubhouse is more than a building — it’s a central place where we can coordinate programs, support our staff, and amplify our impact across the region,” said David Bayles, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah County, in a statement.
The organization’s mission was something the late former Utah County Commissioner Tom Sakievich was passionate about. His wife Marji and daughter Emily Sakievich attended Friday’s grand opening ceremony just as if he would’ve wanted to.
“He loved this project, and it meant the world to him,” Emily Sakievich told KSL. “This was actually one of the last places he went before he passed. (He) and my mom stopped by to just see how progress was going; he would be so excited to see this come together.”
The former commissioner died last December at the age of 72. Tom Sakievich resigned from the seat in September 2024 after being diagnosed with glioblastoma brain cancer.
Emily Sakievich said her father was a big supporter of helping children in the Boys & Girls Clubs feel supported while he was in office.
“He would have all of them come to his office and talk about how government works and how they can be a part of it someday,” she said.
The new 20,000 square-foot facility expands on resources and programs offered at its previous site for community youth and families experiencing hardships.
The clubhouse will provide safe, engaging, and educational programs in a modernized building fit to serve more than 14,000 Utah children and teens.
A variety of programs including after-school, summer activities and STEM learning will be offered at the new facility. Other resources include internet safety programs, mental health support, nutrition initiatives, and housing assistance for families experiencing homelessness.
“We’ve been able to increase the capacity so much and add preschool and other things; we can even benefit more families — and we can benefit them for a longer period of time, from younger to older, where there are no gaps.” Provo City Council Chair Katrice MacKay told KSL. “So I’m really excited. It’s a fantastic thing for the city and for our residents.”
Leaders of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah County say the new $6 million Provo clubhouse was designed as a welcoming space where children and teens can explore new interests, build life skills, and receive mentorship from caring staff.
“The Boys & Girls Clubs have been a cornerstone of youth development in Utah County for decades,” said Janet Frank, board president, in a statement “This new clubhouse strengthens that mission, allowing the organization to extend its reach and impact across the entire region.”
Friday’s event took place while children who attend the Boys & Girls Clubs were in school, so another ceremony for kids and their families is planned for the end of the month.
“The Boys & Girls Club is for every kid out there,” Bayles said. “We want to accomplish what every parent wants for their kids — we want them to have a safe place to learn and grow, to be successful in school, to build social skills and to go on and be great members of society.”
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
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