EDCUtah to join 'family of teams' headed by the Salt Lake Chamber

Brice Wallace 

A statewide corporate recruitment organization is joining forces with the state’s largest business association.

The Economic Development Corporation of Utah (EDCUtah) is now part of the Salt Lake Chamber. The organizations recently made the announcement that their respective boards have “agreed to move forward with a framework and process for EDCUtah to join the ‘family of teams’ within the chamber.”

“This change isn’t just about better coordination,” said Derek Miller, president and CEO of the chamber. “It will increase the collaboration and effectiveness of both our organizations, especially in the areas of statewide economic development strategy, planning and execution.”

“At EDCUtah, we couldn’t be happier to unite with the Salt Lake Chamber,” said Scott Cuthbertson, president and CEO of EDCUtah. “It’s an incredible opportunity to enhance the brand and mission of EDCUtah, as our organization will both add to and benefit from the Salt Lake Chamber’s large, statewide business base and community support.”

Miller and Cuthbertson will lead the combination, with governance by the chamber’s board of directors and EDCUtah’s Board of Trustees. Representatives from the EDCUtah Board of Trustees, including those from the public sector, will now be on the Salt Lake Chamber board of directors.

EDCUtah will keep its name and brand and continue its work as a statewide economic development organization. It will continue to be a primary point of contact for site selectors and corporate decision-makers and continue to offer business expansion and relocation services, economic research and data, and partnerships with public- and private-sector organizations across the state.

Cuthbertson will continue to oversee EDCUtah’s organization and staff as EDCUtah president. He will also be a director on the executive team of the Salt Lake Chamber and will report to Miller.

“We look forward to becoming stronger together, leveraging our combined statewide mission, resources, capabilities and expertise,” Miller said. “This unified and powerful approach to economic development will improve outcomes and increase Utah’s prosperity.”

Founded in 1987 as a private, nonprofit organization acting as a public-private partnership, EDCUtah has provided businesses with resources for relocating or expanding operations in Utah. A sister organization, the Northern Utah Economic Alliance, covers Davis and Weber counties.

At one time, EDCUtah competed with the state — at the time, the Utah Division of Business and Economic Development within the Department of Community and Economic Development — in the corporate recruitment realm. Among sweeping changes to the department in mid-2005, then-Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. changed its name to the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, making it part of the governor’s office, and had the office contract with EDCUtah for state corporate recruitment efforts. GOED now is called the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity and the EDCUtah contract with the state expired June 30.