Report Says Outdoor And Technology Is The Perfect Mix For Utah’s Economy | Companies

OGDEN – While the greater Ogden area may not be Utah County’s Silicon Slopes, tech company recruitment and the typically high-paying jobs that followed has been a focus of several governments along the northern Wasatch front, including Ogden City.

And a new report for suggests the area’s outdoor recreation scene could help in the effort.

Utah Outdoor Partners, a non-partisan, nonprofit organization, and the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute recently released a survey of Utah technology industry workers suggesting that quality access to wilderness is key in maintaining and recruiting tech companies could play in the state.

Tony Young, media relations manager at Utah’s Office of Economic Opportunity, said Utah’s outdoor recreational facilities have long been used as a recruiting tool to market the state as a place to do business, but noted the benefits technology could attract even more industry to the wilderness. Young said Utah’s technology sector is the fastest growing industry in the state, offering high-paying jobs that “encourage a flexible work-life balance,” which for many means getting outdoors.

The UOP and Gardner survey polled approximately 255 participants who represent 141 different technology companies that now do business across the state. Of the Utah natives who worked in the tech industry, left Beehive State, and then withdrew, 82% of them said outdoor recreation and access to wilderness and public land were the most important factor in returning. When considering returning to Utah, respondents said the wilderness siren ranked higher than things like family (76%), career opportunities (76%), and the cost of living (61%).

About 38% of the technical staff who participated in the study said they were offered higher salaries to work in other states. Of these, 85% said that outdoor recreation and access to wilderness and public land were the most important factors in their decision to stay. Nearly 60% of respondents said they used Utah’s outdoor opportunities at least once a week.

“Great access to outdoor recreational activities and public land in Utah are key drivers of the state’s economic growth,” said Pitt Grewe, director of the Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation. “This report shows that people who work in a variety of sectors appreciate the quality of life that the outdoor spaces in Utah offer. Foosball tables and sleeping areas are a cool advantage in an office environment, but not as important as outside of the office. “

About 75% of Utah is public land, according to GOEO.

Ogden City, particularly under Mayor Mike Caldwell’s tenure, has targeted the outdoor industry to stimulate the economy. Caldwell was a founding member of the Get Out and Live Foundation, which organizes and hosts a variety of outdoor events such as the Ogden Marathon before becoming mayor in 2012. More recently, the city has also been targeting the tech industry. In the past two years, tech companies like San Francisco-based Eden Technologies and Australia’s KordUSA have opened major headquarters in Ogden. Northrop Grumman, the global aerospace and defense technology company, also expanded its Weber County operations during this period.

There are nearly 6,000 technology and software jobs in the city with an average annual wage of $ 64,403, according to Ogden’s Business Development Office.

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