By Michael Bryant
Silicon Slopes East was proud to welcome some big time tech companies and Silicon Slopes Utah to the area on June 30 and July 1. Representatives from companies such as the Cicero Group, Kickstart Fund, Album VC, Newmark Knight Frank and Sundance Bay visited Carbon and Emery counties to see our great outdoor landscapes and to discuss opportunities and solutions for the two counties. Others in attendance were representatives from the Utah Association of Counties, Governor’s Office of Economic Development, representatives from Senators Mitt Romney and Mike Lee’s offices, Senator David Hinkins, Silicon Slopes staff, and commissioners from Carbon and Emery counties. Local Silicon Slopes East member businesses Emery Telcom and Intermountain Electronics were also in attendance.
Events for the group included a live streamed panel discussion on Targeted Development. The event was moderated by Garrett Clark of Silicon Slopes and had Bobby Houston, Intermountain Electronics; Kyle Roberts, Newmark Knight Frank; AND JR Howa, Mountain West Commercial Real Estate. To view the panel discussion, go to the following web address https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CyVLeypRaY.
The area’s landscapes and recreational opportunities were on display to the guests. A lunch and learn meeting moderated by Emery Telcom was held to address concerns and to solicit ideas and input from the guests about tech in the area, educating the workforce and identifying how to retain youth in the area after graduation. The festivities were capped with a barbecued dinner overlooking the “Little Grand Canyon” at the Wedge Overlook.
Discussions with the guests centered around building on strong industries already in the area. Some ideas included offering tech incentives for attracting and keeping businesses, government incentives for hiring local talent, and continuing to establish stackable credentials for coding training. The group was impressed that Conductive Composites, a carbon fiber company, was already in the area. Carbon fiber is a technology that will be used increasingly in the future and it was recommended to help build on this technology.
This event was an excellent opportunity to showcase the beautiful landscapes of Carbon and Emery counties. Guests were blown away by the breathtaking views and opportunities that exist in the region with many of them saying “I will be coming back for sure.” This event was ideal for locals to establish relationships with tech and other companies from the Wasatch Front.
Silicon Slopes East was proud to host these companies and looks forward to having future events with these and other companies in the future. Stay tuned for more information as additional events are planned. Don’t forget to subscribe to the Silicon Slopes East channel on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnhPrrs2PJwYOpF1YwuefKA
For more information on Silicon Slopes, visit www.siliconslopes.com. For information on Silicon Slopes East, visit their website at www.siliconslopeseast.com or Facebook page www.facebook.com/SiliconSlopesEast.