Press Release
Intermountain Electronics (IE) and Emery Telcom lead the effort to establish a new chapter of Silicon Slopes in Carbon and Emery counties. Creating this chapter is a primary focus of the Utah Coal Country Strike Team, an effort started by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute a little over two years ago.
“It is with great excitement that we announce the official beginning of the Silicon Slopes East chapter in Carbon and Emery counties,” stated Clint Betts, Silicon Slopes CEO.
Carbon and Emery counties have been known for over a century as the energy hub for the State of Utah. With the changing economy, the businesses in Coal Country have been diversifying by bringing on a tech aspect, including the addition of three coworking spaces in the two-county region.
IE is a founding member of Silicon Slopes East. Bobby Houston, Director of Mission Critical Operations with IE, will be co-chairing the chapter. “Our company is a great example of the shift to tech related services because we have been building electrical systems for coal mines and now we are constructing equipment for major data centers,” Houston said.
Emery Telcom is the other founding member of the new chapter. “We are proud to be a founding member of Silicon Slopes East,” said Brock Johansen, Emery Telcom CEO, “Being in the tech industry for many years, we are willing to guide the way for other companies in Carbon and Emery counties. With Emery Telcom’s full fiber-to-the-premise network in the two counties, we are poised to take advantage of these opportunities.”
“It’s been an exciting couple of years of planning,” said Mayor Michael Kourianos of Price. “It’s even more exciting to see the plans start to come to fruition.”
Mayor Danny Van Wagoner of Castle Dale said, “The Silicon Slopes East really peaked my interest. In a community that sees a lot of remote workers that like to come to Emery County to climb, boulder and recreate, we need to adapt to support the remote working economy.”
Carbon County Commissioner Tony Martines stated, “For many years, Carbon County has been lush with mineral lease money. Now, as that money isn’t as constant as it once was, I am grateful that the businesses are now being innovative and diversifying products and services.” Emery County Commissioner Kent Wilson explained, “There are two types of industries in the tech world: software and hardware. Coal Country is building the hardware that many software companies are using.”
“The Southeastern Utah Association of Local Governments (SEUALG) is excited to be a part of this great endeavor,” Geri Gamber, SEUALG Executive Director stated while expressing gratitude that the SEUALG was selected to manage the chapter.
The Silicon Slopes East chapter will be having a formal launch event on Wednesday, March 4, 2020 beginning at 10 a.m. at Utah State University Eastern (410 E 400 N, Price, UT 84501). Please contact Jade Powell at (435) 613-0022 to RSVP.
About the Utah Coal Country Strike Team and Silicon Slopes East Founding Members:
The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute started the endeavor of the Utah Coal Country Strike Team with Price and Castle Dale Cities mayors as well as the city’s respective counties. The goal of the Utah Coal Country Strike Team is to raise 10,000 household’s incomes by 10%. The four objectives to reach that goal is by focusing on custom business incentives, tourism infrastructure, housing and the creation of Silicon Slopes East. Funding for the Utah Coal Country Strike Team has been provided by Schmidt Future Foundation as well as to the State of Utah legislature.
Intermountain Electronics (IE) was founded in 1985 by John Houston. Headquartered in Price, the business began doing component repair out of one small building. That one small building has now turned into a 125,000 sq. ft. facility and is still expanding. Recently, IE just announced a plan to hire over 250 new employees over the next 15 years in Carbon County. IE specializes in building electronic components used in mining situations but is diversifying to build tech centers and data centers – particularly prefabricated modular functional blocks.
Emery Telcom is one of Utah’s leading providers of telecommunication services. Based in Orangeville, Emery Telcom was formed as a cooperative in 1950 and has since earned industry-wide recognition for its excellence. Emery Telcom proudly serves thousands of customers throughout Carbon, Emery, Grand, San Juan and Wayne counties with telephone, cable TV and the fastest broadband services in Southeastern Utah. Emery Telcom is also building one of the most reliable fiber networks from Salt Lake City to Colorado and everywhere in-between. Emery Telcom is proud to offer its E-Fiber service to its residential and business customers. Current board members for Emery Telcom include Mike Justice, Morris R. Sorensen, Tom Hansen, Shawn Sitterud, Kollette Cologie, Kevin S. Tuttle, Larry Packer and Cynthia Nielson.
Price City is located in eastern Utah in Carbon County. Price City is the county-seat for Carbon County and is also the biggest city within the county with a population of 8,337. Nestled between the Bookcliff Mountains and the Colorado Plateau, the city is a melting pot of cultures and ethnicity brought together by the surrounding coal mines.
Castle Dale is located in eastern Utah in Emery County. Castle Dale is the county seat for Emery County and is also the second biggest city within the county with a population of 1,631. Resting along the bottom of the Colorado Plateau, the city is known for the recreation activities from the San Rafael Swell to bouldering in Joe’s Valley. Castle Dale is also home to a coal-generated power plant and other coal mines in the canyons surrounding the city.
The Southeastern Utah Association of Local Governments (SEUALG) is a regional government entity that helps promote community and economic development within southeastern Utah including Carbon, Emery, Grand and San Juan counties. In addition to community and economic development, the SEAULG administers many federal, state and private grants to carry out community service programs, housing efforts, aging and human services, and other various services that support the counties and municipalities in southeastern Utah.