Press Release
The Utah Association of Counties (UAC) begins 2019 with the creation of the new Regional Growth Program and the hiring of a Regional Economic Growth Director, Stuart Clason.
Several counties have expressed a desire for UAC to provide expert services focused on advancing regional economic growth on the county level. UAC has hired Clason to lead this effort.
The UAC Regional Growth Program will involve aligning county specific economic development strategies with existing implementation tools like tax incremental financing and opportunity zones and creating new tools if necessary. The program will be limited to a select group of counties or cohorts in order to ensure that the unique needs of each county are appropriately addressed.
“The association is excited to launch this program,” said Adam Trupp UAC CEO. “With Stuart’s expertise and UAC’s long-standing role in driving Utah policy, we will further advance the economic success of the state.”
In his previous position as the Associate Director of Regional Transportation, Housing and Economic Development at Salt Lake County; Clason worked on several major regional development issues, and he is prepared to assist other counties in the state in a similar fashion.
“Congratulations to Stuart on his new regional economic development position with the Utah Association of Counties. With his experience working on innovative initiatives to support job growth and good salaries, he’ll be a real asset,” said Congressman Ben McAdams
Washington County Commissioner Victor Iverson, the UAC President, stated, “I am very pleased that this program is being launched and feel that it will be a wonderful benefit to our counties. I’m proud the association is taking the lead and I look forward to working with Stuart.”
“I got to serve with Stuart on the Utah Inland Port Authority Board, and I have to say that UAC is lucky to have him,” said Servier Commissioner Garth “Tooter” Ogden. “We are going to miss him on the Port Board, but our loss is the State of Utah’s gain.”
Clason’s previous position was with Salt Lake County where he directly managed the county’s tax incremental financing portfolio, economic development revolving loan fund, parking structure revolving loan fund, environmental loan fund, and municipal economic development services. He has also worked for the Utah Governor’s Office of Energy Development, and he was the Director of Economic Development for Salt Lake City. Clason holds a bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University and a master’s degree in Economic Development from the London School of Economics.
The Utah Association of Counties (UAC) is a voluntary, statewide organization supported by the 29 counties of Utah. The Association’s mission is to advance county issues with the state and federal government, improve public understanding of county government, assist all 29 counties to develop and share solutions through research and education, and provide effective support services to county officials that foster public trust and improve the efficiency of county government.