Working in Utah, It’s Not What You Think

Once upon a time, if you asked someone what they knew about doing business in Utah then you’d likely receive a blank stare and some muttering about skiing, the tabernacle choir, or college athletics. However, the country is finally starting to notice what we at Allen have known for years – Salt Lake is a great place to work and do business.

But don’t just take our word for it. In October, Forbes listed Utah as the top place for businesses in the US.  Forbes noted that major companies, like Goldman Sachs, Adobe Systems, eBay, Electronic Arts, Oracle and Twitter have expanded in Utah over the last two years.

Forbes’ Kurt Badenhausen wrote that “Utah’s economy has expanded 3.5% annually over the past five years, faster than any other state except North Dakota. This is three-and-a-half times faster than the U.S. as a whole. Total employment in the U.S. has shrunk over the past five years, but in Utah it increased 1.5% annually, fourth-best in the nation. Household incomes have surged 5% annually, which is tops in the country and twice as fast as the national average.” The article notes that much of this success is due to the spirit of people who live and work here.

Salt Lake also has no shortage of leisure activities for clients to enjoy when they pay us a visit. Olympic quality ski resorts and outdoor adventures are just a short drive from our offices. If the great outdoors isn’t your thing then there are also professional sports teams, Broadway-style productions, live music, performing arts and retail shopping locations to choose from.

Allen and our clients have benefited from a culture in Utah that emphasizes productive work and education. Our teams consistently get projects done on time and on budget. Allen has never worried about a brain-shortage in our staff. There are two US News and World Report ranked universities, (University of Utah and BYU), within 45 minutes of our office to draw from, along with eight other colleges. 90 percent of our staff has an undergraduate degree, over 60 percent have graduate degrees and several of our team members are university professors.

The quality of local talent we’ve assembled isn’t lost on our clients.  I think Alison Ball, Senior Program Manager, Certifications & Partner Relations, at Intuit said it best, “Allen Communications was the reason this project was so successful! We literally could not have created a program that provides for so many different learner requirements, without their expertise and advice.  Plus they are just nice people and they made the project FUN!”