The next 5 to 10 years will be an exciting time for tech in Salt Lake City. So this year, we would like to take the time give thanks for the tremendous growth of Silicon Slopes and our Salt Lake City business ecosystem.

We are thankful for an economy that has delivered job diversity, stability and strong employment. And with over 10 straight years of growth, there is no doubt that pro-business decisions work for the economy and Silicon Slopes.

We are thankful and thrilled to see 3 great things hit the newsfeed recently.

  1. The World Economic Forum (WEF) article “How Small Cities Are Luring Tech Jobs Away from Metropolises” that revealed Salt Lake City is among the most prepared globally for the upheaval artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to create
  2. Local CRE Professional Chris Kirk wrote “SLCTech – Similar Footsteps, New Road” pointing out parallels to the growth history of Austin and Denver’s tech communities.
  3. Utah once again named the #1 State for Entrepreneurs by Forbes

Our key takeaways – Salt Lake City has the winning combination of lower costs, great amenities and top-ranked universities that provide the necessary workforce and incubators. Smaller cities like SLC often score well for artificial intelligence (AI) readiness because we are the most proactive when it comes to anticipating risks and seeking opportunities.

We’re witnessing the beginning of a trend to move more tech downtown. There are good things about suburban company building but to build a vibrant tech community you need both the ‘inside-the-office’ and the community environment. To follow the history of Austin’s tech scene – while many tech companies set up shop 30 miles northwest of the city in the 1990’s, companies started congregating in downtown Austin instead in the early 2000’s. The make-up and relationship between Lehi/Point of the Mountain and downtown Salt Lake City are very similar to Austin’s early tech.

The Granary District is developing at a strong clip, even mimicking Denver’s downtown RiNO district.

Salt Lake City’s forward-thinking, progressive vibe is hard to ignore, especially when you look at our largest working millennial generation. Their interest in urban living supports to attract business and people downtown. The City is in the early stages of becoming a key node for technology tenants and has a lot of room to grow.

Want to get involved? Join us next Tuesday, December 10th for a panel discussion, “The State of Tech in SLC” when panelists will reflect on happenings in tech and the community over the past year and what the future holds. Mayor-Elect Erin Mendenhall will share her tech plan with the community. Join us as we wrap up the year and look forward to 2020!

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If you haven’t already, sign up for the Silicon Slopes SLC Chapter.  Offer to host a panel, be a guest speaker, guest blog, share with colleagues, and more. Use your skill set to help unify and support the amazing growth and momentum in our tech community.

And as always, we’re here to help. Are you an entrepreneur, developer, or tech leader needing help relocating or expanding your business to Salt Lake City? Give us a call at (801) 535-7200 or email ed@slcgov.com.