Congratulations to William Wright, who has just been named Acting Project Manager for Salt Lake City’s Department of Economic Development! Will has been with us for nearly 5 years and has been an integral support to growing important programs for the team.

In this role, Will facilitates those connections, provides on-the-ground services to businesses needing assistance, and advocates for policies and service changes to improve Salt Lake City’s business climate.

If you haven’t met him in person, it’s only a matter of time! Together with Roberta Reichgelt, Will has met with hundreds of small business owners over the years to hear their concerns and meet their needs. When you’re ready to meet, just give him a call to set it up! It’s that easy.

Will is involved with SLC’s Business Advisory Board, helped create content for the Food Truck Guide, Local Startup and Entrepreneurship Guide, is a regular on the StartupSLC! Podcast, helped support SLC’s efforts to better support road construction impacts on business, and helped support the creation of Living Color Utah. Among other things.

Needless to say, he’s our ‘go to’ resource for getting information and connecting people who have built our local economy.

We asked Will for his thoughts on his experiences on the job so far, and what he looks forward to next:

What do think the biggest challenge is for small business owners emerging from the pandemic?

2020 was such a crazy year from earth quakes to wind storms to the global pandemic. Two of the biggest challenges local businesses face, especially small business, coming out of the pandemic are changing and evolving business models and workforce challenges and staffing their business.

What are the most under-utilized local small business resources available to SLC?

Two of the most under-utilized resources available to local business are the Neighborhood Business Improvement Program (NBIP) affectionately called the façade program and the Economic Development Loan Fund (EDLF). The façade program is a grant of up to $25,000 dollars available to businesses in many of the neighborhoods in the City to improve the look of the business. It is available through Housing and Neighborhoods in the City.

The Economic Development Loan Fund (EDLF) is a revolving loan fund for start-ups and established businesses that have difficulty getting traditional loans from banks. The EDLF is available through Economic Development in the City and start-ups are eligible to borrow up to $100,000 and established businesses up to $350,000.

What are you excited about in SLC?

I am excited about Salt Lake City’s positioning to come out of the pandemic with one of the best local economies, environments, and cultures to lead out nationally and even globally for what looks to be a decade of incredible innovation.

Where would you tell someone to start with a new startup or business idea?

Call me at 801 535 7936 or email William.wright@slcgov.com and I will connect you to the resources that are available to you.

Congrats, Will!

At Salt Lake City’s Department of Economic Development, our goal is to better understand the challenges ahead of you, to help grow your business. We work to streamline processes, provide excellent customer service, and ensure you have the tools to thrive. For more information, visit http://www.slc.gov/ed