After all, he needed to know where to start, how to get a loan, how to write articles of incorporation.

"I always felt like I had to find everything out myself," the Salt Lake County mayor said.

Now, he has a comprehensive tool.

On Thursday, Corroon unveiled a new business-development program described as a "one-stop shopping" resource for small businesses.

Called "Up Grade," Corroon's brainchild consists of a new Web site that pools federal, state, county and private resources for prospective - or existing - businesses to navigate.

"The resources? A lot of them exist," explained Dale Carpenter, Corroon's director of business and economic development. "We're in no way reinventing the wheel. But we want it to be a one-stop center."

The Web site designates business categories under "start up," "grow up," "move up," and "fire up."

The site provides links to the Small Business Administration, Utah's Division of Workforce Services, chambers of commerce, banks, Salt Lake Community College and multiple economic-development programs.

It also showcases success stories, including the owners of the Crown Burger restaurant chain and Black Diamond Equipment. The latter moved to Utah from California in 1991 and now enjoys international recognition for its outdoor-recreation gear.

One program goal, according to Carpenter, is to double the county's revolving-loan fund to about $5 million, which he concedes could take a couple of years.

Another service: providing guidelines for small and medium businesses to capitalize on redevelopment agencies, tweaked seemingly every year at the Legislature.

Stan Nakano, director of Utah's Small Business Administration, says the state approved more than 2,000 small-business loans during the past year - about 40 percent in Salt Lake County.

"By working collaboratively with 'Up Grade,' we can increase our numbers and reach more businesses in Salt Lake County," he told business owners gathered outside Black Diamond for Thursday's announcement.

Peter Metcalf, Black Diamond's owner, pinned his company's successful run to its home "at the foot of the Wasatch. Black Diamond needed to have location on the asset side of its balance sheet," he said.

Metcalf praised Salt Lake County for offering an educated work force, proximity to a major university and airport and competitive rates for insurance coverage.

"Our real economic-growth engine," Corroon said, "comes from our local businesses."

djensen@sltrib.com

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