This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Wanted: Economic development genius with people skills to oversee the bolstering of Salt Lake City's business climate while coordinating growth with the redevelopment agency, international airport, arts and culture groups and educational institutions.
Salary: Yet to be determined.
Mayor Jackie Biskupski rolled out the big guns in business and economic development Thursday to join her in announcing a nationwide search for a position she just created: director of the Department of Economic Development. Previously economic development was a division under the Department of Community and Economic Development.
By elevating economic development to department status, Biskupski said she is signaling a bold, new approach to grow the capital city's economy.
Salt Lake City needs vision to keep its economy growing, she said, and must develop an economic identity along with a citywide strategic plan to stay competitive. Key to that will be what appears to be an economic-development czar with far-reaching power.
"The director [of economic development] must be a strategic thinker with the capacity to envision a citywide plan for sustainable economic growth, in line with the unique needs and values of Salt Lake City," the mayor said. "This individual must have the ability to work collaboratively with key stakeholders, including a seven-member City Council, [state and federal] government officials, economic and ethnically diverse constituents, city employees, and leaders from local business, arts and religious communities."
When asked about the position's salary, the mayor said that had not yet been determined. "We hope we can offer up enough money so we can recruit someone significant," she sad.
Notable among the 20 community leaders present were Val Hale, the executive director of the Governor's Office of Economic Development and Jeff Edwards, president and CEO of Economic Development Corporation of Utah (EDCU), suggesting a new level of cooperation between Salt Lake City and state government.
"The entire state benefits from a strong capital city," Edwards said. "With this move, Salt Lake City can be more engaged with the [state's] economic development community."
The news conference was unusual because a job search announcement is normally a subdued procedure, rather than the pep-rally quality found at Thursday's announcement. It could be seen as state, city and private sector players coming together. Critics, on the other hand, might view it simply as a public-relations maneuver. But one onlooker said it was a good way to get the word out to prospective candidates.
Also on hand was Natalie Gochnour, associate dean of the David Eccles School of Business and director of the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah. Last year, she headed up former Mayor Ralph Becker's Enterprise SLC economic plan.
"Salt Lake City is a global city, an international city," Gochnour said. "By doing this, it will elevate the entire state."
There is no deadline for job applications, but Gochnour asked the mayor to waste no time finding the new director.