The Economic Development Corporation of Utah and the Southern Utah Economic Alliance signed a memorandum of understanding on October 9 to formalize a partnership intended to strengthen coordination between statewide business recruitment and the five-county Southern Utah region.
Under the agreement, the alliance will continue leading economic development engagement across Washington, Iron, Beaver, Kane, and Garfield counties. The partnership establishes reciprocal representation on their respective boards to create an ongoing connection between regional and statewide efforts.
The collaboration will allow the organizations to coordinate company outreach, project responses, and site visits for businesses evaluating opportunities in Southern Utah. The alliance is intended to provide companies and statewide partners with direct access to local leaders, communities, sites, infrastructure, workforce resources, and other regional opportunities.
Ryan Starks, EDC
Utah’s executive director, stated that the organization's mission is to bring the right people to the table for the businesses they serve. He noted that collaboration is the ingredient that makes Team Utah work and that the agreement puts that principle into practice by building a coordinated effort to bring investment and critical jobs to communities across the state.
Todd Brightwell, the alliance’s CEO, said the organization is honored to formalize the partnership. He noted that Southern Utah has tremendous opportunities and that companies require a clear path to understand available resources and how to connect with the right people.
Brightwell added that while the alliance knows its local communities, sites, and leaders, EDC
Utah provides statewide and national reach along with decades of recruitment experience. Bringing these strengths together is intended to give Southern Utah a unified voice and a better opportunity to compete for projects that bring high-value jobs and investment to the region.
Formed in 1987, EDC
Utah is a statewide economic development organization that works with state and local government and private industry to attract high-value companies and grow Utah’s economy. Its mission involves catalyzing quality jobs and capital investment through corporate recruitment, retention, economic research, site selector marketing, and community strategy.
The Southern Utah Economic Alliance is a private-sector-led, publicly supported regional economic development organization serving Washington, Iron, Beaver, Kane, and Garfield counties. The organization works to expand, recruit, and retain businesses while serving as a regional convener that connects companies, communities, and partners with necessary data, relationships, and resources.
