Have you heard about EDCUtah’s new community investor program? The new model, launched at the end of 2024, allows EDCUtah to deliver tailored services to EDCUtah community investors and meet them where they are in their economic journey—ensuring that each Utah community receives enhanced support based on its unique economic development goals.
EDCUtah is Utah’s only statewide economic development organization with a public-private partnership model. Our mission is supported by investments from Utah cities, counties, and state agencies, as well as private sector companies. Greg Bisping, EDCUtah vice president of investor relations, spent his first year at EDCUtah meeting regularly with Utah communities to gather feedback on our public sector investor program. Utah community leaders shared their ideas, goals, and concerns – and we listened.
Utah communities may now choose from five tiers of investment. Each tier offers varying levels of service in key areas like business development, research, marketing, grants, retail promotion, and events. We are committed to pricing our services so that every Utah community—no matter how large or small—can invest in EDCUtah. Download this PDF for a breakdown of each investment level.
As part of the new program, EDCUtah partnered with NextSite to offer AlphaMap at preferential pricing to EDCUtah community investors. We know that the retail industry plays an important role in local sales tax revenue, quality of life, and workforce diversification. But for many city and county officials, finding the right data to support retail recruitment efforts can be time-consuming and expensive.
With AlphaMap, Utah communities gain access to a comprehensive suite of tools and services that are designed to unlock valuable insights and inform decision-making. From identifying target markets and analyzing consumer behavior to optimizing land use and infrastructure planning, AlphaMap empowers communities to strategically plan and execute their development initiatives.
Jen Wakeland, strategic development director for Beaver County, is already seeing results after implementing AlphaMap.
“AlphaMap is a fantastic tool that allows me to recruit new businesses, report out to my elected officials and other governing bodies, and gain a better understanding of the business activity occurring in my county, cities, and towns,” said Wakeland. “Before AlphaMap, this information was purely anecdotal. Now we can provide demographic information, annual spend, and trade area radius to potential business owners, entrepreneurs, and community members.”
In 2024, EDCUtah conducted a comprehensive analysis of grant utilization across communities and discovered that many faced similar challenges and opportunities. One of the top community priorities was gaining access to a wider range of grant opportunities. Grants can provide a valuable source of funding for a community’s priority projects—but finding the right grant opportunity is half the battle.
Another valuable offering in the new program is access to Instrumentl, a leading database platform for discovering and managing grants. EDCUtah community investors can use Instrumentl’s comprehensive grant database to discover new funding opportunities tailored to their specific community’s needs. Instrumentl provides data-driven recommendations to help an organization maximize their chances of securing funding. EDCUtah will also offer curated tools and templates to help communities streamline their grant application process.
The tier-based program allows communities to choose investment levels that fit their specific goals and budget. Some key highlights include:
Interested in investing in EDCUtah? Email Greg Bisping at gbisping@edcutah.org to discuss specific offerings, schedule a meeting, or get started with the new model.
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