Another incentive announced to continue this year was the Utah Technology Innovation Funding (UTIF). This second-year program aims to support small businesses developing innovative technology by leveraging the federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. UTIF intends to help Utah companies develop technology and chart a path toward commercialization.
In the future, the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity has targeted its expansion efforts to five industries that work together to diversify and enhance the state’s economy: advanced manufacturing, aerospace and defense, finance, life sciences, and healthcare.
Salina, UT Offers Prime Access To Major Metro Areas
Utah often bills itself as the crossroads of the west given its geographic location and intersection of interstate highways, railroads, and an international airport. That point is accurate given the major markets that are in close proximity to Salt Lake City. But there is a second “crossroads of the west” in Utah that offers nearly as much opportunity for companies looking for strategic and functional logistics, distribution, and warehouse centers—Salina City.
Salina is located on Interstate 70 at a western end of that national highway. Interstate 70 intersects with Interstate 15 at two points; one point with a southern orientation and the other with a northern orientation. Goods traveling from ports and warehouses in southern California travel through Salina on their way to Denver and beyond until I-70 eventually terminates in Baltimore, MD.
Major metro centers are within a day’s drive including Los Angeles, Denver, and Phoenix. The Bay Area is not much longer. A formal analysis by Colliers International shows that in an 11-hour drive time from Salina, there are approximately 38,381,105 people. Within a 4-hour drive, there are approximately 1,433,539.
Salina owns the industrial park with land ready for development. Phase 1 of the Salina Industrial Park is a 245.5-acre improved site (with additional acreage available for development) on the north side of I-70, roughly 56 miles east of I-15 and 27.6 miles southeast of Scipio, UT, on State Route 50. State Route 50 converges with I-70 in Salina then shifts east and converges with I-70 servicing Denver and beyond. The property has been zoned for commercial activity. A company can begin immediately with planning the site for construction. As indicated, additional phases are in the wings with more land for large developments.
The site is primarily flat and parallels West Industrial Park Drive, which originates slightly east of State Route 50 and continues for a quarter of a mile into the Salina Industrial Park. The elevation is 5,261 feet above sea level, and the park contains 55 total parcels, including 17 with active commercial businesses and 38 available for sale. The Economic Development Corporation of Utah has certified the site for a base level of data points.
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With such a large volume of traffic passing through Salina, the community has developed a hub for trucking and transportation. Several gas stations, fast food restaurants, and convenience stores line both sides of I-70 near the State Route 89 offramp in Salina, providing motorists with plenty of options for fueling up before the roughly seven-hour drive over the Rocky Mountains into Denver. Various other service providers, such as truck repair, tires, travel-friendly restaurants, and midgrade motels, line State Route 89 to support travelers on their journeys.
