Utah Chamber

08/23/2026

Utah can’t control how much snow falls each winter. We can control how wisely we manage the water we have.

Following Utah’s lowest snowpack in recorded history, Utah Chamber President and CEO Derek Miller and Brian Steed, principal advisor of the Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water and Air are making the case for continued conservation, investment and collaboration across the state.

Their Utah Business piece compares Utah’s water system to a balance sheet: precipitation is our income, reservoirs are our savings and human water use is part of our expenses. When income is down, how we manage those expenses matters even more.

Utah’s business community has an important role to play. Through , businesses are working alongside partners across the state to reduce water use, support needed infrastructure and build greater water literacy.

It’s a challenge no single sector can solve alone and exactly the kind of challenge Utah solves best by working together.

Read more:

Reservoir storage built during wetter years is carrying the state for now, but experts say the real solution lies in rethinking how every sector uses water.

08/21/2026

About 20 years ago, the Salt Lake Chamber and other business leaders got together with a bold question: how do we revitalize our downtown? We’ve seen incredible success from that plan, and over the next 8 to 10 years, our downtown will totally transform again.

But Utah is growing everywhere. The whole state is growing — and the whole state needs a plan for how we manage that growth.

We cannot let our future happen by accident. We don't want to wake up in 10 years and ask, “How did we become something we didn’t want to be?”

Utah Rising is built on a fundamental truth: nine out of every ten dollars in Utah’s economy comes from the private sector. Because the private sector grows our economy, the private sector ought to be guiding our economy.

We brought Utah's business community leaders together to map out exactly what we want to see happen across our state over the next decade. We are taking the lead, aligning our goals and working together so that our success remains deliberate.

Explore the business-led roadmap and see how you can help shape our state's future at UtahRising.com.

08/21/2026

This year, our nation turns 250. More than the number itself, it is an opportunity to reflect on one of America’s founding values: freedom.

The freedom to try. The freedom to pursue an idea, build a business and create a life on your own terms. Free enterprise helps make that freedom tangible and keeps the ladder of upward mobility within reach.

Utah is proof that we don’t have to choose between being for business and being for people. Our strongest businesses succeed alongside their employees and communities, helping create opportunity that reaches the next person and the next generation.

As we mark America’s 250th year, let’s keep building the ladder and keep reaching behind us to give the next person a hand up.
A rising Utah lifts every Utahn.

Read the latest President’s Message: https://www.utchamber.com/blog/presidents-message-free-enterprise-is-a-foundational-american-value/

08/17/2026

When business leaders talk about workforce development, we often focus on higher education, technical training and credentials. But the truth is, our workforce pipeline begins much earlier.

Right now, only 50.3% of Utah third graders are reading at grade level. A child who cannot read proficiently by the end of third grade is four times more likely to drop out of high school.

Early literacy isn't just an education issue, it’s the foundation of our state's future success.

That is why Utah Rising has set a clear goal: raise third grade reading proficiency to 100% by 2030. Through the Workforce & Education focus area, the Utah Chamber and Salt Lake Chamber are bringing local business leaders together to expand access to early literacy programs, reading interventions and youth mentorship.
Here is how your business can help make a difference without slowing down operations:

📚 Offer Paid Volunteer Time: Give employees flexible or paid time off to partner with local schools or attend Chamber hosted literacy events.
📖 Host a Workplace Book Drive: Partner with local non-profits or school districts to collect age-appropriate books for children who lack access to home libraries.
🏛️ Advocate for Early Literacy: Support policies, resources and partnerships that accelerate reading achievement statewide.

The prosperity Utah enjoys today was built by leaders who chose to act. You don't have to do everything, but every business can do something.

08/14/2026

The Utah Chamber, in partnership with The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, has released the July 2026 Roadmap to Prosperity Economic Dashboard.

“Utah’s economy continues to show underlying strength, with employment growth in most sectors providing important sources of resilience."

Three essential insights include:
1️⃣ Despite employment declines in four of Utah’s 11 major industries, total employment grew 1.5%.
2️⃣ Headline inflation fell from 4.2% in May to 3.4% in July as energy prices eased.
3️⃣ Year-to-date passenger traffic at Salt Lake City International Airport grew 2.2% relative to 2025.

Read more: https://www.utchamber.com/press-release/utahs-economy-continues-to-show-underlying-strength/

08/11/2026

Building a strong economy means thinking beyond today and investing in the next generation.

The Utah Chamber recently welcomed Rep. Blake Moore for a roundtable discussion on Invest America Accounts, also known as Trump Accounts, and what this new initiative could mean for Utah employers, employees and families.

Business leaders had the opportunity to learn more about how these long-term investment accounts work, ask questions and explore the role employers could play in helping young Americans build a stronger financial foundation for the future.

Thank you to Congressman Moore for this important conversation, and to Fidelity Investments for hosting us.

08/06/2026

has always been about creating a strong vision for Utah's future. Now it's time to put that vision into action.

The Utah Chamber's new action plan gives businesses practical ways to support the six Utah Rising focus areas and help strengthen our economy, communities and workforce.

Every business has a role to play in shaping Utah's future!

Learn more and explore: https://www.utahrising.com/utah-chamber-empowers-businesses-with-an-action-plan-for-continued-economic-success/

07/22/2026

Downtown Salt Lake City has entered its most consequential decade in over a century.

That's not just because of the billions of dollars in investment or the record-breaking economic activity. It's because the decisions we make today will shape our capital city and Utah's economy for decades to come.

In this month's President's Message, Derek Miller reflects on what the latest Downtown Economic Benchmark Report tells us about the opportunities ahead, the challenges we must navigate and why collaboration remains Utah's greatest competitive advantage.

Read the full message here: https://www.utchamber.com/blog/presidents-message-downtown-salt-lake-city-has-entered-its-most-consequential-decade-in-over-a-century/

07/16/2026

The Utah Chamber, in partnership with The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, has released the June 2026 Roadmap to Prosperity Economic Dashboard.

Highlights:
1️⃣ Utah showed 1.0% year-over job growth in May, compared to the national growth of 0.2%.
2️⃣ Lower gasoline prices coincide with an improvement in consumer sentiment.
3️⃣ Labor force participation remains high but has softened in recent months.

“The latest dashboard shows Utah’s economy retaining some underlying strength, including continued job growth and a modest improvement in consumer sentiment, but the broader economic picture remains uneven."

Read more: https://www.utchamber.com/press-release/utah-job-growth-outpaces-nation-but-economic-picture-remains-uneven/

07/08/2026

Utah's future depends on the choices we make today.

Through , the Utah Chamber continues to bring business leaders, policymakers and community partners together around a shared vision for Utah's long-term prosperity.

In our latest Utah Business thought leadership article, we explore six interconnected priorities that will shape Utah's future: workforce and education, transportation, business environment, housing, livability and natural resources. These issues don't exist in silos. Progress in one strengthens the others, and lasting success will require collaboration across every sector.

Utah Rising isn't just about preparing for tomorrow, it's about taking meaningful action today to ensure Utah remains the best place to live, work and do business for generations to come.

Read the full article:

Utah sets the stage for the decades to come through Utah Rising, focusing on education, transportation, business, housing, livability and natural resources.