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Ben Hart is the Deputy Director at the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity. One question Ben is asked the most is, why are we still trying to grow and attract people into the state? The answer is because we want to keep your kids and grandkids here. He explains that with each graduating class, we lose many people to more lucrative out-of-state opportunities, but by aggressively bringing in new businesses and growing pre-existing ones, Utah can maintain economic inertia.

Dejan Eskic is a senior research fellow at the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. He earned a Bachelor’s in Urban Planning and later a Master’s in Real Estate Development, both from the University of Utah. What is the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute? Dejan describes the institute as a public think tank or holder of information, part of the David Eccles School of Business. Informed decisions are at the core of their mission, researching economy, population, and other trends to help city makers by giving them the information needed to make the right decisions. As part of a public university, the institute is apolitical, and values presenting reliable, unbiased information. The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute has a tremendous staff, including leaders with decades of experience, economists, and other world-class researchers at the University of Utah. “Our currency is reputation,” Dejan says, talking about the strong relationship that the institute has with both the city and its builders.

Envision Utah was born 25 years ago because of the growth Utah was seeing at the time. The question was asked, where is this taking us? From there began the process to bring people together and talk about the best plan for the state’s future. Ari Bruening is the Chief Operating Officer for the not-for-profit Envision Utah, which engages people to create and sustain communities that are beautiful, prosperous, healthy, and neighborly.

This past year alone, St. George has added a whopping 10,000 new residents. For the size of St. George, that’s a significant growth factor and made it the nation's fastest-growing metro area. With the addition of a new waterpark and other local amenities, St. George focuses on adding attractions for the locals and tourists alike to keep the money inside St. George. Neil Gibbs, with ReMax Real Estate, fell in love with the red rock of southern Utah, like many people who have moved to this area. Utah is known for its outdoor lifestyle, and St. George is definitely a region that is a part of incredible outdoor recreation. A close friend persuaded Neil to use his real estate license in St. George, and less than a week later, he moved to the area and has been there for almost three decades.

All you listeners have heard the Silver Dollar Man complain about how Utah is lacking in water, unlike his beloved East Coast. Linda Townes Cook, Public Information Manager with the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District, has over thirty years of experience with water. Her job seeks to make the best use of available water through development, conservation, or servicing the Salt Lake County area. Why Water is Important to Utahns Water directly affects the state’s growth. How land is developed in the future will determine how much water there is, and if Utah ran out of water sources, development would stop completely. The Jordan Valley Water Conservancy plans 50 years into the future, as it would take as long to acquire a new water source. The good news is, Utah’s not about to run out of drinking water anytime soon, as 60% of drinking water goes into watering lawns. With such a large portion of water going to a non-essential source, Linda isn't worried about going thirsty, even in the second driest state. However, the battle for water conservation largely depends on landscaping.

What is the Inland Port of Utah? The Inland Port is not a water port but a logistics program used to manage the transportation of goods through the Utah rail system. The Inland Port program allows for the efficient movement of goods in Utah. In addition to the efficiency aspect, this port will become a Green Port, which will reduce carbon emissions. Meet Senator Gregg Buxton Senator Gregg Buxton is the Senate rules chair for District 4. He is also the Utah Inland Port Authority Vice-Chair. With a background in construction, he is leading the project to build the new prison in Utah. Senator Buxton is also on the committee for the Inland Port Authority.

Ashley Atkinson Williamson is the President of the Salt Lake Home Builders Association. The SLHBA develops components to advance efficiency, quality, and cost in the home building industry. In addition, they advocate for land planning and project the long-term effects building has had on our communities for the past 75 years. The Home Builders Association The HBA advocates for housing with three tiers - the local, state, and national levels. Although it’s not required for a home builder to be a member, it’s a good idea to become a member as they advocate for the problems that home builders across the nation face daily.

As we look forward to the future of the beehive state, one of the concerns in Utah with the significant increase in population is transportation. Elizabeth McMillan is the Communications Director at the Utah Department of Transportation, also known as UDOT. She talks about the possible transportation solutions for Utah’s growing population. The Mission of UDOT Elizabeth is excited to work in UDOT at this time. “We can be creative about what we explore, technology, human happiness and how the human experience relates to transportation.” Her job is to find out how they can use transportation to maximize and enhance their quality of life. Utah Traffic Issues There are several traffic issues UDOT is looking to solve for Utah drivers. First, they are trying to improve delays in car traffic on the highways and in the Wasatch front. “We need to optimize what we have as best we can” since UDOT can’t put in any new highways in the state because of the geography constraints. Their goal is to enhance roadways by building overpasses and similar solutions instead of buying a bunch of land in communities to build new roads. “We want that excellent quality of life and paving over neighborhoods and communities isn’t what we want.”

Steve Perry has over two decades of experience in real estate and was elected President to the Salt Lake Board of Realtors in 2020. Steve was instrumental in taking one of the largest brokerages in the state from under 200 agents to over 1,100 agents. He has served his community consistently through the years, volunteering his time for local youth sports and was even the Mayor of Kearns. With so many legalities to buying a home, you'll want a professional by your side to guide you during one of the most significant purchases you'll make in your life. Also, the realtor you choose should have an excellent working knowledge of the area you are buying in, so they can advise you on what and where to buy based on your preferences.

The Utah Real Estate podcast just finished recording the last episode for season three. Season four will start Feb 10th, 2022. Thank you to all our listeners we appreciate you pushing play and learning from all of our guests.

Walter Cronkite said, “In seeking truth you have to get both sides of a story.” So to bring you both sides of the gondola, we will be chatting about some of the concerns in opposition to the Gondola project in Little Cottonwood canyon. Emily Pitsch is part of the Students for the Wasatch Group. She is receiving her Ph.D. in Biochemistry at the University of Utah, and she moved to the Beehive state because of her love of the mountains. Discover her side of this project and why she is opposed to the gondola built in the canyon.

With over 7,000 cars driving through this small canyon, Little Cottonwood receives traffic from outdoor enthusiasts and locals who live and work in and around the canyon. Building and using a gondola in the canyon would not only relieve much of the car traffic but would also provide secondary emergency access to the canyon. Chris McCandless, founder of The Gondola Works, shares that something needs to be done about the increased traffic in the mountains.