Panel concludes SLC could catch Silicon Slopes

Brice Wallace 

Utah County and the south end of Salt Lake County are getting a ton of focus for being the tech hub for Utah, but a panel last week said Salt Lake City has all the ingredients to catch up if not surpass that region.

In a discussion about the state of technology in Salt Lake City, some of the panelists were left to wonder why Salt Lake City has not already established itself as Utah’s tech center.{mprestriction ids="1,3"}

“The tech ecosystem here in Salt Lake City certainly exists, but it’s not as robust as it is south of us and in other areas around the country, and yet Salt Lake City is the cultural and economic hub of this region,” Erin Mendenhall, the city’s mayor-elect, said at the event, presented by Silicon Slopes. “We don’t have a single unicorn company here — [which] I like to complain about — although there’s six unicorns between Draper and Lehi.

“So how is Salt Lake City, with 45 bars and more, the most diverse economy, the most diverse culture [and] welcoming community here in Salt Lake City, to become the tech ecosystem hub for the region? That is a great piece of the work that I look forward to doing.”

Mendenhall said Salt Lake City is in the middle of a growing region, with many of the ingredients in place to attract prospective companies, especially those in tech. Already, she said, she has seen outsiders’ perception of the city change during her six years in public service. When speaking to people while traveling, she used to see a “look of pity that washes over their face” when she mentioned she was from Salt Lake City.

“And that’s changing. More and more people are saying, “Oh, Salt Lake is awesome. I went there.’ … We are on the map in a bigger way,” she said.

Jason Hahn, founder and CEO of Janiis, said the city’s relative tech position is due to “down South” being “a bit more organized.” As he has raised venture funding in Utah, most investors have found it strange that his headquarters are in Salt Lake City rather than further south, he said.

Tom Stockham, CEO of ExpertVoice, said that in the early 1990s, recruiting outsiders to work in Utah “was nearly nonexistent, nearly impossible.” But the pitch to them was the same then as it is today, focusing on work/life balance.

“Phenomenal work and not spend your entire day in traffic jams, not have it be idiotic that you’re trying to spend time with your family or things like that,” he said of Utah’s attractions. “Really, there’s a cultural support for that here. That same line has a really different effect now, more than 20 years later.

“We’ve reached some sort of tipping point along the way, and specifically with respect to Salt Lake, Salt Lake is the best of what would be interesting to someone who isn’t necessarily from Utah, or is but just wants more interesting things in their life: more variety, more things to partake of, culturally and otherwise. So, we’re in a really interesting spot in Salt Lake to offer up truly the best of what Utah has to offer.”

Chris Kirk, managing director of the downtown Salt Lake City branch of Colliers International, said the city is well-positioned for future tech industry growth because it is “on the cusp of having a substantial amount of product available downtown.”

“That will help, I think, at the right time and in the right place, which is Salt Lake City,” Kirk said. “I absolutely agree with what people have said. That fulcrum, that pendulum, has shifted. The awareness of Utah is out there. The quality of life, the live/work balance is important. … Culturally, downtown is a big part of what we should be discussing as well, because there is a trend globally for companies to locate in urban areas.”

“The word is out” with companies outside Utah knowing it is a great location for a business, he said. “Those of us who are from here know the value proposition. Those from outside are now thinking, ‘Ah, Salt Lake. That’s a cool place,’” he said.

While the panel discussion touched on issues relating to education, air quality, housing affordability, alcohol laws and transit and accessibility, some of it focused on recruiting talent from out of state, overcoming myths and cultural obstacles, and making outsiders feel welcome when they start work at local companies.

Mendenhall said Salt Lake City could become “a magnet that attracts people who might not feel like they fit in in Provo or other areas of the state,” where the industry might be thriving but the people “aren’t feeling like they’re people. Salt Lake City has been doing that for generations.”

Hahn’s nine-person company has one employee from outside Utah who indicated that Salt Lake City has many commonalities with places in their previous life.

“What was super-interesting is learning that Salt Lake City, amongst other cities in the state, was actually a much easier way to make them feel included, to make them feel like they’re from somewhere else in the United States,” Hahn said, noting that Salt Lake City is near a major airport and close to Park City.

“So, it’s easy to retain clients and it’s easy to convince folks to move to this city, that has more of an inclusion, the restaurants, the bar scene — things that they’ll recognize a little bit more,” he said.

Tina Larson, chief operating officer at Recursion Pharmaceuticals, said 40 percent of Recursion employees were brought in from outside Utah. She said the top questions outsiders ask are about air quality and “will I belong here?”

“I think that speaks to things like diversity, inclusion, equity, culture,” Larson said. “I think there are a lot of myths out there about what Salt Lake is and what Utah is. I think there are some truths out there that we need to face as well.”

Back to the positives, Kirk said the city’s live/work balance “is the best thing we have going for us” and joined others in saying that city supporters need to continue to get the word out about its charms.

“Changing the narrative is part of what we’re talking about, how we’re articulating it. In reality, this is a wonderful place to live. The culture here is extremely open and is becoming more so, the work ethic is incredible, and we have the opportunity to be able to showcase those type of things. … I think we’re at this opportunity where some of this stuff is going to start to be less of a sales job for us living here.”

Last week’s event was at Kiln, a coworking space in The Gateway in Salt Lake City. Prior to the panel discussion, Kiln’s CEO, Arian Lewis, said he is “incredibly bullish” about Salt Lake City’s future as a tech center.

“And I think that this is going to eclipse anything happening in the rest of the state in many ways — in time,” he said. “I really believe it. It has all the seeds of greatness, and we have incredible talent here and people who feel welcomed and embraced by the community and culture up here in Salt Lake.” {/mprestriction}