Geri Gamber, Executive Director, SEUALG/SEUEDD, Price, UT

1. 1
CEDS Process / Regional Growth Program
Geri Gamber, Executive Director
Jade Powell, Deputy Director
Stuart Clason, Regional Growth Director

2. 2
Southeastern Utah
Overview of SEUEDD’s service region.
● Carbon, Emery, Grand and San Juan Counties
● ~55,000 population
● ~17,500 square miles
● Indigenous Populations (Navajo Nation, Ute Mountain
Ute)
● Industry Sectors
○ Mining / Energy Production (declining / shifting)
○ Tourism (vulnerable)
○ Agriculture

3. 3
● Regional Focus Group
○ Drafting New CEDS
○ Monthly / Weekly Meetings
● Critical Stakeholders
○ Entrepreneurs & Private Enterprise
○ Elected Officials (local, state & federal representatives)
○ Utah State University
○ State of Utah Departments (GOPB, UDOT, GOEO, DWS, DNR/OED)
○ Equity Groups
● Long-Term Engagement Strategies
○ Authentic stakeholder engagement
○ Integrated within community & economic development strategies
● CEDS 2023 - Future
○ Commitments from Stakeholders
○ Equity & Inclusion Goals
○ GIS / Story Maps Platform - Living Document
SEUEDD CEDS Process
A strategic blueprint for regional collaboration.
Carbon
Grand
Emery
San Juan

4. 4
● Statewide Planning Dollars (ARPA)
○ Camoin Associates
○ Subawards to Utah EDDs
● Timelines
○ Utah EDDs on same timeline (2023 being next CEDS)
○ Alignment for future collaboration
● Outcomes
○ Action Plan Document
○ Statewide collaboration / mutual goals
○ Economic data dashboard
○ Regional Economic Development Collaborative
Statewide CEDS Process - Coordinated Action Plan for
Economic Development 2030
Lead out by the Utah Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget

5. Sorenson Impact
REGIONAL GROWTH PROGRAM
DRIVING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THROUGH
REGIONAL COLLABORATION

6. 23 Counties
15% of the State’s population 500,000 live in 23
Counties, which account for 91% of the State’s
total land mass. Those Counties are classified as
3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th Class Counties, and they are
very limited in resources and capacity.
15% Salt Lake County
35% of the State’s 3.2 million residents live in 1
County. The County that houses most of the
State’s economic activity, largest representation
in the legislature, and the entry point to most of
the State’s visitors. Salt Lake County alone
employs around 1,800 people.
35%
BACKGROUND ON RGA CREATION
FOCUS ON DRIVING INVESTMENT TO ADDRESS THE GROWING URBAN/RURAL DIVIDE

7. BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT
● Leveraging Existing Work Into a Pilot Program
○ RFA ask: seeding the RGA to run “pilot program”
○ SEUALG, Six County AOG & Bear River AOG: Initial AOGs for the program
○ Goal to grow statewide in 2024
○ This request been made every year since 2020
○ Created the Utah Regional Growth Association
● Leveraging Private Capital, Community Reinvestment Areas, & Incentives
○ Engaging CRA Banks, “Anchor Institutions” such as IHC
○ Engaging Utah’s large philanthropic community
○ Creating a statewide platform to drive Private Investment
● Assisting Local Partners in Maximizing State & Federal Incentives
○ EDTIF, USDA, EDA, SBA, Utah Rural County Grant Program
● Focus on Meaningful Regional Outcomes, such as:
○ Developing a Vibrant Entrepreneurial & Tourism Ecosystem
○ Labor Skills and Workforce Development
○ Affordable Housing and Community Centric Real Estate
○ Create capital stack for company expansions
Empowering Rural Economic Development and Coordination
Figure 1: AOG Regions Statewide

8. Capacity Building
The partnerships built
around the program
provides scalable capacity
to local communities,
which allows them to
bring experience and
knowledge that otherwise
would not exist.
Private
Investment
Public/Private Partnership
are a cornerstone of the
growth experienced in
Urban Utah. These
transaction were
facilitated by organization
capacity, which this
program provides in Rural
Utah.
Technical
Assistance
Rural Communities
benefit from the technical
experts and assistance
provided by this program
on a Regional Level. It also
encourages
multijurisdictional
collaboration.
Measuring
Success
The funding provided by
Federal, State, and Local
Partners requires
measuring and reporting,
and the success seen in a
short period warrants
further investment in this
Regional approach.
REGIONAL GROWTH FRAMEWORK