AlphaGraphics loves Utah, but many firms still leery of the state

Iomega moved from Roy to San Diego. Novell left Provo for the Boston area. And those are just two prominent examples that spring readily to mind.

But Utah leaders can point to at least one recent success. AlphaGraphics, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, moved its headquarters from Tucson, Ariz., to Salt Lake City in 2001.

However, even that move was not without controversy. Michael B. Witte, who was chairman and chief executive officer of AlphaGraphics at the time, said in August 2001 that some of the company's Tucson staff would not come to Utah because the state is "a tough sell."

"I lost lots of good people I was sure would move on the issue of Utah," he said then. "But believe me, if you don't live here and you're looking in from the outside, otherwise very educated, liberal, open-minded people still look at the Utah environment and think that you guys are from Mars."

Witte is not CEO of AlphaGraphics anymore, but the company's new chief executive says Utah's perception problems are still around.

Kevin Cushing, who became company president and CEO last year, says he loves Utah.

"I think (the state) has an outstanding work and service ethic . . . and an outstanding work force," Cushing said. "Between the access to recreation and the best four-season climate I've ever experienced, I absolutely love that."

Utah is in an excellent location for businesses, he said, and Salt Lake City feels like a small town even thought it has many big-city amenities.

But . . .

"Whether it's real or not, the reputation of Salt Lake is that . . . it's different from other places," Cushing said.

The success of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games helped eliminate some of those perceptions, he said. "They just nailed it."

But some people still hang on to their perceptions of Utah, Cushing said. And that means the state is missing out on the economic development, community service and work force that come along with headquarters operations — a problem on which political and business leaders need to focus.

"I think it's incumbent on our government leadership to value what corporate headquarters can bring," he said.

E-mail: gkratz@desnews.com

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