Blog Posts

By: Natalie Gochnour Originally published in Utah Business I love the start of a new year. It’s a time to begin anew and take a fresh look at life. I find it’s also agood time to take a pause, learn from the past and build a better tomorrow. The Utah Legislature understands the value of this type of introspection and long-term thinking. Last month they took time out of their busy schedules to attend a Legislative Policy Summit hosted by the David Eccles School of Business. It was my job to brief them on Utah’s current economic positioning. Here’s what[...]

By: Natalie Gochnour Originally published in the Deseret News This week Gov. Gary Herbert released his fiscal year 2015 budget. He recommended $13.3 billion in spending – a cool $36 million a day to pay for Utah’s education system, transportation network, human services, public safety and other important public functions. I worked in the state budget office for 18 years, and I think the governor got it right. Here’s my take on state finances: Fiscal fitness – Every year the governor and Legislature deliver a carefully crafted, fiscally conservative and economically smart budget. They balance revenues and expenses, keep spending[...]

By: Natalie Gochnour Originally published in Utah Business I can still remember the flyers plastered in the hallways of my junior high school: “Bonnet ball begins next month. Sign up now.” The flyers started a conversation between a good friend and me—should we sign up for bonnet ball or try an alternative sport known as soccer? The year was 1975 and soccer, especially for women, was a largely unknown sport in the Beehive State. Soccer prevailed—largely because I found the title “bonnet ball” off-putting—and I started playing soccer in the Utah Soccer Association’s inaugural year of competitive women’s soccer. Turn[...]

By: Natalie Gochnour Originally published in Utah Business Economists love investment because it helps transform lower value inputs into higher value outputs. That’s economist-speak for economic development, and we are fortunate in Utah to have another major infrastructure investment project taking off … literally. The Salt Lake City International Airport begins a decade-long redevelopment program this year. The airport will be completely rebuilt. The result will be a seismically safe, tech-savvy and customer-friendly facility that will accommodate a growing state. The airport redevelopment program joins I-15 CORE, Frontrunner and TRAX as another major transportation investment in the future of the[...]

By: Natalie Gochnour Originally published in the Deseret News We are fortunate in Utah to have had great governors through the years. I've had the pleasure of working directly with three of them — Norm Bangerter, Mike Leavitt and Olene Walker — and advising two of them — Jon Huntsman Jr., and Gary Herbert. I grew up admiring the service of Govs. Cal Rampton and Scott Matheson. To a person, Utah's governors protect the public trust and serve as remarkable stewards of our state. This stands in sharp contrast to a major state like Illinois where four of the past[...]

By: Natalie Gochnour Originally published in the Deseret News The start of spring signals transition. The foothills turn green, we wear brighter colors and the blue sky makes us all feel just a little bit better. Spring brings barbecues, baseball and backyard gardening and, with any luck, the NBA playoffs for the home team. It's a time of renewal, and after a long, cold and snowy winter, we are ready for the change. The change of season also coincides with the upcoming graduation of approximately 33,000 Utah high school students. They will dawn their caps and gowns, plan graduation trips,[...]