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SALT LAKE CITY -- About 1,000 of Utah's business leaders had lunch with Gov. Gary Herbert Monday during his annual economic summit. Many who attended were optimistic about Utah's outlook in business, including the governor himself.
"There is opportunity here in Utah. It's a fertile field to grow, expand and start a business," Herbert told the businessmen and women he invited to lunch.
"You get to network with so many other businesses within the state," said Jason Watson, commercial business development officer with Wells Fargo Bank.
The Governor's Utah Economic Summit included a full day of training sessions and lectures by people like Kelly Matthews, former economist of Wells Fargo Bank.
"This has been a difficult economic environment, and we have some long-range problems," Matthews said.
One such problem, Matthews said, is Utah's education system and its lack of funding.
"In my opinion, we are slipping and have been for the last 15 years," he said.
But not all sectors look so dismal.
"I'm an optimist, so I feel like things are starting to look better," said Jeffery Nelson, president and CEO of Nelson Laboratories.
Nelson's company is a medical device and pharmaceutical business. The governor honored him Monday with the Economic Legacy Award for bringing jobs and work to hundreds of Utahns.
"We care a lot about the state. We think it's a great place to do business," Nelson said.
"We want to do everything we can for the private sector to expand the economy," Herbert said.
The governor ended his speech by telling business leaders things will get better, and are getting better, as far as business growth in the state.
E-mail: abutterfield@ksl.com
