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What does the crystal ball predict for 2014?

By Val Hale And Donna Milakovic - | Jan 2, 2014

Donna: It’s a new year, and with the first week of January comes the inevitable New Year’s resolution. Rather than discussing resolutions this week, we will pull out the crystal ball and participate in yet another great tradition of January — the predictions.

What will 2014 be like? Is Orange making a come back as color of the year? Will Avengers 2 blow away the other blockbusters on opening weekend?

Actually Val and I have decided to ask the crystal ball about the business climate of Utah Valley this year. Here is what I see: 2014 is the year of the start-up business. While Utah Valley has always been a great place to start a business with business-friendly elected officials and universities that encourage entrepreneurship and innovation. However, there is an amazing energy building in the valley. It has been growing over the last couple of years, and I see 2014 as a break out year for all this energy. The young entrepreneurs and those with more experience will be taking advantage of the momentum and launching amazing new companies.

Whether it is business number one or twenty-one, the start up will get a lot of attention this year.

It may not have caught your notice but there have been more than 10 businesses from Provo featured on ABC’s Shark Tank in the last year or so. There are trade shows for technology companies started by students under 25 cropping up, and with all of the media and glamor comes a new generation of business leaders excited about starting their company.

I would dare to say that Utah Valley has never been more ready to grow a new crop of start up companies than we are right now. Like all predictions this one is subject to the winds of change. Still, I think we will see a lot more interest in investing in Utah Valley start up companies and a few mammoths similar to Vivint, Novell, Word Perfect and NuSkin born this year.

Val: As I glance into the crystal ball, I see Provo Mayor John Curtis reach into his hat and pull out another quasi-epic announcement for his city. Two years ago it was the Provo City Center Temple, and last year it was Google Fiber. The Mayor is on a roll, so there has to be a big announcement of some kind on the way.

I see a company stepping forward with a deal to finish building out UTOPIA in Orem and other cities. The rescue won’t include absolving the city’s current debt with UTOPIA (just as Google Fiber didn’t absorb Provo’s debt), so you can expect the familiar cast of citizens to launch a campaign to try to stop the deal.

I see Utah Valley University and President Matt Holland finally getting a significant chunk of money from the legislature to compensate for funding inequity that has hindered UVU for the past 15 years. The inequitable funding of UVU has been a rock in Utah Valley’s shoe for well over a decade. Fortunately, thanks to the hard work of Holland, Regent Vice-Chair Dan Campbell and other Regents and legislators from Utah Valley, including House Speaker Becky Lockhart, the stars will align to allow for more than a token fix of the equity funding problem. This will be a great victory for Utah Valley residents who have children or grandchildren attending the institution or who are students themselves.

I foresee a very contentious fight as the deadline for the Count My Vote initiative draws closer. There will be several attempts by legislators in the upcoming session to pass laws that will make changes to the current caucus system.

Meanwhile, supporters and detractors of the initiative will flood the airwaves with their messages if Count My Vote is successful in gathering enough signatures to get the initiative on the November ballot. My prediction is the initiative will pass if it reaches the ballot.

Utah Valley businesses will continue making headlines for their innovation and growth. One or two may end up going public or being sold, possibly for upwards of a billion dollars. On the other hand, I see several Utah Valley businesses opening offices in other cities throughout the country because of their inability to attract a sufficient number of qualified workers here in Utah Valley. Lack of computer programmers and other qualified workers is the number one challenge for businesses in Utah Valley and will continue to be a problem into the foreseeable And the easiest prediction of all is that more and more accolades will be forthcoming from the country’s media touting Utah Valley as one of the best places to live, work and play. We are fortunate to live and work in the “Superlative Capital” of Utah and the nation. I suggest we make a New Year’s resolution to never take that for granted.

Val Hale is president and CEO of the Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce. Donna Milakovic is Executive Vice President of the Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce.

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