The Utah Valley Chamber, and specifically the Business Environment Committee that I am a part of, is organized to support and help Utah maintain its business- and entrepreneur-friendly environment. One of the events we supported recently was the open house for the new Junior Achievement of Utah location at the University Place mall in Orem. I am impressed with this organization’s mission and programs as well as the great local companies that are so dedicated to sponsoring and supporting them.

JA is a worldwide nonprofit that provides programs and curriculum for students in our schools; they “give kids from all walks of life an opportunity to expand their vision and realize their potential through practical skills in financial literacy, innovative thinking and workplace readiness.”

The location at University Place is set up to be a miniature city where students in fifth through eighth grade participate in “an interactive, real-world experience.” Each of the participating businesses has a storefront where it represents a part of the economy and/or society.

The students spend the day going from station to station. Through this experience, the students learn about budgeting, finance and how cities work as well as experience what it might be like for them someday in the real world of business. To learn more about JA, check out their website at http://ja-utah.org.

Learning how a local economy works is a great opportunity for those kids, and through its support, the chamber is continuing its mission of helping inform and support all those who have an impact on businesses here in Utah.

During the upcoming legislative session, we will look to gather feedback from our local business leaders and provide that feedback to state legislators. Two of our main areas of focus are regulation and taxes; both of those may sometimes be necessary, but they need to be kept in check so business can grow and thrive.

I recently read a good article in The Atlantic’s print edition titled “The Eureka Theory of History is Wrong” by Derek Thompson — online the article is called “Why the Age of American Progress Ended.” The article uses the story of creating a vaccine for smallpox to open up a conversation about why American progress has stalled. What keeps a great invention or idea or business process from reaching and helping the masses?

One of the areas discussed in the article is the impact that permitting and regulation are having on our country’s ability to develop some of our best and most environmentally friendly energy policies. While this example may be at much more of a national level, the UV Chamber and our committee are focusing on exactly these types of issues at the local level.

We have permitting and regulation that has a huge impact on local and small businesses here in Utah. We also have taxes that can be a burden not just to pay but also have a cost of compliance that can sometimes be too much for a small business to afford.

Under the leadership of Chamber President and CEO Curtis Blair and working with the many committees and stakeholders here in Utah, the UV Chamber and all of us working together can have a positive impact on the legislative process this coming session. We look forward to supporting our amazing Utah businesses this coming year. If you have any ideas of suggestions, please feel free to reach out to me any time.

Ray Chipman is a partner at Squire and is Chair of the Utah Valley Chamber Business Environment Committee.