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The 2023 Growth & Prosperity Summit will be held Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023, on the Utah Valley University campus. The event is being hosted by the Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Courtesy Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce

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Matt Day

Courtesy Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce

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When growth occurs in a community, its impact is felt everywhere, from its neighborhoods, streets and businesses to utilities, water resources and the air we breathe. More people in an area means more demand on that area’s roads, water and wastewater systems as well as natural gas, electricity and other utility infrastructure.

As a civil engineering firm, Sunrise Engineering works with cities in Utah Valley to maintain and expand these services as new residents continue to relocate to our beautiful valley. Every day, I and my coworkers witness the effects of growth in Utah Valley and work to help accommodate it and plan for it into the future.

Growth is here, and it will continue. According to the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah, Utah County is projected to reach a population of 1.6 million by 2065. It is expected to rival the population of Salt Lake County, which is projected to reach 1.7 million by 2065.

Growth can be a wonderful thing. It brings new business, new industries, new ideas and new neighbors. Utah Valley residents enjoy a wonderful quality of life, which is a major reason so many people want to be here. At the same time, growth brings challenges as resources like land and water are strained, housing options become more limited and expensive, roads become clogged with vehicles, and air quality becomes more difficult to maintain.

The key to meeting the challenges of growth while at the same time maintaining our quality of life and enhancing the prosperity of the valley is creating a plan, then working to implement that plan. I see this daily in my work, and I want to be part of shaping the future of our area rather than letting it happen by chance.

This is why I’m serving on the executive committee for the Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce’s 2023 Growth & Prosperity Summit to be held on Nov. 2. Open to the general public, this summit will center on topics critical to the future of Utah Valley with an overall theme of “What Can I Do?”

The goal of the summit is to inform and educate those attending about what we can all do to help Utah Valley experience prosperous rather than painful growth. Experts on topics such as transportation and infrastructure, housing, natural resources, education, health care and business will serve as keynote speakers and will share what they are doing and how each of us can contribute in our own way.

These topics of concern were identified during a two-year process called Valley Visioning, an effort that brought valley leaders and residents together to identify goals and strategies that can guide local leaders as they plan for Utah Valley’s future.

Now, we can all come together to learn what we can do to ensure Utah Valley maintains its bright, prosperous potential through the next four decades and beyond. We invite all to attend the Growth & Prosperity Summit and help shape our future together.

The 2023 Growth & Prosperity Summit will be held Nov. 2 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Sorensen Student Center on the Utah Valley University campus. Admission is $15 for students, $50 for members of the Utah Valley Chamber and $60 for non-members. To register, go to thechamber.org.

Matt Day is the chief operating officer for Sunrise Engineering.

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