| Show Ije gait £ak Sdbtme Sunday Morning— September 2 1990 Section F Page 1 Up and Down the Street ' Industrial Promotion Division Filled Utah's Economic Void — Genesis Adam Sheth Enosh Kenan Mahalaleel Henoch Methuselah Lantech Noah Shem Gomrer and Magog and Ham and Japeth Madai and Javan and Tubal and Meshech and Tiros — First Book of Chronicles In the beginning there was Gui P Backman the genial secretary of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce And he reigned for many years as the principal judge arbiter and advocate ' of Utah industrial and tourist promotion And in late 1964 as the state economy shrank from the cutback in spending to bridge John F Kennedy's "missile gap and the uranium frenzy had ended and petroleum companies were withdrawing from Salt Lake City to regional offices in Casper and Denver Democratic gubernatorial candidate Calvin L Rampton saw there was a Je-re- d Robert H i '"VT Jv junior high schools And after he was elected and upon having counseled with William Palfreyman director of the federally-funde- d Utah Committee on Industrial and Employment Planning and Utah Manufacturers Assn secretary Robert Halladay among others he said in 1965 let there be an Industrial Promotion Division d industrial And ye Utah's first ever promotion division was created with Milton L and Weilenmann a businessman-restaurateu- r former Democratic party chairman as its first-ev- er director Gathered about him as deputy directors were ' V Business Editor one-roo- dark void in Utah's economy- houses lay heavy on For FHA and the market from Brigham City to Salt Lake City And many engineers and geologists — Utah's best and the brightest — were leaving Utah to look for work elsewhere and there were no future job prospects in Zion for the thousands and thousands of post-WII generation Utah children packed into half day sessions in Utah's elementary and : Woody Walter'G Smith a businessman and one-tim- e American navy chandler in Barcelona Spain and Ronald Swenson a former Air Force intelligence officer and Thiokol Corp media representative They were joined the following year by Jim Kimball a young businessman Democratic party worker and former Air Force intelligence officer office at 136 Social And in a forlorn Hall Ave they and their staff numbered no more than seven And their correspondence folder was on Mr Smith's desk and their data base was contained in a few filing cases And they were absolutely without industrial promotion experience ' But they were willing to try and learn Mr Smith wrote various states — and there were many in industrial promotion — about the the mechanics of their programs He also got the organizational charts from Arkansas and Georgia sp one could be constructed for Utah And favored by a biennial budget of about half million dollars — or 1250000 annually — they sought to put Utah on the map and to end its long economic dependency on the troika of agriculture mining and the federal establishment Twenty five years later Utah is an infinitely more diversified state with the dominion of agriculture mining and federal spending now complemented by a variety of enterprise ranging from telemarketing to computers from artificial arms to artificial intelligence from airframe construction to the "Greatest Snow on Earth" ''' jT7 i - -- i- ' n n K'iV r- r ' ' - " And after several directors and revisions and restructuring state industrial promotion and allied services now engage 50 or more persons funded by an annual budget of $ 12 million That includes efforts not only to attract business nationally and internationally but to cultivate business within It also embraces efforts to attract the film industry to Utah and the centers of excellence programs whereby the expertise of the universities is incorporated in fledgling private initiatives Appended to that is the Job Training Partnership which accounts for 15 to 20 state jobs depending on the level of federal financing There also are several county and cities funded offices with development on their agendas An organization founded two years ago is the Utah Economic Development Corp which has been soliciting both community and corporate funding as coordinating agency for all industrial promotion The UEDC in some respects is an echo of Pro Utah Inc a private and corporate initiative efd mounted before there was any fort and which existed a few years collaterally with the state division By 1966 "Rampton's Raiders" — a group of irregulars composed of state officers and private businessmen — were foraying on industrial promotion missions over the country The state put on trade shows from the Century Plaza in Los Angeles to the Waldorf Astoria in New York In April 1966 one of the state's boldest coups was to provide logistic support — including National Air Guard transport — for Salt Lake City's first ever bid for the 1972 winter games in Rome Italy Salt Lake City had won the right to represent the US from the U S Olympics Committee a few months earlier Sapporo Japan won the bid in the showdown in Rome But while Utah was last among the international committee's vote after Sapporo Banff See F-- 2 Column 1 And the earth was without form and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep ! state-finance- Y i" ! If ' r 1 1 - ' k ' ' 1 - r Sk I ft -J- tCone Slatl 1 r Pholc by Sieve Gnttm the state's first industrial now director promotion helps to coordinate American business ventures in Peoples Republic of China Milton L Weilenmann Utah Businessman Focusing on Trade With China By Robert H Woody Tribune Business Editor He had first been a restaurateur and a Democratic party chairman Utah Gov Calvin L Rampton named friend In 1965 newly-electe- d 'and supporter Milton L Weilenmann as the state's first ever director of Industrial Promotion Two years later he was named director of the new Department of Development Services an umbrella organization embracing a half dozen agencies including industrial promotion tourism exposition and history And but for an unsuccessful bid for the US Senate against the redoubtable Republican Sen Wallace F Bennett Mr Weilenmann was to remain on the post until the end of three-terRampton administration In 1976 he joined the Reno-base- d industrialist inventor and aircraft manufacturer William P Lear as head industrial property develop- ment ill ! I " r- That involved turning Lear land holdings into industrial parks a job that lasted until 1978 when Mr Lear died at age 75 For the past 10 years Mr Weilenmann now 71 has been in the China trade He returned from China three weeks ago He will go back to this f V-t'- ti VA in " i ' t: W V 1 u 1 V '' r ' —- - II :J - - - i- f i — Inbune Jim Kimball left Ronald J Swenson and 1965 They are shown above at site of first one-roo- m Stan crtoto by lot Igon Smith were the nucleus of Utah's first industrial promotion division in office long since razed replaced by new structure on Social Hall Ave Help Changes Her Outlook on Life MftviMpoyi milUanairt Nrcy ton II known tot Ml philanthropic workl ond ttkK Id ncouroo9 othrt to nvfy) toh ptootom tor Inow tn nMd H hot amd o tortunt ond o wMith of knowtodot dunnrji hit irwirnv ono wam 10 fnoro oom ovvorc iw ooorn its mono no wno yrvn wnir no km alio knows whor 90M" Percy ' "V Dear Mr Ross: Thanks a million times over! The check you sent for proper-fittin- g clothes arrived last week As I sit here writing it's by the hand of a newer trimmer me After almost two years of dieting I've gone from 389 pounds down to 183 I basically look like a mildly overweight woman fat lady compared to the freak-show I was My outlook on life has changed 180 degrees I no longer go to bed at night fearing I might explode from obesity Considering how fat my body was the permanent damage is minimal Thanks so much for buildto the point ing my where I've arranged for a job interview When I go it will be with head held high looking presentable in my new clothes Until your check arrived I never realized what was meant by "People will help you if you are willing to help yourself" Now I do — Miss WP Seymour lnd Dear Miss P: Body fat can be likened to the baggage everyone carries through the voyage of life The more excess baggage you carry ihe more difficult ' 1 Ross f the corporate world Being the victim of domestic violence can be traumatizing to say the least but now at least women do have a choice — Ms BC Bronx NV Dear Ms C: Sometimes that choice is taken af- ter Thanks a Million the trip Good for you and your health too Dear Mr Ross: I've tried to think of the proper way to address my problem Considering you must be a very busy guy I'll keep this brief I've been married for almost 20 years and separated for the last two I am (was) the victim of domestic violence I was in this violent situation for 18 years before leaving my husband I had to quit my job and enter a shelter for abused women The reason I stayed in this destructive relationship so iong is I kepi thinking my situation would get better I tried to stand by my husband just wanting to do the right thing by him and my children After leaving the shelter 1 went to live with my brothers The brother who was helping me financially died last year It's been a long road back To further complicate matters my son who daughter has a was conceived while I was at the shelter I'm asking for $300 to buy myse'f some decent clothes for my return to a lot of damage has been done You probably realize better than I that only very sick people think they can control others with physical violence This sickness knows no class distinction — rich and poor alike are stricken by it Enough of the past and on with your future which Includes my check for new appareL May you find success in the job market and happiness in your new life Dear Mr Ross: My conscience says "Don't write" but my heart says "Give it a try" I'm married have two kids and am unemployed I'm also a recovering alcoholic and drug abuser — been clean and sober a little over two months now I've been having a hard time finding spot labor here We're paid up in rent through the end of this month (I sold my car) but that isn't the problem! I feel that I'm reaching a spiritual and mental awareness about myself I do want to work do the right thing and be a productive citizen Well here goes — I'd be grateful for any kind of help in getting a d bicycle groceries and a haircut I want to pursue a job in food service I was a cook in the Air Force Due to my past I ve more or less run City-base- 'f i Walter G month Among his projects: The coordination of a partnership between Willow Drive Nursery Euphrata Wash and the Peoples Republic of China to create that country's largest nursery at a site near Beijing Some 40000 Red Delicious apple trees already have been planted Another 70000 go into the ground next spring He had previously introduced officers of Norbest Inc Salt Lake d turkey processing company to the PRC Norbest has subsea processing plant in Tainjin China built quently His engagement in the China trade came about as the offshoot of wife Diane's efforts to help the southern Paiute Indians near Cedar City to regain reservation status There had been an experiment to integrate into the community In the process the Indians gave up their small reservation The results were unsatisfactory The Indians wanted their reservation back T" The reservation was restored The Weilenmanns accompanied the Indians on a trip to China In Nanking Mr Weilenmann visited a plastic company and then made his first business commitment and introduced US technology to the enterprise v - ' That was the beginning of a China relationship that has become more ! endearing and enduring with the passage of years He has achieved as he says "old friend" status among some of his '" Chinese contacts "Old friend" is a subjective quality in the Chinese culture meaning the parties have a sense of comfort with each other "When you are with 'old friends' you deal from the top and hot from the bottom" says Mr Weilenmann Any initial contact in China is marked by a period of tentative sizing up by the parties he says No agreements can be reached until that period is passed "You can't imagine the many frustrating nights I have spent in a Chinese hotel room" The tragedy of last year's Tiananman Square massacre he said must be transcended Now more than ever the Chinese want to be friends with America "Many Americans have withdrawn from China The tourists have stayed home Now is the time to go to China" he said Mr Weilenmann visits China every three months and has now tallied 30 visits Among those not staying home are the Japanese he said They are omnipresent in China and obviously have designs to exploit China's cheap labor he said To the extent Americans stay out of China the Japanese will be in China he said And to the extent America stays out it will lose golden opportunities in the future out of help from my family I'm not a criminal and any help would be great — not just for me but for my own small family — Mr MH Tulsa Okla Dear Mr H: I'm a little leery' of your request You sound honest and sincere but you can't imagine how many times I've been taken by the same song and dance I just hope you're an exception to the rule because I'm taking a chance and sending a check It may not buy everything you need but it will give you a good start Just be smart and make some right choices Dear Percy: Please we beg of you — send our mother on a cruise to Hawaii She is 56 years old and has worked since she was 11 She's still working and has never had a vacation Percy if you would do this for us maybe shell quit making us feel guilty for not taking her on our vacations' — Her Daughters San Jose Calif Dear Daughters: You probably feel you've exhausted all possibilities for getting your mother on a Hawaiian cruise except for one I suggest you forego your own vacations this year pool your finances and send Mom instead co You may wme to Percy Sou llhe Sot Lake IttMnefi tO ton 35000 Minneapoca Mmr 55435 Induoe a telephone number r) you wish Ml letters tent to Mr Ross ore read Only 0 lew ore answered m Ihs column offhough others may be ocunowt-eojeprwerteiy 1990 Percy Ross DrstitMted by Creators Syndicate rnc P Mon EYLIST by Brendan Boyd Investment returns for the decade Annualized return 1980-199- 0 US stocks 178 corporate bonds Commercial real estate 130 Long-ter- 90-d- ay m 44--fet4-- -° l-- T-bi- lls Inflation Source: T Rowe Price Baltimore 5-- 1 WliTlllT: 8J4W1 |
