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Show The Ogden Valley news Page 10 Volume XXIV Issue IX May 15, 2017 If You Want a Formula for Success, Study Utah Ogden Valley Grown Kindness Advocate private sector solve the problems.” By Matthew Winkler, Bloomberg View columnist A Gallup Poll proved prescient in 2012 when it rated Utah No. 1 among U.S. states in “future livability” based on 13 economic, health, and lifestyle measures. Five years later, it’s become the fastest-growing state and enjoys the lowest rate of inequality nationwide. During the second and third quarters of 2016, Utah’s economy expanded 2.24 percent, almost twice the U.S. rate of growth during the same period, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Only Idaho experienced greater employment growth in 2016, Bloomberg data show. The Utah boom is partly attributed to its youth: More than 30 percent of the state’s 3 million residents are under 18, compared with 22.9 percent for the U.S. At the other end of the scale, only 10.3 percent are older than 65, as against 15 percent all Americans. Demographics isn’t Utah’s only advantage. Another is the educational and cultural influence of the Mormon Church, to which 62 percent of state residents belong. “It matters to Americans that someone born poor can retire rich,” my Bloomberg View colleague Megan McArdle wrote on March 28, citing the benefits of the state’s tough-loveinspired social-safety net, among other things. “That possibility increasingly seems slimmer and slimmer in most of the nation, but in Utah it’s still achievable.” The 2012 Gallup survey predicting that Utah would soon become the nation’s bestliked place to live cited “low-smoking habits, ease of finding clean and safe water,” and “having supervisors who treat workers like a partner rather than a boss.” Respondents were unusually likely to say that they learned “something new or interesting on any given day” and perceived their hometowns as “‘getting better’ rather than ‘getting worse.’” “Here in Utah, we thread the needle very well,” Governor Gary Herbert said in a March 24 interview in his Salt Lake City office. Unlike neighboring Arizona, which initially resisted the establishment of a national holiday to observe the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., or North Carolina, which passed a law— since repealed—assailed as hostile to gay, lesbian and transgender residents, “we came together as a community and we had nobody boycotting us,” Herbert said. While Utah is one of the most reliably Republican states, having last voted for a Democratic presidential candidate in 1964, Herbert said its citizens are “not anti-government.” “We know government has a role to play,” he said, citing pressures on water, roads, transportation and schools. “But we want government to be efficient and effective and let the Utah’s free-enterprise ethic and competitive workforce help make it a western hub for global companies despite ranking only 31st in population. Thirteen years after establishing a presence in Utah, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. has almost 1,800 people in Salt Lake City. Only New York, London and Bangalore, India have more Goldman employees, and Herbert said Utah expects to surpass Bangalore soon. The Delta Airlines Inc. reservation and customer-service center in Salt Lake City is the most profitable of the company’s 14 comparable operations, accounting for $318 million of the $2 billion generated worldwide, according to Delta spokesman Russell Carson. Salt Lake City International Airport is Delta’s western hub with 3,450 employees, including about 600 pilots. Ebay Inc., the global commerce company, made Draper, Utah one of its three international centers (the other two are in Ireland) with about 1,800 employees who develop software for the company’s human resources, legal and finance departments. The low-cost, young workforce that makes Utah a magnet for call centers is driving local industry as well. Zions Bancorporation, Utah’s biggest financial institution, outperformed 64 companies in the S&P 500 Financial Sector Index during the rally after the Nov. 8 election, returning 33 percent, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Salt Lake City-based Control4 Corp., which develops software and hardware that helps businesses and individuals reduce energy consumption, gained 56 percent this year, beating the Russell 3000 Index’s 5 percent and the 6 percent for the S&P 500. To be sure, Utah’s conservative politics occasionally bring it into conflict with its business interests. Earlier this year, for example, the Outdoor Retailer Association decided to end an annual trade show that brings about 40,000 visitors and $45 million to Salt Lake City each year. That was a reaction against the state’s efforts to rescind President Barack Obama’s designation of 1.3 million acres of Native American ancestral land as the Bears Ears National Monument. Herbert said he hasn’t given up hope that an agreement on Bears Ears can be reached, and is confident that Utah won’t lack for new business. “There are still some backdoor negotiations going on, so I don’t want to spoil an opportunity to find the proverbial win-win,” he said, adding that “we already have people lining up” to establish operations in Utah. “We’ll find the win-win because this is the best location,” he said. note: this article from Bloomberg View is being reprinted by permission. Carver’s Cove Petting Farm May 3 thru September Open Wednesday thru Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information call 801-745-3018 or visit www.carverscove.com Join us June 3 for ShoppeRS! our 13th Annual RemembeR Guest Appreciation Breakfast Mention Valley eleMentary at 801-745-4000 2555 WOLF CREEK DR. EDEN From the Service Deli www.valleymarketeden.com STORE HOURS: MON. - SAT. 7 AM - 10 PM SUNDAY 7 AM - 9 PM Birchberry Deli Franks $1.00 Expires OFFwith coupon 6/1/17 From the Deli Dept. Any Seedless Watermelon 50c OFFwith coupon Expires 6/1/17 Hot Dog & Hamburger Buns 50c OFF with coupon Expires 6/1/17 Store Made from Bakery Any Tri Tip Roast $1.00 OFF with coupon Expires 6/1/17 From the Meat Dept. 24 Pack Dasani Water $1.00 OFF with coupon Expires 6/1/17 Chosen for Tedx Talk in Idaho Falls On February 25 of this year Tammy Lane and there would be plenty of walk-ins, too. My Guffey (Dickson) of Eden gave a Tedx Talk friend Janece Moore, a Tedx organizer, helped me write some of in front of 500-plus the final thank you people. TED is a nonnotes. This time, not profit devoted to due to procrastinaspreading ideas, tion—due to ‘way’ usually in the form more people regisof short, powertered than originalful talks (18 minutes ly expected. Every or less). TED began time you learn, a in 1984 as a connew lesson comes ference where up. Technology, “I spent the Entertainment and morning writing Design converged, Shown above are tammy, far left, with her sisters and the names of all the and today covers mom: Jill Bird, tym (Shupe) Dickson, Karlee Vincent, attendees on their almost all topics. notes, and included and Kate Wiscombe. Tammy applied an extra card that to speak last year on “how kindness could over- was blank that audience members could mail come depression,” but, she says, the idea didn’t to someone who had made a difference in their get accepted. She states, “Instead of being sad life. When attendees picked up their name tags, or mad, I contacted the organizer and asked they also received a handwritten thank you how I could volunteer. During this process, I card. I even wrote myself a note; sometimes we fell in love with the power of TED, with the have to send good to ourselves. people, and the city of Idaho Falls. “When I walked on stage, I felt right at When applications for this year’s event home. I felt like I had been waiting my entire came out, Tammy says she shared the link life for this moment. A confession— I did acciwith as many people as she could think of, and dentally on purpose swear on stage right in front on the last day realized that she still hadn’t of my mom and dad…sorry dad. Life is messy, applied. “So, at 11:40 p.m. I started the appli- and sometimes we keep trying to make sense cation, same idea of how kindness could help and order of complete chaos. What if we just overcome depression and eliminate suicide; embrace the fact that life is hard, for all of us, however, when I hit “submit,” my form cleared a different kind of hard, but hard none-the-less. out—it would not submit. I got the clear signal “Preappreciation is simply changing the that I was submitting the wrong proposal. I timing of when you say thank you…instead literally looked up and said, ‘What the H*** of saying it at the end, or never, you say it at do you want me to talk about?’ I, seriously, had the beginning. We have the power to change a five minutes to remember that for the past year common interaction into a real . . . human . . . and a half I had been trying out this idea of connection. ‘preappreciation.’ So, as soon as I realized that “We live in a high-expectation, low-appreI already knew what I would be talking about, it ciation world. Join me in making people feel was easy and quick to finish the proposal before like it matters that they are here, because . . . it midnight. By the way, no, my dear Snowcrest does; it matters that you are still here.” teachers…I have not yet overcome the habit of To view a recording of Tammy givprocrastination! ing her TEDx talk, visit <https://youtu.be/ “I had an idea, but no actual plan on how to I6OYRG305OY> speak about it. When I got the email that I had Tammy states, “Check it out. If anyone has an been accepted for try-outs, I panicked a little. idea worth sharing, I would love to help you apply So, I did what I do when I get mad, sad, stressed for, and prepare a talk. I learned a lot and would or nervous … I started writing thank you notes love helping others share their message. Email me to all the organizers of TedxIdahoFalls. When anytime at yestokindness@gmail.com>” I drove up to Idaho Falls, I stopped by the Tammy Lane Guffey (Dickson) is a kindoffice where the auditions would take place and ness advocate, founder of yestokindness.com dropped of the preappreciation cards. whose mission is to eradicate suicide. She “When I arrived, they were all reading their explains, “Suicide is the most preventable notes, and loved the idea of preappreciation. cause of death; why not start today to eliminate Getting chosen was the easy part…deciding this tragedy. #trykind #preappreciation #yestowhat to say about it was so hard. Tedx talks are kindness, and help me remind people that they different than other types of speaking because matter. it is so short. We had 8 to 12 minutes—no time for any fluff. “I drove up to Idaho Falls two more times for coaching, which was a total game changer— well worth the drive. It helped me to focus and get my main point across. My main message was that kindness can overcome depression—I just needed to package it differently. “I practiced, and practiced, and shared my talk with as many people as I could. I even recorded myself talking out my ideas and then watched them back, then trimmed the fat and trimmed the fat. The night before the talk, I realized that I had not thought about what to wear. My friend took me shopping and we found a few outfits but, at the last minute, we found a beautiful sparkly gown, and that is what I wore…it was perfect. I bought new shoes, but I knew that I would be giving the speech barefoot, which I did. “I arrived at Idaho Falls the night before. My plan was to write all of the attendees preappre- one way for residents to take care of potholes ciation cards; I had planned on doing 400, how- welcome to eden Hills Subdivision! Weber ever, the night before I got the names list and County has since filled the neighborhoods’ potrealized that there were well over 400 registered holes. Photo by Scot McGonegal of eden. |
