Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker announced July 9 that 12 new communities have received designations under the Obama Administration’s Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP) initiative, and Utah is part of the group.
“This designation stems from the strength of Utah’s composites industry and world-class manufacturing community,” said Dr. Greg Jones, assistant vice president for research, and associate director of the Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute at the University of Utah, and team lead for the application process. “Utah has earned the designation through collaboration between business, education, government and community. The fact that we’ve received the designation in an early round proves we are manufacturing leaders, and we will band together to propel the industry even further.”
Secretary Pritzker announced in May 2014 the first 12 communities to receive the designation under the U.S. Commerce Department-led program. The program is designed to accelerate the resurgence of manufacturing in communities nationwide by supporting the development of long-term economic development strategies.
The 12 communities are selected based on the strength of their economic development plans, the potential for impact in their communities, and the depths of their partnerships across the public and private sectors to carry out their plans. Designees worked to identify a sector of manufacturing where their community has a comparative advantage and drafted a strategic plan that addresses: workforce and supply chain challenges; infrastructure; research and innovation; trade and investment; capital access; and operational improvement for manufacturing companies.
Read the full press release on the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development website.