Chamber accepts Clear the Air Challenge

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

2011 Clear the Air Challenge from Salt Lake Chamber on Vimeo.

Air Quality is one of the top policy issues of the Salt Lake Chamber and this summer we are proud to lead the business community’s participation in the Clear the Air Challenge.

Last year, the Challenge resulted in over 1.3 million miles saved and a whopping 59,485 gallons of gas saved. In this the third year of the challenge, the bar has been raised again. The community has been challenged to:

- Eliminate 300,000 single-occupant vehicle trips
- Avert 2 million miles
- Reduce 3.4 million pounds of emissions

We sat down with Kate Lilja, sustainability special programs manager with Salt Lake City, who runs the Clear the Air Challenge. We discuss the goals of the challenge, ways to reduce our emissions and, of course, the prizes.

The Clear the Air Challenge runs from June 13th to July 10th. You can register online at www.cleartheairchallenge.org.

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Chamber honored by United Way

Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

We’re very proud to have been honored by the United Way of Salt Lake this afternoon. The Salt Lake Chamber received the President’s Award for Excellence.

The award recognizes individuals or organizations that champion United Way of Salt Lake’s effort to create lasting change in our community through collaboration, leadership, commitment, resources and time spent working to solve community problems. The award demonstrates outstanding commitment to the mission of United Way of Salt Lake.

“A major component of the Chamber mission is to champion community prosperity,” said David Golden, vice chair of the Salt Lake Chamber, who accepted the award on behalf of the organization. “We partner with the United Way to do that in many ways and it is a partnership we are committed to for the long haul.”

United Way of Salt Lake and the Chamber played significant roles in drafting The Utah Compact that re-framed the immigration discussion in our state and greatly benefitted our economy and our  community. The two organizations are also working with other organizations to secure a path to enduring prosperity. We are both founding partners in the Prosperity 2020 movement.

“There are issues that affect our economy and there are issues that affect our community and many affect both,” said Golden. “We appreciate the great work of the UWSL and we are honored to partner with this great organization to make Utah a great place.”

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Utah’s First L/CNG Filling Station Opens

Thursday, April 7th, 2011

Senator Orrin Hatch, Governor Gary Herbert, Utah Clean Cities Coalition and the Salt Lake Chamber’s Salt Shakers helped celebrate CH4 Energy’s new liquefied and compressed natural gas filling station.

The pumps, located at 2025 South 900 West in Salt Lake, are open to the public and provide enough gas for users to travel all the way to Las Vegas.  This is significant for Utah as it brings more clean-burning vehicles through our state involved in interstate commerce. Before these stations were opened, shipments leaving the Ports of Los Angeles (where LNG is a popular fuel source), for example, were forced to change to diesel fueled tractor trailers in order to complete the journey.

LNG is a clean burning fuel which significantly benefits our air quality efforts and further utilizes a domestic and abundant fuel source found in Utah.  CH4 Energy plans to open two more L/CNG stations this summer, one in Ogden and one in Southern Utah.

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Salt Shakers help raise money for homeless

Wednesday, January 26th, 2011

The Salt Shakers were proud to be a part of the Salvation Army’s kick off for the 2010 Annual Holiday Campaign to help raise money for the poor, homeless, and others in need who often remain overlooked during the holidays and all year long.

This year’s campaign theme, “Hope Wanted,” draws attention to the continuing hardships men, women and children face in the wake of our country’s ongoing economic struggle.  Many families are drained by waning unemployment benefits, high costs of living, and lack of jobs.  They are not just looking for help – they are looking for hope.

The Salvation Army’s time-honored Christmas Campaign will include traditional fundraising methods such as direct mail – in addition to the highly visible Red Kettles, a holiday tradition that has served as a symbol of goodwill for more than 100 years.

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Salt Shakers cut ribbon on T’s Grill

Wednesday, January 26th, 2011

The Salt Shakers have been busy giving the big scissors a workout.

The T’s Grill is the epitome of a small entrepreneur. Starting from humble beginnings, they have now opened their first “brick and mortar” location after several years of hard work,.

T’s started in 2006 with a small concession stand serving food at any event where they could get a booth and successfully grew into a full blown catering business. The opening of their first restaurant last week was in response to many customer requests for a permanent location. The owner and operators of T’s Grill were extremely grateful for the Shakers participating in their opening and provided a complimentary lunch that was very good. We wish T’s Grill great success with their new venture!

T’s Grill website: www.tsgrillonline.com.

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Utah Drug Card helps cut prescription costs

Wednesday, December 29th, 2010

Utah Drug Card from Salt Lake Chamber on Vimeo.

Over a year ago, the Salt Lake Chamber began offering the Utah Drug Card, a new statewide prescription assistance. Since it’s introduction, the card has helped thousands of Utahns save money on prescription drugs.

The program provides free drug cards to all Utah residents and offers savings of up to 75 percent on prescription drugs. This program has no restrictions to membership, no income requirements, no age limitations and there are no applications to fill out. Utah Drug Card is accepted at over 50,000 pharmacy locations across the country.

The Utah Drug Card increases the affordability of prescription medications for both uninsured and underinsured Utahns. The program can also be used by people who have health insurance coverage with no prescription benefits, a common scenario in many health savings accounts (HSA) and high deductible health plans. Additionally, people who have prescription coverage can use this program for non-formulary or non-covered drugs.

The Utah Drug Card is a solution to the confusing maze of discount prescription programs that have appeared in recent years. Many of these programs only cover certain drugs, charge fees and some have membership restrictions including age and income requirements. Utah residents can download a free card, search drug pricing, and locate participating pharmacies at www.utahdrugcard.com.

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Salt Shaker, Sen. Hatch herald opening of Alternative Vehicle Solutions’ R&D facility in SLC

Monday, November 15th, 2010

The Salt Shakers, the official goodwill ambassadors of the Salt Lake Chamber, took part in the grand opening of Alternative Vehicle Solutionsnew 5,000 sq. ft. Research and Design facility in the greater Salt Lake area for the development of EPA Certified Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fuel delivery systems for the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) and aftermarket applications. The company has already signed a long term commitment to be a supplier to the General Motors Alternative Fuel Program.

The GM dedicated CNG vans will begin rolling off the assembly line at PCI a division of IMPCO Technologies located in Union City, Indiana this month.  As GM re-enters the CNG market, the technical side will be supplied by another local based company, Natural Drive. Natural Drive has supplied the market with EPA certified conversions in the General Motors platform for the last three years.

Sen. Orrin Hatch was also in attendance for the grand opening. He expressed his support of CNG in Utah.

“Congratulations to a new Utah based green company and green jobs created by Alternative Vehicle Solution,” said Sen. Hatch.  ”I have been supporting the necessary incentives for the last 15 years to move CNG forward in Utah and throughout the nation so we can use our own abundant natural gas in our own backyard.”

The AVS Research and Development facility is located at 255 West 2950 South in Salt Lake City. The facility is ISO 9001 compliant with all the state of the art computer design capability, inspection and testing equipment to meet the strict safety and durability standards set by General Motors.

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Welcome to the Party

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

It’s official. Utah is no longer the kid with his nose pressed against the window. Utah doesn’t have wait to be invited to the cool kids party. Utah is big time.

And I’m not just talking about the Utes.

The U’s official invitation to college football’s big stage is just another example of our emergence as a state onto the world stage. We’re known across the globe as the host of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, we’re the home of the Greatest Snow on Earth. We’re the headquarters of a worldwide religion. And now we’re getting our shot at the big boys of college football.

The University of Utah has officially accepted an invitation to the Pac-10 Conference and is part of the cool crowd in college athletics.

The Utes earned the invitation by achieving such a level of success in the Mountain West Conference that they could no longer be dismissed as an overachiever or just one of several outsiders fighting for a seat at the table.

In 2005, the Utes dominated Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl  Just to show it wasn’t a fluke, they thumped Alabama in the 2009 Sugar Bowl.

You can’t get more “big time” in college football than that. Now the U gets the chance to show it consistently belongs, that it is more than the biggest fish in a smaller pond.

The invitation to the Pac-10 benefits Utah on the field for sure. And it won’t hurt the bank account either. The University of Utah jumps from a conference with a television deal that brings in approximately $1.2 million per year to one worth $8-10 million and that’s under the terms of the agreement for a ten team conference—just wait until the deal is renegotiated with a conference championship added to the mix.

Beyond the dollars of the deal, the Utes will now be able to recruit players from states where they will play much more frequently, namely California. And kids in Texas, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Florida all watch the late games on Saturday afternoon, too. Seeing the U more frequently and wearing a Pac-10 patch on the uniform, legitimizes the program in the eyes of the very player and parents Kyle Whittingham will now work to recruit.

More importantly, he won’t have to worry about the next coach telling recruits Utah is a good school but not in a big time conference. Joining the likes of USC, Oregon, UCLA and fellow newcomer Colorado, helps the Utes elevate the level of players that wear the red and white.

The recruiting doesn’t end when you step off the football field. When a college football program perceived as big time, enrollment—even from those who can’t run a sub-five-second 40-yard dash. Being a member of the Pac-10 will also play a role in attracting exceptional talent to the faculty and to the student body.

Even college football fans of Utah’s rival, BYU, should see this as a win. It elevates one game that will always be on the schedule in the eyes of national pollsters and it heightens the tension in a battle that was never short on passion in the first place.

In recent years, downtown Salt Lake City has done a great job of supporting the University of Utah football program. Last year, the Downtown Alliance organized businesses to “Paint the Town Red” and you can bet the excitement level will be higher when the U hosts USC.

Admittedly, there is a difference in the level of play in the Mountain West Conference and a bigger conference like the Pac-10. The Utes won’t have any easy weeks. They will line up against a higher level of athlete and compete against some of the best-coached programs in the nation. They’ve proven they can do it a few weeks out of the year and they’ll have to prove they can do it week in and week out.

That’s part of running with the big dogs.

Welcome to the party.

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Utah’s biggest international sporting event since the 2002 Winter Olympic Games

Friday, May 28th, 2010


Memorial Day weekend brings a nice break from work as we take time to enjoy all our state has to offer. We fire up the grill, take the camping trip and enjoy some well-deserved rest and relaxation.

We’re also hosting our largest international sporting event since the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.

The Lucas Oil Utah USA Round of the FIM Superbike World Championship Presented by HANNspree runs Saturday, May 29th through Monday May 31st at Miller Motorsports Park.

The Superbike World Championship is the third biggest racing series in the world. Each race is broadcast over 95 television networks to 175 countries and 120 million viewers. By comparison, 13.3 million viewers viewed this year’s Daytona 500.

The Miller Motorsports Park stop is the series’ only appearance in the Western Hemisphere. They also race in Australia, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, South Africa, Czech Republic, England, Germany and France.

If you like speed, this is the event for you. Supersport bikes have 600 cc engines that top out at 175 mph and Superbikes have 1200 cc engines with a top speed at of 200 mph.

The weekend kicks off today with a motorcycle parade from the State Capitol through the streets of downtown to The Gateway where the pre-event party includes an autograph session, skydivers, stunt bikes, live music as well as interactive displays and exhibits.

Since it’s Memorial Day, the weekend includes a major tribute to both military (active-duty and veteran) and civilian-service personnel (including police, firefighters, teachers, paramedics, etc.).  There will also be a Tribute Field of 2,010 American flags erected in the track’s infield with a huge display of equipment and exhibits from all branches of the armed forces at the track throughout the weekend.

Miller Motorsports Park is also hosting a classic rock concert, titled “United in Rock” at the track on Saturday night from 6-10 pm featuring Styx, Foreigner and Kansas. Concert-only tickets are available.

There will also be plenty of fan-friendly activities during the weekend, including stunt bike demonstrations, BMX demonstrations, Lucas Oil Stunt Plane flyovers, car show, barbecue competition, pit walks, autograph sessions, Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series demonstrations, karting, free access to the paddock/teams and skid car rides.

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Chamber Helps Celebrate Young Electric’s New Facility

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

The Salt Shakers helped cut the ribbon to open YESCO's new facility on the company's 90th anniversary.

On April 26, 2010 the Salt Lake Chamber and Salt Shakers joined with more than 300 employees, customers, vendors, and family members of the Young family, owners and operators of Young Electric Sign Co (YESCO) as the company opened its new plant in Salt Lake City.

Young Electric also celebrated its 90th anniversary. YESCO is based in Salt Lake City but has offices and divisions from Mississippi to Washington with about 1,600 employees, 600 of which work at four locations in Utah.

At the opening YESCO board chair Thomas Young, Jr., the son of YESCO’s founder, recalled his father teaching them that, “signs are one of the cornerstones of a free enterprise system- a critical part.”

One of YESCO’s vendors commented on the company’s importance in the marketplace: “This company doesn’t just build signs, they help build businesses.”

The Salt Lake Chamber is pleased to have this longstanding Utah company as a member of our organization and wish them well in their next 90 years of service to our community and country.

SLIDESHOW

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