The Kanab Area Chamber of Commerce held their monthly luncheon at Southwest Technical College’s Kane Campus on Cowboy Way in Kanab on November 10. Thank you to JR Quarnberg and the folks at SWT for hosting another luncheon and helping out with the tech!
Chamber board members Pat Guerrero and Don Jennings were on hand to greet the attendees, and Chamber vice president Ron Thomas and his wife Claudia were just outside the side door of SWT operating the Coyote Sky food truck, where they provided delicious handmade vegan tacos, beans, queso and chips for lunch.
Chamber Secretary Don Jennings welcomed the group just after noon, which included Best Friends Roadhouse & Mercantile, Burro Flats High Desert Lodge, Coyote Sky Tacos, Dreamland Safari Tours, ERA Utah Properties, Hampton Inn, Kanab Create, Kane County Water Conservancy, Parry Lodge, Taro Coffee Bar and While You’re in Town. Dave Baird and Jarad Brinkerhoff joined us for lunch, as well.
Colette Cox from the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity was our guest speaker this month, presenting remotely to the group via Google Meet. Colette provided a thorough overview of the office’s resources: The Center for Rural Development’s Rural County Grant, Rural Communities Opportunity Grant, and Rural Employment Development Incentives, and the Corporate Retention and Recruitment initiative, including the Rural Economic Tax Increment Financing (RED TIF), Utah New Market Tax Credit, and Technology and Life Science Tax Credits.
Cox wrapped up her presentation with a group activity. Posters were taped up around the room labeled with topics like Infrastructure, Transportation, and Workforce, and participants placed Post-It notes on their priority issues, identifying them as local strengths or opportunities. Pat Guerrero will be compiling the information to share with the Governor’s Office, and we’ll make sure a copy is on the chamber’s resource page, as well.
You can contact Colette Cox, Outreach Manager, Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, Center for Rural Development at (435) 899-1860 or ccox@utah.gov. Learn more about the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity’s rural initiatives at https://business.utah.gov/rural/.
The next chamber luncheon will be held at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites on December 8, from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. CEBA Director Kelly Stowell will be the guest speaker, so save the date!
