Salt Lake City Named as One of the Top American Cities of the Future 2019/20 by fDi
Salt Lake City has won four awards of Top 10 rankings in fDi Magazine’s American Cities of the Future for 2019/20. The City ranked 4th overall in the Top 10 Mid-Sized American Cities of the Future among 80 cities in the category. Salt Lake City also placed 2nd in the category of Human Capital and Lifestyle, 6th in Connectivity, and 6th in Business Friendliness.
The awards ceremony, hosted by fDi Intelligence, was held October 14th in Indianapolis in conjunction with the IEDC 2019 Annual Conference. While at the conference, Salt Lake City also won the International Economic Development Council Excellence in Economic Development Silver Award for the Living Color Utah webpage: www.livingcolorut.com.
“This is a validation of what many Salt Lake City residents already know,” said Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski. “But to see these awards on a national level shows just how diligently our Department of Economic Development works to improve the quality of life here every day. I’m thrilled I have had the opportunity to build out this department during my administration and watch it flourish. I can’t wait to see what they do next,” Biskupski said.
With a mission to build on Salt Lake City’s reputation as a global, vital and innovative community, the Department of Economic Development is working hard to make it a better place to not only build a business, but also build a life. The team competes against like cities in capturing job opportunities for all residents while seeking sustainable growth.
“We are proud to earn this honor for our City,” said Salt Lake City’s Department of Economic Development Acting Director, Ben Kolendar. “Through the joint efforts of the City and many business and community leaders, Salt Lake City is becoming a thriving hub of innovation and international business. We salute our industry leaders for their efforts and pledge to continue promoting our City as a top destination in the U.S. and worldwide.”
The 2019/2020 rankings by fDi Magazine are the 5th of their kind. The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) Conference is the organization’s largest annual event. Altogether the awards are:
- Top 10 Mid-Sized American Cities of the Future – (4th)
- Top 10 Mid-Sized American Cities of the Future – Human Capital and Lifestyle (2nd)
- Top 10 Mid-Sized American Cities of the Future – Connectivity (6th)
- Top 10 Mid-Sized American Cities of the Future – Business Friendliness (6th)
- Silver Award for LivingColorUt.com project, 2019 Excellence in Economic Development IEDC
About fDI Magazine: fDi Magazine is a media outlet for fDi Intelligence, a specialist service from the Financial Times established to provide industry leading insight into globalization with a portfolio of world-class products, services and business tools that allow organizations such as investment promotion agencies, companies, services providers and academic institutions to make informed decisions regarding FDI and associated activities. Learn more about the awards here.
About the International Economic Development Council: The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) is a non-profit,non-partisan membership organization serving economic developers. With more than 5,100 members, IEDC is the largest organization of its kind. Learn more athttps://www.iedconline.org.
About Salt Lake City Department of Economic Development: Formed in 2016, under the leadership of Mayor Jackie Biskupski, Salt Lake City’s Department of Economic Development is focused on building Salt Lake City as a vibrant, beautiful, prosperous, diverse, and authentic place – a place that is economically accessible to everyone. Known as the “Crossroads of the West,” Salt Lake City is strategically located for businesses to succeed. SLCDED works to streamline processes, provide excellent customer service, and offer an array of resources and services to recruit and retain businesses in the City, and ensure they have the tools to thrive. Learn more at www.slc.gov/ed.