The Utah Division of Business and Economic Development has opened an office in Southern California to promote Utah for business relocation and expansion.
C. Russell Fotheringham will head the office as an independent contractor for the division. Fotheringham, who has a master's degree in public administration from Brigham Young University, was formerly employed in the residential/commercial investment division of R.R. Gamble Inc. of Santa Clarita Valley, Calif."Our new office will also help us meet a charge given by Gov. Leavitt to assist in the economic resettlement of rural Utah," said Joe Jenkins, executive director of the Department of Community and Economic Development.
`In addition to assisting with all types of relocations, this office will proactively search for companies that match the specific needs of rural communities. These companies are often small, with a few dozen employees, and they are less likely to seek us out at our offices in Utah. We're going to reach out to them."
During the past three years, roughly one-third of the companies that have relocated to Utah moved from California.