INSPIRE IN UTAH

The Inspire In Utah initiative responds to the call and recommendation for changes as outlined by the Utah Women & Leadership Project’s report titled, “Women’s Equality in Utah: Why Utah Is Ranked as the Worst State, and What Can Be Done,” and the priorities identified in the Cox/Henderson One Utah Roadmap under Section 5: Equality and Opportunity.

● Inspire In Utah — part of Go Utah’s In Utah campaign — is an initiative that supports women entrepreneurs and women in the workplace at every level. It also supports women who want to relaunch careers through Return Utah and similar programs.

● Inspire In Utah is an effort by Go Utah and other partners to help connect women with business resources, funding, mentorship opportunities, learning and professional development opportunities, networking events, and other organizations who can help them succeed. These partners include the Utah Office of Multicultural Affairs, The Utah Women & Leadership Project at Utah State University, and the Women’s Business Center of Utah.

● There are organizations across the state who are doing so much work to help advance women in so many ways. The Inspire In Utah campaign is adding the voice of the Governor’s office to those groups and seeks to help connect women to all of these partner organizations.

● The website (inutah.org/inspire) includes resources to help women succeed in business. Resources for networking, training, funding, and employment are included on the site.

● The campaign seeks to help inspire 1,000 new women-owned businesses by creating targeted messages for women returning to the workforce, women of color, veterans, LGBTQ+ community members, immigrants, and refugees.

● In Utah seeks to empower business owners to access resources to invest in job-creating opportunities as the country emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic.

● The In Utah website features stories and podcasts about supporting women in business. You can hear stories from companies with programs and initiatives aimed to help women succeed in business. These stories are used to highlight the journey of various women in industries and organizations across the state. We hope that Utah’s business leaders can hear about the policies, organizational culture, and efforts that have helped women succeed. Hearing these stories can help inspire Utah business leaders to increase their commitment to support women.

● There are resources for women entrepreneurs, childcare solutions and ideas for employers, and information to help narrow the gender pay gap.

– Connect with organizations across the state, who are working to advance women in the workplace at InUtah.org

– Share your story and inspire other Utah women to succeed using the hashtag In Utah

Featured Resources:

USBCI:
Have you heard of the Utah Small Business Credit Initiative? USBCI is a new federal loan program that includes $69 million in funding to help expand access to capital for small businesses emerging from the pandemic, create high-paying jobs, and build ecosystems of opportunity and entrepreneurship in Utah, especially for underserved communities. It’s anticipated the USBCI
program will stimulate up to $690 million of investment in Utah’s small businesses due to its 10:1 private-public investment ratio. The USBCI program design is a result of much strategic collaboration. Over the past several months, The Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity developed partnerships between financial institutions, community partners, and government leaders to design an industry-friendly program that solves gaps in the capital access market and provides the best possible outcomes for small businesses in Utah. To learn more about how USBCI can benefit your small business and find other small business resources, visit InUtah.org.

PTAC:
Are you a Utah small business looking to grow your market share? The Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) assists businesses trying to do just that. PTAC is a Department of Defense program hosted and funded in part by the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity. It helps Utah small businesses find, bid, and win government procurement opportunities with federal, state, and local agencies. PTAC, which has offices throughout the state, is open and available to provide in-person one-on-one counseling, assistance in finding bid opportunities, guidance in responding to bid proposals, expertise on how to market your products and services to government officials, and monthly business outreaches and training workshops. All of this helps Utah’s business community compete in the government marketplace. To learn more about PTAC and other resources available for Utah small businesses, visit InUtah.org.