These are exciting times. Following on our participation in the grand opening for ITT Exelis, we had the privileged of participating in the groundbreaking for Xactware Solutions Inc.'s new headquarters in Lehi. The company is building a 210,000-square-foot facility near Timpanogos Highway in the Traverse Mountain Business Park and plans to hire approximately 40 more employees by the end of the year. See our newslinks column on the right for media coverage of the groundbreaking.

Also, perhaps you read that Utah bumped Virginia out of the No. 1 spot in Pollina's latest Top 10 Pro-Business States Study. After holding the No. 2 spot for several years, it's great to see Utah take top honors!

And finally, we are busy gearing up for our annual meeting on Sept. 27. We'll be honoring two individuals for their service to economic development in the state. One individual will receive the "Thayne Robson Award" for service to economic development in the public sector. Another individual will receive the "Nick Rose Award" for service to economic development in the private sector. Further, with former Governor Jon Huntsman offering the keynote address, the meeting will be an event you certainly don't want to miss! Call (801) 328-8824 to secure a table for your organization. I look forward to seeing you there.