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Site Selectors Guild Annual Conference Coming to Salt Lake City
Gathering of top location strategists and economic developers will feature
Pluralsight’s Aaron Skonnard and Amazon’s Holly Sullivan
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH (March 7, 2019) — The Site Selectors Guild (SSG), the world’s leading association for location strategists, is holding its 2019 Annual Conference in Salt Lake City from March 25 – 27. Hosted by the Economic Development Corporation of Utah, the event will attract more than 350 attendees to the Grand America Hotel.
The sold-out conference will feature a keynote from Utah’s own Aaron Skonnard, CEO of Pluralsight, a technology learning platform that empowers developers and CIOs to close critical skills gaps and innovate faster. Skonnard cofounded the company in 2014, which has since grown to more than 1,000 employees and 1,500 expert authors. A tech industry thought leader, Skonnard’s presentation will focus on talent and workforce transformation, the theme of this year’s conference.
Attendees will also learn about Amazon’s HQ2 site selection process from Holly Sullivan, the head of Amazon’s worldwide economic development, and Stephen Moret, president and CEO of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, who was involved in Amazon’s selection of Arlington, the company’s second headquarters in North America.
“We’re thrilled to offer this caliber of programming to our conference attendees,” said SSG board chair Didi Caldwell. “The Amazon HQ2 decision is a hot topic in our industry, as is talent and workforce development. The insight Aaron, Holly and Stephen have to offer is timely and incredibly valuable.”
In addition to the keynote and Amazon program, the conference will include discussion panels, breakout sessions and networking opportunities between Guild members and the professional economic developers attending the event. Guild members will also take tours of Salt Lake City, meet with local businesses and dine at local restaurants.
Guild members and conference attendees will be welcomed by Mayor of Salt Lake City Jackie Biskupski and Val Hale the executive director of the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development the morning of Tuesday, March 26, which will be followed by a $5,000 donation by SSG to the United Way of Salt Lake.
“Salt Lake City has experienced tremendous growth and evolution recently,” said Rick Weddle, SSG’s executive director. “Our members and conference attendees look forward to learning more about the city and giving back to our host community.”
About The Site Selectors Guild
The Site Selectors Guild (SSG) is a professional association comprised of the world’s leading corporate location advisory consultants to companies looking to build or expand. The mission of SSG is to advance the profession of corporate location strategy by raising awareness of the value professional location strategy and site selection services create for corporations.
Professional site selectors often serve as a barometer for the overall economy – when companies are growing and expanding, they turn to site selectors for location advisory assistance. If projects slow down or stop coming in to site selectors, it is an early indicator that business may be headed for a downturn. Guild members are also committed to sharing thought leadership and best practices, developing and nurturing relationships between SSG members, economic development organizations and corporate stakeholders, and contributing to policy discussions that affect location strategy and the future of the profession.
All members of SSG have been nominated and approved by their industry peers. As the first and only group of its kind, SSG brings together a dynamic network of site selectors from around the world, combining their talent and expertise to create an invaluable, top quality resource for both corporations seeking site selection assistance and economic development organizations.
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