This year, Forbes named Provo the best college town for job growth, U.S. News & World Report called Provo one of the 10 best cities for creative jobs, and the Association of University Technology Managers ranked BYU first in the country in the number of startups, licenses, and patent applications per research dollar spent.

So who’s responsible?

The Utah Valley Entrepreneurial Forum (UVEF) helped answers that question at the Annual UVEF Awards, Thursday at the Provo Novell Campus. The event honored Utah companies and leaders for innovation, business growth and contributions to the entrepreneurial community.

It was standing-room-only at the ceremony.

Josh James, co-founder of Omniture, was awarded "Entrepreneur of the Year."

Josh James, co-founder of Omniture, was the Keynote Speaker, and also won “Entrepreneur of the Year. Omniture was acquired by Adobe for $1.8 billion in October, making it the largest tech acquisition in state history. James shared humorous stories about his roller-coaster ride to entrepreneurial stardom.

Access Technology was awarded “Utah Valley’s Best Kept Entrepreneurial Secret.” Access Technology technology is a logistics provider for retail and consumer brands, eCommerce and multichannel companies and Direct Selling firms. CEO Chris Boyle accepted the award, and told the crowd he hopes the company will no longer be a secret after this and ranking 307th in the Inc 500 list of fastest growing US companies.

Louis Pope, founder of Yehu Microfinance, was awarded “Social Entrepreneur of the Year.” shared his vision for bringing jobs to Kenya Africa starting here in Utah County. Louis is the mastermind behind Utah County-based US Synthetic (a PilmerPR client). Pope retires from US Synthetic this month, and will move to Kenya where he will focus his energies on the non-profit. You can read and watch more of his story on KSL.

Henry O’Connell, President and CEO of Millenniata, accepted the “Most Innovative Product” award for Milleniata’s M-ARC™ Disc, which can store digital data for 1000 years without a loss of quality.

And Scott Frazier, Co-founder of Utah Angels, received the “Greatest Contribution to Entrepreneurs” award on behalf of Utah Angels. He said he is glad to have invested in some great Utah Valley startups like Omniture.

Said UVEF chair Roger Andrus: “These winners represent the spirit of entrepreneurship, which is to take risks and then help others. They are a critical part of why Utah has one of the lowest unemployment rates in this recession.”

PilmerPR agrees, and congratulates all the winners.

You can read more about the ceremony in Deseret News.

Jon Huntsman Jr

Gov Gary Herbert

Public Relations and Politics stick together like syrup on pancakes. Jon Huntsman and Gary Herbert’s PR folks were busy today as their efforts culminated in a regal inauguration event in the Utah State Capitol. A large crowd of thousands jostled for limited seating and strained to hear the words of hope offered by leaders.

As lively public debate swirls today in Washington DC on HB 3200 and its questionable nationalized promise of healthcare for all, Utahns in attendance looked to more local leadership on burning issues related to the economy, jobs, and promises of education for all. Gary Herbert has gone on record saying his top priority would be 1) economic revitalization 2) education. These topics echoed again in today’s ceremony.

Jon Huntsman Jr. recounted the path to prosperity in the state under his leadership, keeping his remarks hopeful and brief. We were reminded that Utah’s economy ranks at the top of the heap of states who’s troubles far surpass those in our state.  On his way to China, Huntsman now looks forward to a larger playing field, wielding influence with the USA’s largest trading partner.

Gov Herbert recounted the record of his predecessor with high praise. The governor expressed his confidence in Utah’s collective innovation as a path to prosperity. He recounted data showing Utah is most likely to emerge early from the current national recession.  #1 Priority – economy and jobs. Herbert praised companies like Utah Valley’s Omniture for leading the way. He emphasized hard work as a key factor for economic growth. #2 Priority – Education, paramount to our future success as we build leaders of tomorrow. Herbert said education paves that road to future prosperity.  The state’s new leader committed to a hands on leadership role for education under his administration.

Alan Ashton & Lt. Gov Gary Herbert address UVEF

Fox News: UVEF Top 25 Under 5

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Today, Lt Gov Gary Herbert keynoted a terrific awards program by the Utah Valley Entrepreneurial Forum (UVEF). 160 attendees. 25 top companies under five years of age were honored. Representing $80 million in combined 2008 revenue, the winners created 840 jobs last year. ZAGG, Imagination Learning, and OrangeSoda came in 1, 2, & 3.  Emcee, Rick White, co-founder of rising startup Fusion-io kept the event light with ample humor and insights into the healthy state of entrepreneurism in Utah.

According to soon to be Governor Herbert, 50% of jobs in Utah come from small business.  The Wall Street Journal reported this past month that more than half of the Fortune 500 in 2009 launched in recessions or bear markets. Speakers at the event credited Utah’s relatively resilient economy is due to great startup companies like those honored today.

The Daily Herald honored Alan Ashton, founder of WordPerfect, with a special “Founding Fathers” award for his quarter century of contributing to Utah business and the community.

Media for the event:

YouTube highlights video

Business Wire coverage

Daily Herald coverage

Daily Herald special section on Utah entrepreneurs

Deseret News coverage

Utah Pulse coverage

Wasatch Digital IQ coverage

Fox TV News coverage

The Pew Research Center released a study last month, about the use of Internet news outlets.

The Internet, which emerged last year as a leading source for campaign news, has now surpassed all other media except television as an outlet for national and international news.

Currently, 40% say they get most of their news about national and international issues from the internet, up from just 24% in September 2007. For the first time in a Pew survey, more people say they rely mostly on the internet for news than cite newspapers (35%). Television continues to be cited most frequently as a main source for national and international news, at 70%.

For young people, however, the Internet now rivals television as a main source of national and international news. Nearly six-in-ten Americans younger than 30 (59%) say they get most of their national and international news online; an identical percentage cites television. In September 2007, twice as many young people said they relied mostly on television for news than mentioned the Internet (68% vs. 34%).

The percentage of people younger than 30 citing television as a main news source has declined from 68% in September 2007 to 59% currently. This mirrors a trend seen earlier this year in campaign news consumption.

The survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted Dec. 3-7 among 1,489 adults, finds there has been little change in the individual TV news outlets that people rely on for national and international news.

Contact us to discuss the implications of this massive change for your public relations strategy.

• Vertical Trade Press
• Local Press
• Business Press

Remember, in each of these categories you should include social media, print and online publications, and broadcast media.  Then, once you’ve got a comprehensive press list to work from, you can pitch your client’s story.  For a more detailed look at building a comprehensive press list, click here to download more secrets to Building a Comprehensive Press List.

The February issue of PR Tactics featured an article on brevity written by the PR Maven, Margo Mateas.   The article stresses the importance of grabbing the editor’s attention and conveying your point quickly.   

So remember, keep it short and sweet.  If your pitch is more than a few paragraphs, cut it down.  And when writing a press release, keep the most important information at the top.  Also, keep this PR strategy in mind when planning your entire campaign.  A PR campaign formed around a simple, newsworthy idea is most likely to get noticed.