Gov. Cox and Jazz owner Ryan Smith: Utah poised to be a global powerhouse
Originally published by Art Raymond in the Deseret News – June 9, 2021
What’s one measure of how high Utah’s business prospects have risen in the eyes of global investors?
Two phone calls.
That’s all it took for new Utah Jazz owner and Qualtrics co-founder Ryan Smith to round up financial partners to join him ahead of buying Utah’s beloved NBA franchise last October. And Smith says the enthusiasm for investing in Utah shown by his minority partners — Australian tech entrepreneur and Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes, and Silicon Valley venture capital guru and Accel general partner Ryan Sweeney — is evidence of how highly regarded the Beehive State has become in the world of business and investment.
