County advisory board highlights business wins from Main Street grants, chamber outreach and training

Board presenters and members detailed how last year's $200,000 in grant spending supported small-business equipment purchases, service expansions and employment gains across Duchesne County.

The board highlighted ten recipients of the Main Street matching grants that the presenter said leveraged at least twice the grant amount in private investment. Case examples included a motel (Sagebrush Inn and Cafe) whose stair repairs enabled renting of second-level rooms; a gift shop that acquired embroidery and screen-printing equipment and added two part-time positions; a floral shop (Floating Petal) that purchased neon signage and reported increased customers; and a precision shop (Pinnacle Production) that bought a used CMM machine enabling eligibility for Department of Defense contracts and adding a full-time operator.

Chamber of Commerce support drew particular attention: board members said the Chamber, under new director Ashley Collin, has expanded its membership rapidly (presenter reported membership growth of 400% and a current count of 134 toward a 200-member goal for 2025). The Pitch for Success competition produced more than 25 entrants, expert judges and more than $20,000 in cash awards; the top three winners received professionally produced 90-second videos and finalists were offered $1,000 vouchers for individualized marketing advising.

The presenter also reviewed Thompson House of Hope statistics: the meeting transcript reports total program entries since 2019 (reported in discussion as "1804"), 94 program completions who remain sober and employed (reported as 51% of enrollment), and other recent enrollment and graduation counts. Board members noted Thompson House's role in workforce development and in creating hiring pathways for graduates as a reason to continue funding the program.

Board members described outreach strategies: a small "retail blitz" using purchased gift certificates was piloted to bring new customers to retail stores across Roosevelt, Duchesne and surrounding communities; the board discussed risks and benefits of broader social-media advertising and agreed to favor targeted outreach (Chamber and grassroots visits) to avoid misinformation and unmanageable demand.

Next steps described to the board included collecting ROI data on videos and marketing pilots, continuing the Main Street matching grant, and exploring partnerships with local training providers to subsidize certifications and with tourism partners to host visitor-facing marketing content.