Salt Lake City hands administration of Foreign Trade Zone No. 30 to World Trade Center Utah

Salt Lake City announced the transfer of grantee and administrative responsibility for Foreign Trade Zone No. 30 to World Trade Center Utah, a move city and state officials said onstage today is intended to expand the program's reach across the Wasatch Front and the state.

"We want to officially recognize the transfer of the grantee status of Foreign Trade Zone Number 30 to World Trade Center Utah," Mayor Mendenhall said, calling the transition part of a long-running effort that traces to former Mayor Ted Wilson's 1977 initiative to create the FTZ in Salt Lake City. The mayor said the FTZ has helped local businesses cut costs, streamline supply chains and create jobs, and thanked the City Council and economic development staff for guiding the transfer.

Jonathan Friedman, president and CEO of World Trade Center Utah, said the organization will provide no-cost guidance to companies seeking FTZ qualification, conduct cost-benefit analyses and work to recruit new businesses to use the zone. Friedman said the City Council voted unanimously last year to transfer administration and that the U.S. Department of Commerce formally approved the transition in October. He said about 15 Utah companies are already operating in or seeking approval to use the FTZ and that roughly 100 companies are in World Trade Center Utah’s pipeline.

"We will walk companies through the whole process of qualifying," Friedman said. "Right now, Utah businesses pay hundreds of millions of dollars to the federal government in duties and taxes. Our objective is to keep as much of that capital here locally to fuel the growth of our businesses."

Council Member Victoria Petro said the transfer reflects long-term policymaking and local investment in economic mobility. She highlighted incoming international employers — including the companies she named as BioMario from France and Stadler Rail from Switzerland — as examples of the FTZ's potential to attract investment and jobs.

Jefferson Moss, executive director of the governor's Office of Economic Opportunity, called the public-private partnership a way to accelerate outreach and noted World Trade Center Utah's international networks will help speed connections between Utah companies and foreign markets.

Officials explained how a foreign trade zone operates: companies located in the zone can bring in parts or goods, perform activities such as assembly or cleaning, and defer, reduce or possibly eliminate duties until those goods are sold or exported. Friedman said the FTZ currently covers a geographic radius anchored by customs operations at Salt Lake City International Airport and that expanding the zone statewide will require coordination with federal customs and other agencies.

The mayor framed the transfer as a way to broaden the FTZ's reach while conserving city resources: World Trade Center Utah, he said, can more efficiently market and administer the program beyond Salt Lake City proper. Officials described the transfer as the product of discussions over the past two years and said the transition has been taking place for about a year.

The press conference closed with officials urging businesses to consider the FTZ tool and with Mayor Mendenhall asking attendees to acknowledge the legacy of Ted Wilson, who he credited with establishing FTZ No. 30 in 1977. There was no formal vote at the event; city officials described prior Council action and federal approval that enabled the transfer.