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Erin Mendenhall

Salt Lake City Mayor

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Tech Lake City

Mayor Mendenhall is accelerating Salt Lake City’s innovation economy

An air-quality advocate with a master’s degree in science and technology from the U, Mayor Mendenhall is modernizing Salt Lake City’s economy and fostering a culture of innovation.

Her vision for a sustainable tech ecosystem drove the creation of Tech Lake City, a multidisciplinary task force within the city government to attract entrepreneurs, support the city’s high-tech businesses, and grow the number of Salt Lake City residents benefiting from the city’s growing tech sector.

NURTURING A SENSE OF PLACE

  • Mayor Mendenhall has changed zoning rules to make it easier for innovative businesses to find suitable workspaces;
  • Her administration is creating an official “Innovation District” to help geographically cluster these businesses and house incubator, office, and wet-lab spaces;
  • Erin is helping put in place the intellectual, cultural, and even logistical infrastructure necessary for making Salt Lake City a sustainable innovation hub; and
  • Mayor Mendenhall has championed the sector inside and outside the city and uses her convening power to mainstream the tech culture in the city.

ENSURING THE ENTIRE CITY BENEFITS

  • Mayor Mendenhall has organized field trips for city high school students to cutting-edge biotech companies in Salt Lake City to showcase the innovative work and career opportunities available to them; and
  • Her administration is partnering with the Salt Lake City School District, the Glendale Community Learning Center, and the city’s biotech companies to develop afterschool programs that will connect students.

ATTRACTING INVESTMENT

  • Mayor Mendenhall is working to make Salt Lake City a global brand in biotech — a destination for innovation and investment; and
  • Her administration is also working to elevate the sector in our own market, helping fill talent gaps and promote STEM education.

STARTING WITH HEALTHCARE INNOVATION

  • Mayor Mendenhall’s team worked with the Kem C. Gardner Institute to develop a blueprint for sustainably growing the city’s life-sciences sector;
  • Erin is facilitating the creation of much-needed early-stage lab space to host and grow next-generation businesses;
  • Her administration partnered on the creation of BioHive, a trade association representing more than 1,000 Utah companies in the biopharmaceuticals, medical devices, diagnostics, genomics, biotechnology, health tech, and digital informatics fields; and
  • Growth in the city’s life sciences sector has snowballed and is supporting growth in other innovative sectors.