This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The capital city has a new economic development czar. The City Council unanimously approved Lara L. Fritts on Tuesday evening as the new director of the Department of Economic Development.
Her appointment, along with a realignment of city departments by Mayor Jackie Biskupski, could signal a new era in Salt Lake City's attempts to grow its economy.
Under the new alignment, economic development, which had been a division of the Department of Community and Economic Development, would be elevated to cabinet-level status. Further, what has been the independent Redevelopment Agency would be under the new Economic Development Department. The Arts Council also would fall under that umbrella.
Fritts, 45, reportedly surpassed more than 150 applicants for the job after a national search launched in February. Most recently, she has been a Maryland-based business consultant known for generating jobs.
Organizing the new department will be among the first things she tackles, Fritts said.
Before joining the accounting and consulting firm Baker Tilly Virchow Krause in Tysons Corner, Va., in 2014, Fritts was president and CEO of the Annapolis, Md., Economic Development Corp. and, prior to that, headed city economic development in Cudahy, Wis.
Fritts told the council Tuesday that she is excited about her new position because Salt Lake City is a "globally branded" city.
Fritts said she will be proactive in attracting new business to Salt Lake City and incubating startups. She plans to outline goals and objectives that will take into account views of existing businesses.
Not least, Fritts said Salt Lake City must upgrade its website and use social media to market itself.
A built-in advantage, she said, is that the capital city is in a beautiful setting that should help attract new businesses.
Biskupski said Fritts has "played a direct role in bringing hundreds of millions of dollars of economic activity and thousands of jobs to the cities she has represented throughout her career."
Fritts, originally from Green Bay, Wis., has a master's degree in urban studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.