Paul Clove

2012 Waste Management Phoenix Open

2012-02-06T15:38:00.004-07:00

I attended the Waste Management Phoenix Open PGA Tour golf event in Scottsdale, Arizona this last week. I was with my buddies Adam Olmstead and Andy Fackrell. We had a blast. Of course, it's not difficult to have a good time when your with your friends, enjoying the beautiful 70 degree weather of Scottsdale, and watching the best golfers in the world work their magic on the spectacular TPC Scottsdale stadium course. It was fun watching Kyle Stanley redeem himself from his collapse last week at Torrey Pines.

We also joined in on the fun at number 16, which is the par 3 that is entirely surrounded by grandstands, creating a unique arena-like environment on the golf course. At number 16, the fans are loud, roudy and a little irreverant. It reminds me of scenes from Happy Gilmore.

All in all it was a great trip. I am looking forward to our next PGA weekend, wherever it may be!

2011 Northern Trust Open

2011-03-23T06:25:00.002-06:00

I am a little slow getting this on the blog, but I figured I would share it anyway. Last month I took a break from "tax season" to go enjoy a little piece of heaven. The piece of heaven I am referring to is the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California. Riviera CC is the host course of the Northern Trust Open, one of the PGA Tour's premier events on the west coast swing early in the season.

I went with a couple of buddies and spent four days living the high life. We got to watch some unbelievable golf and meet some of the tour players. We met Phil Mickelson, Stewart Cink, Paul Casey, Luke Donald, Rickie Fowler, Padraig Harrington, Mike Weir, Ryan Moore, Dean Wilson and Daniel Summerhays to name a few. It was fun talking to Daniel Summerhays. Like Mike Weir and Dean Wilson, Summerhays is a former BYU Cougar. He talked with us for a few minutes after he finished his second round. He seemed like a pretty cool guy.

Unfortunately, the fun had to come to an end. But we have already started planning the trip for next year. By the way, Aaron Baddeley won the tournament this year!

The Utah HB477 Mess

2011-03-22T22:54:00.003-06:00

It has been widely publicized that the Utah Legislature passed, and Governor Herbert signed into law, the highly controversial bill that dramatically changes the public's access to government records. The changes to GRAMA, or Government Records Access and Management Act, provide special status to certain electronic communications of elected officials. HB477 also increased the fees and allows government agencies an indefinite amount of time to respond to records requests.

Utahns are upset and down right angry at their elected representatives over their votes to pass this fast-tracked bill. The public was not allowed time to review and comment on HB477 before the legislature acted in haste to pass this bill that could potentially make our State and local governments less transparent. All citizens want to know what their elected representatives are doing while on the job. And the elected officials who argue that their electronic communications with constituents and other officials should be protected for privacy reasons should remember that they work for us, the people of the State of Utah. If they don't want their emails to be read, they should step down from their elected position and allow the voters in their district to elect someone who will do the job in an open manner. Can you imagine what an employer would say if an employee of thier business said the owner couldn't read their emails because they were "private". Give me a break. That employee would be fired so fast his head would spin! Our elected representatives should not be treated any differently.

I'm glad to see that my State Senator, Steve Urquhart, realizes he made a mistake in voting for HB477. You can read his statement here.We all make mistakes, and I'm glad Steve can admit that and move forward to correct the mistake. I agree with Steve that HB477 should be scrapped, and then we should move forward to improve GRAMA in a way that addresses our modern electronic communications but still provides the citizens of Utah a transparent government.

Morgan Philpot Closing The Gap With Jim Matheson

2010-10-30T07:28:00.002-06:00

In a poll released last night by Dan Jones & Associates for KSL and the Deseret News shows that Morgan Philpot is quickly closing the gap in the polls with Jim Matheson. The released results shows Philpot now down 12%, with 51% of the respondents saying they plan to support Matheson and 39% planning to vote for Philpot.

What is significant about these latest poll results is that two weeks ago in a poll conducted by Dan Jones & Associates, Philpot was down 26% to Matheson. And as Philpot appears to be closing the gap fast, Matheson's support has dropped to 51%, which is not a good sign for Matheson. If this trend continues for Matheson and if the 10% of undecided voters break for Philpot, which could happen in this anti-incumbent wave of voter anger, the Philpot - Matheson race could come down to the wire on election night.

Philpot appears to have the momentum, but it remains to be seen if there is enough time before election day for Philpot to win over enough voter support to get him across the finish line as the victor on election night next week. I hope that voters in Utah's 2nd Congressional District will see through the deception and negative attacks on Morgan Philpot and send Philpot to Washington D.C. as our representative.

Click here to see my thoughts on the Morgan Philpot vs. Jim Matheson race.

One Great Sandwich!

2010-10-29T20:56:00.003-06:00

Since my wife is 8 1/2 months pregnant, I told her I would take care of lunch today while the kids were at school so she could relax. It figured it was the least I could do to help lower the stress level of a miserable woman who is about ready to pop!

One thing that continually amazes me about the St. George area is the vast number of good restaurants for a community of its size. So with that said, I decided to pick up sandwiches from Capriotti's Sandwich Shop. And although Capriotti's is a regional chain of sorts, it has the feel of a local neighborhood sandwich shop. On top of that, the sandwich I bought was one of the best I have had.

If you like turkey, you have to try the Cran-Slam Club. It is a triple decker sandwich with hand-pulled turkey, cranberry sauce, ham, mayo and lettuce. And of course I got it on wheat bread since I am trying to lose a few pounds to get into running shape! It was one great sandwich. I will definitely be going back to have it again.

Philpot vs. Matheson

2010-10-25T09:11:00.003-06:00

In the race for Utah's second congressional district, it is interesting to hear what my friends and colleagues are saying about the two candidates; Morgan Philpot (R) and Jim Matheson (D).

Most of the feedback I have heard about Morgan Philpot is mixed. Even many republicans, while planning to vote for him, feel that Philpot doesn't seem to understand the demographics of the district. Observers draw this conclusion from watching and listening to Philpot look and sound like a candidate trying to sway voters of a younger age (i.e. He spikes his hair in the front and uses a vocabulary that you would expect to hear from a 25 year old). Philpot is struggling to rally his base in a year that he should have easily tied it down.

On the flip side, many republicans and democrats are not satisfied with the incumbent Jim Matheson. Democrats think he is too conservative, and republicans think he is too liberal. Matheson claims to be an independent, but most of the water cooler talk I hear leads me to believe that most don't buy into Matheson's self-proclaimed independent label. Upon review of his voting record, Matheson consistently votes with Nancy Pelosi, even though he touts the handful of times he broke ranks and didn't vote with his party. He continually reminds voters that he is a blue dog democrat, supposedly trying to keep the extreme liberal left of his own party in check. Furthermore, Matheson always falls back on his Southern Utah roots as a reason that he relates with the conservative, rural part of the district.

However, the fact remains that Jim Matheson is a democrat that helped bring Nancy Pelosi to power by casting his vote for her to be Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. My personal opinion is that Matheson's campaign slogan of him "putting Utah first" is a farce. He puts his own interests ahead of his constituents' interests. I would like Matheson to explain his votes for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker and with a straght face say that he believes those votes were the votes his constituents wanted him to cast. He couldn't do it without lying.

Additionally, it appears that Matheson broke ranks and voted with the republicans only on votes where Nancy Pelosi already had the votes she needed to pass the socialistic Obama agenda. If Jim Matheson was truly undecided on his vote for Obamacare until the day he cast his vote, which he claimed, that tells me all I need to know about him. He is either too stupid to understand that what his party is doing is destroying America, or he is putting his own interests ahead of his constituents. Either way, Matheson is not getting my vote.

So while many conversatives may buy into Matheson's propoganda, I hope they will come to their senses, overlook Philpot's perceived lack of credibility, and vote for the only true conservative in the race for Utah's second congressional district, Morgan Philpot.

Lessons Learned From the Virginia and New Jersey Gubernatorial Elections

2009-11-05T08:30:00.000-07:00

While many pundits are trying to decide if the republican victories in Virginia and New Jersey are a referendum on President Obama, my observation is that most Americans are angry about the direction our country is going. Barack Obama maintains a moderate level of popularity, but that popularity is a result of his personality and charisma, not his ability to govern effectively.

Literally from day one of his administration, President Obama has done exactly the opposite of what he promised during the campaign of uniting the country and implementing the best ideas regardless of which party the idea originates from. But now his true colors are shining through as we see him dismissing republican ideas, attacking Fox News, and disparaging the thousands of Americans who attended town hall meetings and voiced their opposition to socialized health care.

I have to admit, President Obama would probably be a fun guy to play a pick-up game of basketball with. But as the leader of our nation, he is doing a lousy job. I might be a little biased since I am a conservative, but I am also an American and I can't stand to sit back and watch Barack Obama, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi move our country one giant step closer to becoming a socialized, European style country. They are steering our country right down the same road that Jimmy Carter took us on. Spending is out of control and then some, and inflation is bound to become a serious economic factor for all Americans just like it did back in the 1970s.

With his actions over the last ten months, it is not surprising to me that the back lash of Americans has begun. And while most elections revolve around local issues, most voters consider heavily the candidate's positions on national issues. And in this case, the republicans in Virginia and New Jersey came out victorious because a majority of Americans are already starting to see through Barack Obama's smoke and mirrors and they are becoming angry and want to turn the bus back onto the Reagan highway.

St. George City Municipal Elections

2009-11-04T23:21:00.000-07:00

It has been quite a while since I have posted on my blog - a little over 8 months in fact. I decided today that although I am extremely busy with some big projects at work, I need to make the time to share my thoughts about the current events and issues affecting my community.

Yesterday, the City of St. George held its election for mayor and two city council seats. While I am generally pleased with the outcome, I do wish that Suzanne Allen could have had a better showing. Suzanne has worked extremely hard for the citizens of St. George over the last 16 years, and I believe that she has always had the interests of the greater good at heart during her time on the city council. Voters reelected Gail Bunker to the council where she will continue to serve the citizens of St. George for four more years.

After his third run at the St. George City Council, Ben Nickle won a seat on the council. I don't personally know Mr. Nickle, but I have some concerns about his ability to govern as a member of the city council and work effectively with the other council members. While some have criticized Mr. Nickle over his extreme positions on certain issues, my concerns are more with his demeanor and delivery of his message. However, I will wait and pass judgment on Mr. Nickle after he has had an opportunity to demonstrate his abilities and intentions on the council.

Finally, while I do not always agree with Mayor McArthur on some of the positions he takes, I do believe that he is currently the right guy to be our mayor. He has worked hard and given his heart and soul to the city. He deserves our thanks for his commitment and dedication to service.

Again, congratulations to all of those who stuck their neck on the line and emerged victorious last night.

The Daschle Tax Plan

2009-02-06T16:53:00.000-07:00

As we hear the news of President Obama's cabinet nominees dropping like flies because of tax problems, I can't help but laugh at the hypocrisy of these liberal policy makers. For the past few years Tom Daschle, and I'm sure Nancy Killefer included, have been railing on President Bush and the Republicans for the tax cuts that were made law early in Bush's administration. These are the same people who have been advocating for a tax increase on those making over $250,000 a year and reversing many other aspects of the Bush tax cuts.

As we are now finding out, many top democrats have adopted a tax plan that they think should apply to them, while we, ordinary hard working Americans, continue to bear the burden of a congress that appears to have no concept of fiscal restraint. So what is this special tax plan the democrats have adopted? It's called the "Everyone Has to Pay Tax Except Me" plan. We know that Tom Daschle has failed to pay roughly $146,000 in back taxes, and Nancy Killefer quickly removed herself from consideration for the Chief Performance Officer position citing tax problems. Tim Geithner, the new Treasury Secretary, also faced grilling from members of congress during his confirmation hearing over his failure to pay his taxes. That is a novel concept - put a man who does not pay his taxes over the very agency that is charged with collecting the tax revenue for our government.

So after much consideration, I have decided that President Bush had a much better tax plan for America. A tax plan that lowers taxes has shown that it will stimulate the economy by leaving more of our hard earned dollars in our pockets for us to spend, while at the same time increasing revenue for the government. In addition to cutting marginal tax rates, cuts in capital gains rates, lowering taxes on dividends, and accelerating depreciation deductions for property, plant and equipment purchases will help give any economy a kick in the rear end and get it moving in the right direction at a faster pace.

However, if all else fails, I can always adopt the Daschle tax plan and just not pay my taxes. By doing that, I will have the additional capital to invest in the stock market or invest in any of my businesses and help create new jobs. Either way, I come out ahead and the economy comes out a big winner!

Launch of New Websites

2009-01-22T10:27:00.000-07:00

I have been very busy at work lately as we have been closing out the year and rolling out our strategy for 2009. Between the various businesses that I am affiliated with, it seems that there is never a shortage of work to be done.

My partner and I have been working very hard to roll out some new, information rich websites that consumers and business owners alike will hopefully find useful and beneficial. A summary of our latest projects is as follows:

1. FreeHostReview.com is one of our latest offerings on the web hosting front. The site offers insights and reviews on paid web hosting providers as well as free hosts. If you are looking to host a website or blog, this site can help steer you in the right direction.

2. BestShoppingCartReviews.com is a site that helps business owners select the right shopping cart software for their ecommerce website. Online business has been a bright spot for many businesses during the current recession. This site can help a business owner find the right tools and solutions, including shopping carts, merchant services, payment gateways, and ecommerce web hosts that will help a business website succeed.

3. 100Best-Credit-Card-Reports.com is a site that we have recently updated and relaunched. This website is jam packed with useful information and articles about credit cards and how to apply for one, managing credit card debt and developing good financial habits. We hope many people will find this site to be a valuable resource and help them improve their financial position.

4. 100Best-Merchant-Accounts.com is another site we have recently updated and relaunched with great information for business owners looking to accept credit cards in their business. Merchant accounts are the vehicle for accepting and processing credit cards for all types of businesses and this site will guide a business owner to the best merchant account provider for their unique situation.

We are excited about these sites and hope they will be of value to many people. To all of you bloggers that may see this post, we would appreciate any feed back or reviews on these sites. A link to these sites from a blog post or your blog roll would be much appreciated.

Painters Half Marathon

2009-01-20T15:07:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I have posted here. The last couple of months have been crazy with work, church, family and time spent trying to get into shape. We had a great holiday season and the kids were spoiled as usual on Christmas morning.

As the title of this post indicates, I ran in the St. George Half Marathon sponsored by Painter's. Liesel and I both ran in the race as we each have other races coming up that we need to prepare for. This is the first time I have run in this half marathon and it ended up being a fun race. There were around 1,500 runners participating in the race (about 1,000 for the half marathon and 500 for the 5K).

Liesel and I both ended up with decent times considering the condition we are both in right now. Liesel has only ran a handful of times since the St. George marathon in October and I have been struggling with knee and IT band problems the last couple of months. I finished the race in 1 hour 37 minutes and Liesel finished it in 1 hour 47 minutes. I was on pace to beat my goal of 1 hour 30 minutes through the first 4 miles, then my knee started acting up and I had to back down a little bit. (Click on the link to view the official Painters Half Marathon results)

I am now going to rest my knee for a few weeks and see if I can get it feeling good for the Ragnar Relay in Los Angeles scheduled for late April. Liesel is getting ready for the Ragnar Relay Del Sol next month in Arizona. After the Ragner in April, it will be on to the St. George Triathlon in May for me.

I am learning that at 34 years old I physically can't do a lot of what I used to. I have learned that rehabbing a knee from a sports injury and trying to rebuild strength in an arm that suffered a break from a snowboarding injury take time to heal. I am just pushing forward hoping to exceed more of my personal goals.

Actions of California Proposition 8 Opponents Disappointing

2008-11-14T22:08:00.000-07:00

With the recent passing of California Proposition 8 upholding the traditional definition of marriage as between one man and one woman, it is disappointing to see the actions of the Prop 8 opponents who came up on the short end of the stick on that issue. With the recent attacks on the Mormon Church over their support of Prop 8, those attacking the Mormons are setting a bad precedent for the democratic process in our beloved country.

While the gay community preaches acceptance and intolerance by word, their actions are sending a completely different message. After losing the Prop 8 battle, what does the gay community do? They immediately single out the Mormon Church, picket at its sacred places of worship, vandalize church property, and smear the church as a whole just because the Mormon Church and many of its members happen to believe differently on the issue of marriage than homosexuals do.

The democratic process in our country allows for all of us to stand up for what we believe in and vote our conscience. And believe it or not, that right also covers Mormons! So to all those who are crying, whining and acting like a little child who did not get their way, take a little of your own medicine and embrace the principles of acceptance and tolerance. Because right now it appears that the gay community is not tolerant at all!

Liberals will always preach acceptance and tolerance for their lifestyles and policies, and upon being rebuked by a majority of voters, they immediately label their opponents as intolerant and accuse them of denying people of basic civil liberties. Did anyone notice the millions marching on Washington to illustrate their disgust with an Obama victory in the presidential election? I did not see it either. The silent majority of Americans have the decency and respect for their fellow citizens to practice acceptance and tolerance, where those who are screaming the loudest for acceptance and tolerance (the gay community) are the ones who are not practicing what they preach!

May God Bless America!

2008-11-14T21:53:00.000-07:00

With all of the challenges facing our country today, the United States needs all of the divine help it can get right now. From tough economic conditions to dealing with the global fight on terrorism, there appear to be many things not going well in our country at the moment.

Although I do not agree with him politically, I congratulate President Elect Obama and sincerely hope that he can hold the fabric of America together while we all fight to lift America out of the tough spot we are currently in. I also hope that some fresh, true conservative leadership will spring forth to help guide our country back into the light.

Finally, I need to give a shout out to my good friend Steve Urquhart on a campaign run with class and integrity. Representative Urquhart (he has been serving in the Utah State House of Representatives for the past eight years) will now be Senator Urquhart with his resounding victory on election night. Steve is a brilliant, genuine person who deserves the praise he so often receives for his work in the legislature. Congratulations Steve on a job well done and good luck with your new post in the senate!

Free Web Hosting vs. Paid Web Hosting

2008-09-25T10:31:00.000-06:00

Free web hosting or paid web hosting? Which hosting option is better and which will provide you the services and support you need? Over the past few weeks I have immersed myself in researching the pros and cons of free and paid hosting services because I have a new business we are trying to get online. It has been very educational to see the differences between the two types of hosting. And to answer the questions above, the best web hosting service may be different for all users due to unique factors, circumstances and needs of each user.

Through my research, and keep in mind that I am not the most technically savvy individual, I have found a few key differences between free web hosting and paid web hosting. For starters, the first difference is price. Even though most paid hosting services are very affordable, free web hosting is exactly that - it is free. So you ask, how can it be free? The web hosting provider has to make money somehow. Well, you are right. Most free web hosting services place advertisements across the top of your website to help generate money for their hosting business. Many business owners aren't comfortable having ads on their website, and others don't mind. It is a personal preference that each user can decide on their own. Additionally, most reputable free web hosting providers offer an opt out option on the advertising for a very minimal fee (in some cases, as little as $20 per year).

In addition to price, storage space on the server is a major difference. Most paid web hosting providers offer large amounts of disk storage space (generally 500 gigs and up), while free web hosting providers only allow you a small amount of storage space, which can be as little as 50 megabytes. If you intend to design and build a large website with a lot of features, you most likely will need to lean in the direction of paid web hosting since that type of website will take a lot of storage space on a server.

Another critical difference between free and paid hosting is the type and availability of customer support. Free web hosts generally offer email or online support only, where reputable paid hosts offer 24/7 phone support in addition to online and email support. Customer support is a nice feature for those of us that don't understand all of the terminology surrounding hosting and the Internet. I have found that most of the big paid web hosting providers do a pretty good job of helping their customers with questions and support issues.

Other things to look for when deciding between free and paid hosting is reliability, redundancy, and what additional features and tools are offered by the web host. These items are all critical to maintaining a successful online presence for businesses. However, for an individual who wants to create a web site for fun, these items may not be as much of a concern. You may want to do a search for web hosting reviews and see what independent reviewers and users are saying about all of the top web hosting providers.

In summary, the choice between free web hosting and paid web hosting is not a clear cut choice. Your best web hosting provider may be completely different than your neighbors since every one's wants and needs are different. Just keep in mind your needs, budget, and support requirements and you should be able to decide whether you will need to pay for web hosting or if you can use a free web hosting provider.

Credit Cards!

2008-09-11T11:20:00.000-06:00

One bit of advice I always give to my clients is to use a credit card for business purchases, especially a credit card that offers rewards. One reason for this recommendation is obvious. However, there are more reasons than you might think.

First, using a credit card to pay for business purchases is a good idea because it buys you as much as 20-25 days of float before actually paying for the purchase. Most credit card companies offer a grace period for you to pay for your charges without paying any finance charges. Second, having a credit card gives you access to financing, as little as it may be, to help grow your business. Many small businesses only need a small amount of capital to get their business up and running. Third, using a credit card wisely can help you build a solid credit score. It is critical that credit card balances are paid in full each month, otherwise your credit card debt will grow quickly and soon will become overwhelming.

Lastly, a credit card is one that can offer some type of reward or benefit for using the card. Many of the best credit cards offer travel rewards, points for use at retailers, cash back awards, and much more. Some issuers offer low APR credit cards. Regardless of the reward type you choose, why not leverage your business purchases and get something back in return!

Getting Your Business Online

2008-08-30T21:27:00.000-06:00

Many small businesses are struggling to catch up with the wave of changes that have affected the way we do business - specifically engaging in ecommerce. Many business owners are intimidated by the new technologies they see and some may not fully comprehend the benefits of taking their business online. There are many benefits for getting your business online and I will detail a few benefits, as well as how to get started, below.

Business owners create websites for their businesses for many different reasons. And the reasons you should get your business online will depend on the type of business you operate the industry in which you operate in. Many businesses are looking for general awareness, while others are strictly trying to sell goods or services through their website. Some of the benefits that come by getting your business online include establishing a corporate presence on the Internet, being able to sell goods or services over the Internet, gathering data for potential customers on your website, and having an online location for your customers to be able to go to in order to get information about your products or services.

So if your business in not online yet, the question is how do you get started? Getting your business online is not as difficult or costly as you may think, if you know where to go. The general steps include designing and building your website, creating a web hosting account, and getting your site live. Most of these steps involve contracting with specialists to complete each item. For example, you will need to locate a knowledgeable and reliable web designer/programmer to design and build your website. The programmer you select will most likely be the one who will update and maintain your website as you have new information to post on your website. Most designers/programmers provide their services at an hourly rate of between $50 - $100 per hour. Most designers/programmers also can provide valuable services such as search engine optimization.

Creating a web hosting account is very easy and extremely affordable. In simple terms, web hosting is basically renting space from a company that has servers directly connected to the Internet. For your customers and potential customers to be able to find your website, your website must be located on a computer that has a direct connection to the Internet. You can generally get a web hosting account with a top provider for as little as $5 per month. For a list of the best web hosting companies, there are many web hosting directories that evaluate and rate the numerous hosting companies.

Once your website is built and you have signed up for a web hosting account with the host of your choice, your programmer can upload the files to your web host's server and your website will be live for the whole world to see.

As a small business owner myself, I understand why many business owners are slow to change and catch up with the online world. However, I have also come to realize the benefits and necessities of getting my businesses online. I hope that all other business owners can embrace the latest web technologies and help propel their business to even greater success.

Blogging and Politics

2008-08-15T11:00:00.000-06:00

It is interesting how much of an impact bloggers have on the news we read each day. The main stream media has embraced blogging, but they use it as another tool to influence their readers rather than to have open dialogue on issues affecting their readers. I believe that independent bloggers are having a much larger influence than the main stream media on our news because of their desire to bring to light the true story of what's happening behind the scenes of a news story.

For example, in discussing his frustration with misinformation regarding an issue that came before the Utah Legislature, Representative Steve Urquhart specifically points out bloggers (along with special interest groups and big media) as having an impact on the information that filtered down to the public.

The beauty of blogging is it gives ordinary citizens, like me, a voice on issues that are important to me. I can share my thoughts and feelings about issues from my own unique perspective. The point - don't underestimate the power of the blog.

Utah's Struggling Housing Market

2008-08-12T11:55:00.000-06:00

Since reaching its peak, in terms of average sales price and units sold, the housing market in Utah has gradually fallen off its highs of a couple of years ago. In light of this slowdown, it's quite remarkable how home prices have held up even as the slowdown worsens. However, according to Mark Knold, a senior economist for the Utah Department of Workforce Services, stated that Utah's housing market may still be in for the worst.

In noting that Utah trailed behind much of the country in the housing run up, Mr. Knold believes that Utah is trailing much of the country in feeling the effects of the housing crisis. I concur with Mr. Knold's analysis and also believe that Utah's residential real estate market won't stabilize until home prices fall an additional 10-15%. Although I am no expert on real estate, I would venture to say that the stabilization won't occur until late 2009. Noticeable growth in the housing sector will probably follow in 2010.

According to Mr. Knold, one positive for Utah's housing sector is the fact that Utah does not have mounds of finished, unoccupied homes, like many other cities and States across the U.S. Because there is not a glut of inventory, Utah should be quick to recover when the stabilization occurs.

I think I can speak collectively for all business owners in saying that the housing crisis cannot come to an end soon enough. The impact of the housing crisis is felt through almost every sector of our economy. Obviously, a large part of the construction industry lives and dies by the success or demise of the housing market. When the construction industry is suffering, retailers, restaurants, and trucking companies also feel the effects.

Even though it may seem like the sky is falling down all around us, Mr. Knold offers some hope that the Utah housing market will rebound in coming months. We should all be optimistic and hopeful that we will see improved economic growth by next year.

Business, Finance and Politics

2008-08-08T00:06:00.000-06:00

For all of you who may have stumbled onto my blog, you can tell that I am new to this blogging thing. I figured that I would start a blog to give myself a forum to discuss business and political issues important to me.

The issues I will focus most on will be small business finance, business development, politics and occasionally I will mix in a few personal or funny items to entertain. Although I will discuss national and international business developments, my blog will slant toward local and state issues affecting the businesses in the great state of Utah.

I am a certified public accountant specializing in taxation as well as a small business owner. As a result, I have a great interest in and a desire to share my thoughts about the areas of finance and the politics affecting the business community.

So if you are interested in the opinions of one small business owner when it comes to issues relating to the business environment in Utah and around the U.S., please stop by often and see what I have to say.