This episode features a conversation with Natalie Gochnour, associate dean in the David Eccles School of Business and director of the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah, and podcast host Pete Codella, Go Utah’s communications director. The episode springboards off the Opportunity Atlas, which shows the American and Utah neighborhoods that offer children the best chance to rise out of poverty.

Gochnour discusses her thoughts on upward mobility in Utah and the two significant findings that education and neighborhoods matter. She also notes that Utah has America's largest middle class and ranks high for upward mobility and how that plays out in urban communities versus rural ones. Codella asks Gochnour about the connection between where individuals worship and upward mobility, why Utah has a large middle class, and the cyclical nature of Utah’s economy.

Gochnour also talks about a new economic impact study for corporate retention and recruitment that the Gardner Policy Institute prepares for Go Utah's Board and executive director, providing detailed economic impact considerations for proposed new EDTIF tax credits. The EDTIF program is Utah Legislature's post-performance corporate incentive to attract new high-paying jobs and keep Utah companies in the state.

Listen to the episode for these conversations and more.