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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MESSAGE
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Alan Matheson is executive director of The Point.
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If you have driven past The Point recently, you will have seen significant progress with our demolition efforts. Led by the Utah Division of Facilities Construction and Management, we are on schedule to complete this work by the end of the year. While a lot of attention has been paid to the physical infrastructure at the site, substantial progress has also been made with what will happen inside the future buildings at Utah's Innovation Community.
Our team of experts at The Point Innovation District have wasted no time fostering a collaborative ecosystem that will directly benefit all Utahns. The Point Innovation District has a targeted focus on driving entrepreneurship and commercialization of university and college research, as well as essential partnerships with industry, venture capital, and policy makers.
As a precursor to the Innovation District activities at The Point, the team led the opening of the Utah Policy Innovation Lab in April. The Lab, which is currently housed in the Thomas S. Monson Center, is a collaborative initiative that serves as a platform for academics, policy experts, and business leaders to form partnerships, tackle policy challenges, and discover innovative solutions. Through their excellent work, The Point Innovation District team is already attracting interest from national and even international stakeholders.
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The Utah System of Higher Education (USHE), in partnership with The Point Innovation District, is pleased to announce the hiring of Gabi Tellez as the director of innovation and commercialization. In her new role, Tellez will support the development, operations, and systems of both The Point Innovation District and the newly opened Utah Policy Innovation Lab.
Prior to her appointment, Tellez worked as an analyst at Intermountain Ventures, Intermountain Health’s corporate venture capital fund. Prior to Intermountain Ventures, Tellez worked with Intermountain Health’s internal incubator where she helped to generate new ideas that were then taken to market.
She has also worked at Leavitt Partners as a health policy associate, where she helped to convene various stakeholders to drive innovative policy. Tellez began her career at a biotech startup. She is passionate about creating and maintaining cultures of innovation and has a passion for interdisciplinary collaboration.
Tellez holds a master’s degree in healthcare systems engineering from Loyola Marymount University and a bachelor’s degree in business from BYU’s Marriott School of Business.
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UTAH POLICY INNOVATION LAB
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The Utah Policy Innovation Lab recently hosted an expert panel on artificial intelligence.
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The Utah Policy Innovation Lab will help to elevate Utah's economy by commercializing technologies that have been discovered, advanced, or developed across all of Utah's institutions of higher education. The Utah Innovation Lab strives to promote innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic growth by fostering collaboration between academia and industry, and by providing the necessary resources to commercialize breakthrough technologies.
The Utah Policy Innovation Lab recently convened an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy Working Group to unite industry professionals, policymakers, and educators in comprehensive discussions about the profound impact of rapidly advancing AI technology.
The Lab recently organized a "Navigating AI Policy in Utah" event, which provided a forum for exploring a wide range of AI-related ideas, concerns, and opportunities. The panel of experts speaking at the event discussed responsible policies, safeguards, and opportunities that will shape the future of AI in Utah, while also discussing the potential Utah has to serve as a model for other regions.
The event highlighted the Lab's commitment to driving collaboration and addressing the complex challenges posed by AI. By bringing together key stakeholders, the Lab aims to develop an informed and forward-thinking approach not only to AI policy, but to a wide range of policy ideas. With its focus on creating cross-sector partnerships, the Utah Policy Innovation Lab is helping provide an opportunity for responsible AI development in Utah and beyond.
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Map of POM Transit Study Area.
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The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT), in partnership with the Utah Transit Authority (UTA), has recently completed the Point of the Mountain (POM) Transit Study Update. The study is available to the public.
The purpose of the POM Transit Study Update is to provide additional analysis of alternatives being considered for high-capacity transit service between Draper and Lehi: Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Light Rail Transit (LRT) and Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU). To take an in-depth look at these options, check out the Transit Study Update at udotinput.utah.gov/pointtransit.
The study team will complete an Environmental Assessment (EA) in fall 2023, where the public will be able to review the alternatives, potential impacts and mitigation, and provide formal comments. It is anticipated that a transit mode would be identified by the end of 2023 and that the EA would be complete in early 2024.
Email the study team at pointt...@utah.gov to sign up for updates and keep track of the progress of this study.
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Fox 13 Good Day Utah's story on The Point.
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Kerri Cronk, morning host and anchor of Fox 13's Good Day Utah recently visited The Point to chat with Alan Matheson about the progress of demolition and next steps for development.
“This is a vision that was created by the people of Utah," explained Alan Matheson, executive director for the point of the mountain state land authority. "We've talked to thousands, over 12,000 Utahns, about their values, what they want to see what they care about."
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UTAH'S INNOVATION COMMUNITY
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ICYMI- U.S. News and World Report just named Utah the #1 State in the country. Utah has a strong economy, well-maintained infrastructure, and thriving communities. As Utah’s Innovation Community, The Point will include all of these signature elements that make Utah a great place to live, work, and play.
“We really want this to be a showpiece for Utah. A place where people want to take their families, want to spend a day, but also a place where people are doing business, driving commerce," said Utah Governor Spencer Cox. "This really has an opportunity to be a vibrant heart of entertainment, of higher learning, and of recreation.”
The Point will advance cutting-edge innovation that leverages Utah's entrepreneurial spirit and enhances Utahns’ quality of life. Utah's Innovation Community will foster collaborative partnerships that bring together academics, policy experts, and business leaders to facilitate the exchange of new ideas and address some of Utah’s most unique and complex challenges.
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Widely recognized as one of the most significant quality-of-life opportunities in Utah history, The Point consists of 600 acres of state-owned land that will foster cutting-edge technological innovation, support robust economic opportunity, offer diverse housing options, and provide extensive parks and trails for Utahns to enjoy.
The site is centrally located in the heart of Utah’s rapidly growing technology sector, and between Utah’s two most populous counties. It is well served by vital infrastructure and surrounded by more than 20,000 acres of undeveloped land in local area communities. It is easily accessible via high-capacity roadways and planned future transit service.
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