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Editor‘s note • This article discusses suicide. If you or people you know are at risk of self-harm, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for 24-hour support. You can also reach The Trevor Project, which specializes in helping LGBTQ+ youth, by calling 1-866-488-7386, or by texting “START” to 678-678.

Utah’s transgender teens have previously indicated to state officials they are 3 ½ times more likely than their peers to consider taking their own lives, almost 4 ½ times more likely to experience severe depression and are two to three times more likely to experiment with drugs and alcohol.

But those figures documenting transgender students’ emotional struggles in conservative Utah are no longer available to the public, having been quietly purged from a state website.

Links to data on how transgender students’ mental health is faring on the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health site have been deleted, while other demographic-specific reports remain accessible.

Changes to the website come as orders from the White House increasingly act to erase the visibility of transgender Americans, including ordering public health data that President Donald Trump’s administration has labeled “gender ideology” taken down.

According to web page snapshots preserved by the Internet Archive, “Transgender Student Profile Report[s]” compiled from the statewide Student Health and Risk Prevention survey, commonly known as SHARP, were available on the Utah Office of Substance Use and Mental Health site on Feb. 2. By March 4 those reports had disappeared.

The Salt Lake Tribune accessed copies of the reports prior to their removal.

When reached Wednesday with questions about where the directive to remove the links came from, as well as whether other datasets were affected, a spokesperson for DHHS said the agency would not be able to provide answers until Thursday.

Surveys are conducted every other year, and Utah’s most recent survey data published in 2023. In 2021, the state reportedly didn’t have adequate data to complete a report on transgender students. The first report focused on transgender students published in 2019.

In 2023, 729 students who took the survey responded that they were transgender, representing about 1.4% of the 51,890 students in grades six, eight, 10 and 12 surveyed — although none of the sixth graders were asked if they are transgender.

Reports on gay or lesbian, bisexual and heterosexual, as well as “Not Sure or Other Orientation,” students remain online. The website also has links to health district-specific reports, separate information for males and females, and profiles of various racial and ethnic groups.

“The knowledge we’ve gained from the SHARP survey is invaluable,” the website where reports are posted says, “because it tells us where to look for problems and solutions.”

It continues, “Local health departments, local prevention coalitions, local schools and school districts, superintendents, health systems, public health professionals, and most importantly, parents use SHARP data to develop programs and services to help Utah youth and families.”

Survey results are also provided to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for its development of the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. Portions of the pages where the surveillance data is displayed were deleted earlier this year, but a federal judge ordered them restored in February.

Now, a note at the top of the CDC page says, “Any information on this page promoting gender ideology is extremely inaccurate and disconnected from the immutable biological reality that there are two sexes, male and female. The Trump Administration rejects gender ideology and condemns the harms it causes to children, by promoting their chemical and surgical mutilation, and to women, by depriving them of their dignity, safety, well-being, and opportunities. This page does not reflect biological reality and therefore the Administration and this Department rejects it.”

The axing of Utah transgender youth’s mental health data comes as resources for the group, which has historically seen heightened risk of mental health challenges and suicide, are in jeopardy. The Trump administration is proposing cutting specialized help for young LGBTQ+ people from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Approximately 19 states, according to LGBTQ+ rights-focused think tank Movement Advancement Project, asked students about their gender identity in Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System surveys in 2021.

“[Government officials] try to defend this by saying they don’t want to advance certain ideologies, but the fact is that this is really not about ideology. It’s just about understanding population health,” said Ilan Meyer, a distinguished senior scholar at the Williams Institute at UCLA, which researches public policy around sexual orientation and gender identity.

Meyer advocated for national public health agencies to expand their data collection on LGBTQ+ populations in the late 1990s as the Public Health Service questioned, amid the AIDS epidemic, whether it had enough data to include that group in its 10-year health priorities blueprint. Any loss of data on LGBTQ+ communities, he said, is “devastating.”

“It sounds to me like the state … government,” Meyer continued, “is saying, ‘We just don’t want to look, we don’t want to know about it.’”

‘We’re really in the dark’

Transgender students’ responses were scrubbed from the DHHS website less than a year after a law requiring parental permission for students to take the SHARP survey took effect, likely already inhibiting the amount of youth mental health data Utah is able to collect. Experts say limiting which demographic information is available is an additional blow to the usefulness of behavioral surveys like SHARP.

Sharon Talboys, a professor at the University of Utah who specializes in public health and behavior change research, said taking down the reports is a “disservice” to teens — and their caregivers — who agreed to share information about themselves.

Survey data on gender identity and other population characteristics help researchers pinpoint where students are suffering and how the institutions responsible for looking after them should improve. Without that information, Talboys said, “We’re really in the dark.”

An appendix at the end of the 2023 report detailed all of the questions asked in the survey, and possible answers students could give.

“Some people describe themselves as transgender when their sex at birth does not match the way they think or feel about their gender,” one question says. “Are you transgender?”

Students had the option to respond, “no,” “I am not sure,” “I don’t know what this question is asking” and “yes.”

“Why can’t kids be asked that?” Talboys asked. “It’s certainly something that the people who are affected think about. And we know that they have poor health outcomes, especially with mental health and substance use.”

This year was the fourth in a row that Utah passed laws imposing restrictions on its transgender residents, and the most acute effects of those measures are experienced by the youngest transgender Utahns.

Transgender girls were prohibited from participating in high school sports that align with their gender identity in 2022, and in 2023, Utah banned gender-affirming health care for transgender minors.

Last year, transgender Utahns were barred from using public restrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity in government-owned buildings, including schools. And during the recent legislative session, the state banned transgender students from living in dorms that align with their gender identity at public universities.

An article by researchers at The Trevor Project — an LGBTQ+ youth suicide prevention nonprofit — published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour last year concluded that state-level restrictions on transgender people lead to an increase in suicide attempts among transgender youth.

About a quarter of Utah’s surveyed transgender students reported in 2023 attempting suicide at some point during the previous year.

“Whatever it is that LGBT youth are going through is continuing, and just not knowing something doesn’t really address the underlying problem,” Meyer, of the Williams Institute, said. “By not knowing, you’re not going to be able to address it at all. And maybe that’s the point.”

This story is developing and may be updated.

Utah quarterback Cam Rising is hanging up his cleats, but he won’t be leaving the game of football entirely behind.

Rising, 25, announced on social media Wednesday that he would be retiring from football over medical reasons after suffering a hand injury during a game against Baylor in September.

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“Due to a hand injury I suffered during the Baylor game, I’ve been advised by two orthopedic physicians that I will never be able to return to playing football,” Rising said. “I’ll be obtaining a 3rd medical opinion and will undergo the recommended surgery. I will continue to rehab and do all I can to get healthy. In the meantime, I will unfortunately be forced to medically retire from the game I love.

“My why has always been my family. I have always thought of my teammates as my brothers and always will. Thank you guys for always pushing me to improve and just making this game enjoyable. Thank you to the coaches for guiding me in the right direction to become a better man and football player. Coach Ludwig, thank you for turning me into a football nerd and showing me the correct way to respect that game. Lastly, thank you to all the fans and everyone that supported me throughout my career. You all made the moments special.”

While Rising won’t be on the field for Utah anymore, he will be on the sidelines for his high school alma mater, Newbury Park, as its offensive coordinator, ESPN reported.

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Rising was a three-year starter at the California high school from 2015-17 before spending his first college season at the University of Texas.

The 25-year-old played 30 total games during his time with Utah and led the program to Pac-12 championships in 2021 and 2022.

But injuries hindered his time on the field, and this past season, he played in just three games.

DENVER (KDVR) — An NHL team now located in Utah has gone through some massive changes over the years, initially starting out as the Phoenix Coyotes, then the Arizona Coyotes before packing up and relocating to Utah altogether.

This Colorado water park was named the second best in the US

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The newly moved team started in its new home, Salt Lake City, as the Utah Hockey Club during the 2024-25 season. However, as the end of the NHL season approaches, the team is due for one more change — the official name selection for the team, which will now be known as the Utah Mammoth.

Nexstar affiliate station ABC4 in Salt Lake City posted the update on Wednesday morning.

The Smith Entertainment Group used four rounds of voting in an over-year-long process that saw upwards of 850,000 fans vote to select the permanent name of their new hockey team.

“We couldn’t be more excited to launch the official name and marks for Utah’s NHL hockey team,” said Ryan and Ashley Smith in a joint statement. “When it came to naming the team, we did something unprecedented – going through four rounds of community voting, including getting feedback not only on potential names but also potential logos. We love the passion of the people of Utah and the way they showed up for the team during its inaugural season and the energy they brought to voting on its permanent identity.”

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While the news may be breaking in Utah, Coloradans might have heard the name somewhere else in their own state.

Lacrosse is a fast-growing sport and may not have as much popularity as football, baseball or basketball yet, but it has been a staple for professional sports in Colorado since 2003, the year the Colorado Mammoth were officially introduced as the newest franchise in downtown Denver.

April Schofield, a senior lecturer of marketing at Metropolitan State University Denver, as well as an avid Denver sports fan, told FOX31’s Greg Nieto that the pair of names “presents a fascinating case of identity and differentiation.”

She says the same name and logo can create some brand confusion with social media, merchandising and digital spaces.

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“For sports branding, fan identity is everything,” Schofield told Nieto. “Sports teams are selling a lot more than tickets and merchandise … they’re selling pride and emotional connection.”

After hearing of the Utah NHL team’s name change, the Colorado Mammoth threw a playful jab at the Utah Mammoth in a post on X.

The Utah Mammoth posted on X, “A new Ice Age Dawns. Introducing Utah Mammoth.” The statement was accompanied by a video and the hashtag #TusksUp.

The Colorado Mammoth quoted the post and in its own post said, “Mammoth since 2003.” The post included the hashtag #TuskUp, a singular tusk as opposed to Utah’s plural, a hashtag that has been used in the team’s social posts for a long period of time.

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The Colorado Mammoth won the National Lacrosse League championship twice during the team’s time in Denver, during the 2006 and 2022 seasons.

While it’s not an ideal situation for a team’s identity, shared names have popped up in professional sports many times. Some of those teams include:

• Rangers — NHL: New York, MLB: Texas

• Giants — MLB: San Francisco, NFL: New York

• Panthers — NFL: Carolina, NHL: Florida

• Kings — NBA: Sacamento, NHL: Los Angeles

• Jets — NHL: Winnipeg, NFL: New York

• Cardinals — MLB: St. Louis, NFL: Arizona

Fan sues NFL for $100M after Shedeur Sanders’ late draft pick

NHL teams across the league, including the Colorado Avalanche, responded to the Utah Mammoth’s post on X with fun memes and GIFs involving mammoths.

The Avalanche responded with “Cold environments,” followed by a handshake emoji.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.

The Utah Hockey Club is no more.

After an exhaustive search that lasted more than a year, the NHL’s Utah team announced they are rebranding as the Utah Mammoth for the 2025-26 NHL season.

“More than 10,000 years ago, herds of mammoth claimed Utah as their home and, ever since, the mammoth has embodied strength, momentum, and an earth-shaking presence – qualities that are brought to life by the passion of Utah’s hockey fans and that mirror the franchise’s bold emergence into the NHL. In a process driven by the community, the Utah Mammoth name was chosen by fans during a 13-month process involving four rounds of fan voting and more than 850,000 votes,” began a statement on the team’s website Wednesday.

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The team also released this video on social media:

“We couldn’t be more excited to launch the official name and marks for Utah’s NHL hockey team. When it came to naming the team, we did something unprecedented – going through four rounds of community voting, including getting feedback not only on potential names but also on potential logos. We love the passion of the people of Utah and the way they showed up for the team during its inaugural season and the energy they brought to voting on its permanent identity,” said Ryan and Ashley Smith, owners of the Utah Mammoth.

“From day one, we committed that this team would be built with and for the people of Utah, and we are excited to celebrate today’s launch with the entire state. The community chose the Utah Mammoth, and it stands as a symbol of who we are, where we came from, and the unstoppable force we’re building together.”

Here’s the franchise’s new sweaters. Yay or nay on these?

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The main logo for the franchise will be the “Mountain Mammoth” logo, which contains subtle nods to the state of Utah. According to the team, the logo “captures the fierce power of the mammoth mid-charge, tusks up, and ready to attack. Within the mark are nods to the state, including the Wasatch Mountain Range and snow-capped peaks that form the beast’s crown; the shape of Utah, which is subtly embedded in the mountain silhouette; and the curved tusk to form a bold ‘U.’”

The team also released secondary logos, as well as a team badge:

The most fascinating aspect of the announcement might just be a new font, for the typeface enthusiasts among us. “Accompanying the visual identity is a unique custom-designed typeface, Mammoth Sans, which features a 10-degree forward slant that mirrors Utah’s mountainous terrain and reflects the team’s relentless pursuit of progress.”

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The team will also introduce a mascot for home games next season, in the months to come.

More from sbnation.com:

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Tusks up, Utah! The Utah Hockey Club has officially rebranded into its new official and permanent name: the Utah Mammoth.

The Smith Entertainment Group said the name was chosen by fans during a more than year-long process involving four rounds of fan voting that included more than 850,000 votes.

“We couldn’t be more excited to launch the official name and marks for Utah’s NHL hockey team,” said Ryan and Ashley Smith in a joint statement. “When it came to naming the team, we did something unprecedented – going through four rounds of community voting, including getting feedback not only on potential names but also potential logos. We love the passion of the people of Utah and the way they showed up for the team during its inaugural season and the energy they brought to voting on its permanent identity.”

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The Utah Mammoth will keep the color palette of Rock Black, Salt White and Mountain blue from the inaugural season, but will feature a new “Mountain Mammoth” primary logo on the chest and a Utah Badge on the shoulders. The away jersey will continue to have the inaugural UTAH stairstep design with the Mammoth featured on each shoulder.

Utah HC moves up to #4 pick in NHL Draft

Eager to get your hands on some merch featuring the new look? Good news. Smith Entertainment Group said a limited selection of first-run Mammoth merchandise, including shirts, hats, and hoodies, will be available at the Delta Center starting Wednesday, May 7.

Behind the name

According to the Smith Entertainment Group, the name selected by fans represents strength, momentum and an “earth-shaking presence.”

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Over the years, mammoth fossils have been found throughout the Beehive State, including near Bear Lake, Fillmore, Orem, Park City and Lake Powell. In 1988, a complete mammoth skeleton was found in Huntington Canyon.

“These massive, relient creatures stood over 14 feet tall, weighed up to 22,000 pounds, and used their curved tusks to dig through snow, fend off predators and thrive in Utah’s glacial terrain,” SEG said in a statement unveiling the new brand. “Evidence suggests mammoths charged in herds at speeds exceeding 25 miles per hour, comparable to the speeds reached by the fastest skaters in the NHL.”

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.

Dentists in Utah can tell rather quickly whether their patients grew up in the Salt Lake City area or in a different part of the state.

Salt Lake County, neighboring Davis County to the north and nearby Brigham City – home to about half of the state’s population – have been adding fluoride to the public drinking water for decades with local voter approval while other parts of the state generally have not.

“It’s pretty obvious. If I have new patients come into my practice, I can guess probably eight or nine times out of 10 if they’ve grown up in a fluoridated community,” said Dr. Darren Chamberlain, a pediatric dentist who practices a bit farther south in the state. “The reason I know is because, generally, they don’t have cavities.”

But that may soon change. Community fluoridation – considered one of the top public health success stories of the last century – has been banned in Utah, with a new law taking effect Wednesday. The change worries dentists and public health experts, who are concerned that it will lead to a rise in avoidable oral health issues, especially among young children from low-income families.

Fluoride is a mineral that can be found naturally in some foods and groundwater. It can help prevent tooth decay by strengthening the protective outer layer of enamel that can be worn away by acids formed by bacteria, plaque and sugars in the mouth. Adding fluoride to public water systems started in the United States in 1945.

The sponsor of the Utah legislation, Republican Rep. Stephanie Gricius, acknowledged fluoride has benefits, but said it was an issue of “individual choice” to not have it in the water. Discussions about financial costs of community fluoridation were also raised during legislative hearings in the state, as well as recent studies that raise questions about whether high fluoride levels negatively affect brain development in children.

The Trump administration has also ramped up scrutiny of fluoride, and US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said that he plans to tell the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending fluoridation for public drinking water in communities.

Utah is the first state to pass a law banning public water fluoridation, and Kennedy championed the move during his visit to the state last month.

“I think it’s a moral imperative that we all believe in freedom of choice in this country,” Kennedy said. “It is one of the bedrock principles of our democracy, and the government shouldn’t be making decisions, intimate decisions about our own lives.”

Other states are also considering the change or taking action; on Tuesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pledged to sign a bill passed by lawmakers to ban fluoride in municipal drinking water statewide.

Public health advocates stress that the amount of fluoride added to public water systems is far below the amount that would pose any health risk and that there is stronger evidence that removing fluoride from public drinking systems causes harm.

Experts say it may take a few years for the consequences of the change in Utah to become apparent. One study of Medicaid claims from a city in Alaska shows that five years after community fluoridation ended, there was an average of one additional procedure to treat tooth decay per child. And a city in Canada recently voted to add fluoride back into the drinking water after seeing that local second-graders had significantly higher rates of cavities than those in a neighboring city that fluoridated its water.

Action is left up to residents

Health officials and other concerned groups in Utah have been working to get the word out about the change and share information about alternative ways parents can get the protective benefits of fluoride for their children or adults can get it for themselves.

On Friday, the Utah Department of Health & Human Services released guidance encouraging residents to talk to their dentist, doctor or pharmacist about fluoride supplements.

“While community water fluoridation will no longer be available, there are measures that can be taken to reduce the risk of developing cavities,” Dr. Stacey Swilling, state dental director, said in a statement. “We encourage Utahns to have regular checkups with a dentist or healthcare provider to make sure they are doing everything they can to protect their oral health.”

The Utah Oral Health Coalition, a volunteer group of dozens of oral health professionals and advocates, is also launching a public awareness campaign centered around the tagline “My Smile Matters.” It’s a comprehensive initiative focused on steps people can take to keep the teeth and mouth healthy, including regular dentist visits, regular brushing and flossing, and use of fluoride supplements.

“Half of our state will be losing water fluoridation. The other half has not had it. So for half of the state, the message is: ‘You no longer have water fluoridation. Our job has become a little harder, and here are things we need you to know,’ ” said Lorna Koci, program director and chair of the coalition. “To the other half of the state that hasn’t had it, it’s still a wonderful message: ‘Here are the things you need to do to really have good oral health.’ ”

The hope is to use a wide range of partners – including health departments, community clinics, hospital systems, insurance companies, dental schools and school districts – to get the message out in as many different ways and places as possible.

The coalition also plans to partner with local universities to develop a plan to track the impacts of the fluoride ban. The goal is to collect information that many advocates wish the state legislature had before passing the fluoride ban.

“When we asked the governor to veto this bill, we said we really don’t have the information that’s needed to make a decision of this impact,” Koci said. “We wish we had more data available.”

An insufficient alternative

The new law in Utah allows pharmacists to provide fluoride directly, without a prescription from a dentist or doctor. While this broadens access for some, experts say supplements are an insufficient alternative to community water fluoridation – and may create new risks.

Fluoride supplements tend to have poor compliance, said Dr. Scott Tomar, professor and associate dean at the University of Illinois College of Dentistry and the American Dental Association’s spokesperson on community water fluoridation. There’s a financial burden as well as a steep logistical burden that falls on the family to administer the supplement every day, he said.

“We’re all just dealing with lots of other demands in our in our daily routine. You’re talking busy parents of young children, expecting them to now add one more thing to their daily routine,” Tomar said. “We just know from experience that the families that would benefit the most from that are probably the ones least likely to ensure compliance with daily administration.”

Fluoride supplements are available in the form of a chewable tablet or a lozenge that is sucked for at least a minute, according to the CDC. They are meant to be used every day and typically geared toward children.

Fluoride supplementation is not indicated for adults, Tomar said, so there’s no strong alternative for adults in areas that are stopping community water fluoridation.

The appropriate dosage for fluoride supplements varies, and experts worry that pharmacists and health care providers who are new to prescribing it – or haven’t had to do so in many years – may not have all the training or information they need.

The CDC has historically put out a report that providers use to assess the baseline level of fluoride in a community water system before supplementing it with tablets or drops, but Trump administration cuts to the federal agency’s oral health department leaves a critical gap.

These challenges could lead to overprescribing fluoride – a key argument for ending community water fluoridation in the first place.

“So now the Utah Dental Association is doing a lot of research to be able to help pharmacists, and we’re hoping to give reports out to say, ‘Hey, this is the natural amount of fluoride in these communities,’ because we are nervous about that,” said Chamberlain, who is a past president of the Utah Dental Association. “We want to make sure that the public is protected and that they’re getting the right amount of fluoride prescribed from whatever source it is from.”

Community water fluoridation was effective at preventing cavities, but now the burden falls on public health for more active messaging about prevention in oral health, said Brian Hatch, the Davis County health director. That will require a lot more public health resources, which are already stretched thin.

“Public health will have to do more in the future to make sure that we reinforce that message going out to every individual in the community,” Hatch said. “There hasn’t been a huge need to do a lot of that outreach, but now there is a need to make sure that it’s a reoccurring message.”

It will require more effort from individuals to support their own health, he said.

“The big shift that I’m probably most concerned about is how we make sure that we get the same bang for the buck by moving people to an active role in their own personal health instead of it being a passive system,” Hatch said.

Simple shift, big impact

The logistics around stopping the flow of fluoride into public water systems in Utah have been simple.

Three water treatment plants in Salt Lake City had already disconnected the system before the May 7 deadline. The fluoride was stored in a large tank and pumped into water in measured doses as it came out of treatment plants and ground water wells.

“The process of removing additional fluoride from the system is essentially just disconnecting the tanks that are used to store the acid from the treatment system,” said Laura Briefer, director of the Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities. “It’s basically just removing the feed pumps that are used to dose the water. It’s quite simple.”

But the department has been planning for this change for months, she said. Fluoride is bought in bulk like other treatment chemicals, and there are strict regulations around disposing of excess, so it made sense to start tapering off before ordering more.

There is some naturally occurring fluoride in the Salt Lake City water system, but the water company estimates that any additional fluoride will be processed through the system in a matter of days.

The Utah Department of Environmental Quality is in charge of ensuring that water systems across the state are complying with the new law, and it’s requested photo documentation that treatment has been disconnected.

In the weeks since the legislation was passed, the Salt Lake City public utilities department has had a “diversity of feedback from community members,” Briefer said; some residents have called to ask that fluoride be removed immediately while others have suggested that they should go against the law and keep adding fluoride.

“As a public water system, we’re charged with implementing the regulations before us,” she said. “We are also ultimately involved in protecting the public health.”

The Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities was not supportive of a fluoride ban in Utah and had lobbied legislators for a “compromise bill” that would include some monitoring of fluoride levels instead of “outright prohibition,” Briefer said. And it hasn’t determined whether it will dispose of the equipment used for community water fluoridation or save it for the possibility of future use.

“One of the things that I would like to see as an outcome of this is some additional monitoring about public health outcomes once the fluoride is removed from the systems that has been historically added to in our state,” Briefer said. “Since we’ve taken this action, I feel like, as a community, we have an obligation to understand what those impacts are, so that we can mitigate any negative impacts to the community we serve.”

Some of the world’s most influential experts on international relations will convene in Salt Lake City this week to help Utah businesses navigate the upheaval of global markets.

The second annual Crossroads of the World International Trade Summit will feature conversations with three former U.S. secretaries of state and two former prime ministers.

“It just shows once again that Utah is not just the crossroads of the West, it’s a crossroads of the world,” said Jeff Flake, former U.S. ambassador to Turkey, in a Deseret News interview.

“There are not many gatherings anywhere — in Washington, D.C., or New York, or L.A. — that have three former secretaries of state, along with former heads of state, ambassadors. So it just shows again that Utah is a significant player in international trade.”

Sponsoring the event is the state‘s largest financial institution, Zions Bank, and the state‘s nonprofit arm for international business outreach, World Trade Center Utah, which recently led a trade mission with Gov. Spencer Cox to Canada.

On Wednesday, attendees will hear from Flake, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a number of Utah executives, legislators and manufacturers, and Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

On Thursday, attendees will hear from Cox, former secretaries of state Antony Blinken and Condoleezza Rice, former prime ministers Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand and Theresa May of the United Kingdom, and Australia Ambassador to the U.S. Kevin Rudd.

“It‘s an impressive list that I don’t think most states could do,” said Shad Morris, the director of the Whitmore Global Business Center at Brigham Young University’s Marriott School.

The fact that these high-profile players on the world stage are considering Utah’s important role during a period of economic turmoil is a sign that the state’s rapid acceleration is being noticed worldwide, Morris said.

Over the past decade, Utah has led the nation in GDP growth, according to the University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Institute, and was the fastest growing state in the nation according to the most recent census.

“Coming to Utah just for this I think shows that Utah has been doing something right,” Morris told the Deseret News. “In the way we’re dealing with international trade, with economic policy, with business development.”

Building on past momentum

This year’s event hopes to build on momentum from World Trade Center Utah’s first global summit in 2024, which featured remarks from former President George W. Bush, former Mexican President Vicente Fox and past Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

World Trade Center Utah CEO Jonathan Freedman, who has held the position since 2023, said his goal is for the annual event to become a “world-class” conference “that just happens to be in Utah.”

“We want it to be known around the world,” Freedman said.

Appointing Flake as the board chairman for World Trade Center Utah in September was a big step in this direction, Freedman said.

Other board members with international experience, including Scott Anderson, the former CEO of Zions Bank, contribute to World Trade Center Utah’s strength which is its “global network,” Freedman said.

But in addition to raising Utah’s status on the global stage, events like Crossroads of the World provide essential resources for the small, medium and large businesses that make up the membership of World Trade Center Utah, Freedman said.

The organization has created a tariff dashboard to help Utah businesses navigate the complex timeline of executive orders, retaliatory actions and temporary pauses that have filled the months since President Donald Trump started his second term.

Many of the companies Freedman works with are struggling to plan for the future as the price of imported goods varies from day to day, he said. For some, the uncertainty has ruined their operations entirely.

“Companies need predictability, they need certainty, and they need to know where they can turn for answers,” Freedman said. “And although we do not have all the answers, we do not have a crystal ball, we can provide lots of resources to companies such as access to the best information.”

Conversations on Wednesday will focus on how businesses can handle “policy whiplash” and will give leaders the rare opportunity to engage with former officials from Republican, Democratic and foreign administrations who are able to speak candidly about the realities of global trade and foreign policy.

“Everyone is wondering how they navigate the situation we’re in; it’s a difficult environment for any companies here that rely on trade,” Flake said. “A lot of other companies benefit from hearing those who are going through this, have gone through it before, and have experience.”

Utah: A global hub?

Freedman’s hope is that as Utah shows an eagerness to strengthen ties with the world, the world will look to Utah as a hub for trade.

“I want people around the world to look at Utah as a source of answers and predictability, as a safe haven for investment, as a destination for a talented, skilled workforce,” Freedman said. “These are all the things that we’re proud of in Utah.”

Utah already stands out from its competitors because of its highly educated population, according to Morris. The state has the third most well-trained adult population in the country in terms of post-secondary degrees, credentials and certificates, according to the Kem C. Gardner Institute.

Morris has lived around the country and the world but says he has never lived in a place as entrepreneurial as Utah, from its “Silicon Slopes” tech sector, to its university system, health care and life science industries.

But one of the things that sets it apart most is its orientation toward the rest of the planet, Morris said. The state sends young people to countries around the world, and this exposure to the world has allowed Utah innovators to bring the world back home.

“We’re not an insular or protectionist state,” Morris said. “We’re very much a state focused on growth and development and bringing in ideas, regardless of where they’re coming from, that are good for the economy, for the people, for the culture, for society.”