Best of Business 2011

Still, Groupon shook off critics of its commercial to the tune of $760 million in revenue last year (but no profit). How long will the group coupon trend last? A Salt Lake version, CityDeals, could provide a cautionary example, having recently gone under before resurfacing under new management. Which perhaps sends the message that right-thinking people, including Morrissey, have known all along. Clipping coupons is not cool.

Best Reason to Buy a Good Winter Coat

We’re still marveling about last year’s incredibly large snowfall total and the correspondingly large ski season—the longest in state history. But there will come a time when ski season in Utah will never end, for better or worse. It’s coming. Mark our words.

Imagine cruising down slopes dusted with soft, fluffy snow all 12 months of the year. In that age, our economy will be entirely dependent on the ski industry. In fact, skiers and snowboarders will make up 80 percent of the population.

On the down side, the temperature will never rise above 18 degrees Fahrenheit, glaciers will make automobile transportation impossible and we’ll have to import all of our food from Afghanistan. Crazy how the tables turn, isn’t it? When it comes to global warming, you have to be ready to take the good with the bad.

Best Way to Get Ahead in a Down Economy

How valuable is a college degree? Valuable enough that Utahns have been enrolling in the state’s colleges and universities in record-breaking numbers over the past few years. Last fall, enrollment experienced a 5 percent bump, which continued into the spring.

This development is at once encouraging and discouraging. First the encouraging: getting one’s education is never a bad thing. The fact that Utahns recognize its importance, regardless of circumstances, must be viewed as a positive. The discouraging part? Apparently, it takes a down economy for people to realize they should go get a degree.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have the best of both worlds—a highly educated general populace and a thriving economy? The two can’t be mutually exclusive, can they?