St. George Mayor Jon Pike is optimistic and simultaneously realistic about the place he calls home. While acknowledging in his state of the city address to the Chamber of Commerce that the city has work to do to improve, he said that the overarching goal is an optimistically lofty one: to make St. George “the very best place to live, work and play in the United States.”
One of the ways to do that is to continue to help businesses here succeed and expand. Another way is to help entrepreneurs interested in St. George to move here with a minimum of red tape, select a business form with the assistance of an attorney, hire residents, open doors and engage in commerce.
While acknowledging the recent disappointing news that Blue Bunny is shutting down its ice cream plant, Pike said commercial interest in our area is greater today than it was two decades ago. Plans to keep interest on the increase include improvement of relationships between City Hall and businesspeople, as well as finding ways to reduce the red tape, paperwork and aggravations entrepreneurs endure before opening a new venture.
One of the steps budding business owners must take is to decide on the legal structure of their new firm. Among the choices they can make are the following:
- Corporations
- Sole proprietorships
- Partnerships
- S corporations
- LLC (limited liability company)
Each one has advantages and disadvantages, though not all of these can be obvious to the untrained eye. For many people ready to open a business, more than one legal structure could function, making it difficult to know which one is best for their unique circumstances. A discussion with an experienced business attorney of their options can help them make informed decisions.
Source: St. George News, “Pike addresses state of city, future initiatives,” Mori Kessler, Sept. 3, 2014