The Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) announced Peek (www.peek.com) will open a regional office in Utah, adding up to 100 jobs.
“Peek’s business model combines IT and outdoor recreation, two industries in which Utah really excels,” said Val Hale, executive director of GOED. “It’s certainly exciting that we’ve attracted such a high-end company, though not surprising. Peek will be right at home here.”
Based in San Francisco, Peek is disrupting the $100 billion plus global activities industry. The platform combines Peek.com, an award-winning marketplace to book amazing activities, with Peek Pro (www.peekpro.com), the No. 1 tour operator software in the U.S. Whether it’s going ziplining, swimming with sharks or taking a cooking class, Peek connects people with everyday adventures. Hidden gems come from "Perfect Day" itineraries from tastemakers such as Tory Burch and Wolfgang Puck. Peek.com was named one of TIME’s 50 Best Websites, one of the world's top-10 most innovative companies in travel by Fast Company, and the company has been featured in dozens of leading publications like Forbes, Vogue and USA Today.
“We couldn’t be more excited about opening up this new office in Utah,” said Ruzwana Bashir, co-founder and CEO of Peek. “After extensive research and market diligence, it became incredibly clear that Utah provided the perfect mix of employee talent, technology DNA, and a hard-working culture to make this new operation a home run for our rapidly growing company.”
Peek has indicated that the expansion will create up to 100 jobs over the next five years. The total wages in aggregate are required to exceed 110 percent of the county average wage. The projected new state wages over the life of the agreement are expected to be approximately $17,248,103. Projected new state tax revenues, as a result of corporate, payroll and sales taxes, are estimated to be $1,374,770 over five years.
“One of the most exciting aspects of doing economic development is when we see truly innovative companies come to the state and enhance the ecosystem we already have,” said Jeff Edwards, president and CEO of the Economic Development Corporation of Utah. “Peek is a great example of this -- a paradigm-changing company that can make both our IT and outdoor products industry clusters better. We’re so happy to have them in the state.”
Peek may earn up to 15 percent of the new state taxes they will pay over the five-year life of the agreement in the form of a post-performance Economic Development Tax Increment Finance (EDTIF) tax credit rebate. As part of the contract with Peek, the GOED Board of Directors has approved a post-performance tax credit rebate not to exceed $206,215. Each year as Peek meets the criteria in its contract with the state, it will earn a portion of the total tax credit rebate.
About the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED)
Web: www.business.utah.gov
The Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) charter is based on Governor Gary Herbert’s commitment to economic development statewide. Utah’s economic development vision is that Utah will lead the nation as the best performing economy and be recognized as a premier global business environment and tourist destination. The mandate for this office is to provide rich business resources for the creation, growth and recruitment of companies to Utah and to increase tourism and film production in the state. GOED accomplishes this mission through the administration of programs that are based around targeted industries or “economic clusters” that demonstrate the best potential for development. GOED utilizes state resources and private sector contracts to fulfill its mission. For more information please contact: Michael Sullivan, 801-538-8811 or mgsullivan@utah.gov
About Peek
Web: www.peek.com
Peek makes the world's tours & activities easily bookable -- anytime, anywhere. Its industry-leading technology empowers operators to better manage and grow their businesses while Peek's trusted marketplace and award-winning mobile app connect people with everyday adventures that create lasting memories. CNBC labeled Peek the “OpenTable for activities” and the New York Times called Peek.com “a site you want to visit again and again”. The company is backed by technology heavyweights, including Eric Schmidt (Google), Jack Dorsey (Twitter, Square), David Bonderman (TPG), Carl Sparks (Travelocity), and Pete Flint (Trulia).
There are no comments
Please login to post comments