I wrote a Deseret News op-ed saying I’m pro-tariff. People were surprised. I’m not chasing a fight. I’m chasing workable math for teams that build things here. Tariffs aren’t a religion to me; they’re a wrench. Use them right and you buy time to compete on quality, speed, and pride of work. Use them wrong and you just tax your own customer. Both can be true.

Here’s the simple version. For a decade, “cheap” beat “good.” That race to the bottom wrecks local shops because low wages and lax standards abroad don’t show up on a price tag. Tariffs force some of those hidden costs into the open. That tilt helps U.S. plants stand a chance—if we actually execute. That was my point in the piece.

Utah is built to capitalize. Manufacturing jobs here have grown faster than the national average, with the state leading the country in manufacturing job growth from 2019–2023—about a 12% jump. Exports hit $18.2B in 2024 and support tens of thousands of jobs. Translation: the base is here; the wind is at our back if we don’t squander it.

And the world is watching. The EU’s ambassador came through Utah this spring—multiple stops, lots of conversations—because our state sits in the new middle of the map. Tariffs aren’t just D.C. theater; they touch real employers, real crews, real grocery receipts.

Now the trade-offs. Tariffs can raise prices. That’s not controversial; the New York Fed showed the 2018–2019 rounds hit U.S. households—about $831 a year then. That’s the caution label. So if we run this play, we owe customers the return: better product, tighter lead times, stable supply, real jobs. Otherwise it’s just a tax with a flag on it.

So what should Utah actually do—operators, mayors, schools, the whole crew?

Here’s the play:

• Shorten the line. Push production and suppliers within a one-day truck haul of the customer. Freight eats margin; proximity prints speed. It’s why I argued for a network of smaller, automated sites near demand.
• Instrument quality like sales. Track first-pass yield, rework minutes, and warranty rate. If tariffs buy breathing room, spend it on permanent capability, not bloat. No committees. Just commits.
• Skilled pipeline now. Double down on shop classes, dual-credit machining, and paid apprenticeships. Utah’s growth is real; feed it with welders, CNC techs, and industrial electricians.
• Use the help. WTC Utah, the Salt Lake Chamber, and state programs are actively guiding companies through tariff turbulence. Grab the playbooks and the intros.
• Measure net CAC of reshoring. Model total landed cost vs. local make: material, labor, freight, tariff, inventory risk. If your Utah cell can’t beat the all-in import within a year, fix the cell, not the customer.

Reality check: this isn’t zero-sum. Utah sells to the world. EU leaders warned us face-to-face—you escalate tariffs forever, consumers feel it, and some sectors get squeezed. That’s why execution matters more than headlines. Build the local system while D.C. and Brussels argue about the rules. Then, when deals land, you’re already faster and better.

Bottom line? I’m pro-tariff as a tool, not a talisman. We build in the U.S.—on purpose. But pride doesn’t pay the invoice; process does. If tariffs buy Utah time, we turn that time into tighter flow, better tolerances, and careers our kids want. If we don’t, we deserve the price hike we handed to our own neighbors. Calm beats chaos. Earn your momentum. Then keep earning it.

Sources

• Deseret News (Opinion), “Why I love tariffs — and why Utah should, too,” May 1, 2025.
• Salt Lake Tribune, “EU ambassador warns Utah leaders that the state will feel economic impacts of tariffs,” Apr. 13, 2025.
• Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, Utah International Trade, 2024, May 2025.
• Axios (Salt Lake City), “Utah leads U.S. in manufacturing job growth,” Oct. 17, 2024.
• New York Fed, Liberty Street Economics, “New China Tariffs Increase Costs to U.S. Households,” May 2019.
• Deseret News (Politics), “EU ambassador visits Utah as Trump negotiates trade deal with Europe,” Apr. 20, 2025.
• World Trade Center Utah, “WTC Utah responds to tariffs,” Feb. 3, 2025.