The Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) announced today that Tom Adams, director of the Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation (UOOR), has accepted a new role as chief operating officer at Petzl North America.
“Since his appointment in January 2016, Tom Adams has played a significant role in the success of Utah’s outdoor recreation industry and contributed to Utah’s strong economic development,” said Val Hale, GOED executive director. “His work and service in the outdoor industry will have a lasting effect on the entire state. We thank Tom for his dedicated service and wish him continued success as he embarks on a new professional opportunity.”
The Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation is part of GOED, and its director reports to the agency’s executive director. Applications for the director of the Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation are being accepted through Dec. 19 on the Utah state jobs website (see: statejobs.utah.gov/jobseeker, select: 063 – GOED in the department field, job number: 22205). We anticipate the appointment of a new director in the next few months.
In his role as UOOR director, Adams oversaw the state’s outdoor recreation industry vision and worked with public and private sector leaders to establish policies and programs. Adams helped introduce two new Legislature-authorized grant programs, the Utah Children’s Outdoor Recreation Education (UCORE) and Recreation Restoration Infrastructure (RRI) grants. Arguably most impactful, he worked with the Legislature to increase funding of the Utah Outdoor Recreation Grant (UORG) from $100,000 to $5 million a year. UORG has funded 155 projects in 22 Utah counties with almost $80 million in project value.
“Utah’s mountain and desert landscapes have given me countless gifts and have shaped who I am today,” said Adams. “Serving as director of the Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation for the last four years has been an honor, and the perfect way to serve the state my family and I call home.”
Adams has more than 25 years of experience in the outdoor industry. Before his employment at GOED, he worked at Petzl, Liberty Mountain and Black Diamond Equipment.