JOHN C. DOWNEN
Senior Research Analyst • Bureau of Economic and Business Research • University of Utah
1655 E. Campus Center Drive • Salt Lake City, UT 84112
801.581.3366 • j.downen@utah.edu
EDUCATION
M.A., E C O N O M I C S, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, 2001
B.A., E N G L I S H W I T H P H Y S I C S M I N O R, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, 1989
C E R T I F I C A T E I N A P P L I E D GIS, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 2012
C E R T I F I C A T E I N P U B L I S H I N G, University of California Extension, Berkeley, CA, 1994
Coursework in Human and Economic Geography, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, 2004–05
Mises University seminar in Austrian economics, Ludwig von Mises Institute, Auburn, AL, 2000
Coursework in Economics, Finance, Mathematics, Urban Planning, and Architectural History,
University of New Orleans, 1999–2000
EXPERIENCE
R E S E A R C H A N A L Y S T & S E N I O R R E S E A R C H A N A L Y S T, Bureau of Economic and Business
Research, University of Utah, December 2006–Present
• Conduct socioeconomic profiles and baseline studies of cities and counties in Utah, housing
stock analyses, economic impact studies, and other studies.
• Conduct mapping and GIS analysis for the Bureau, providing spatial data analysis and maps for
contract work, publications and presentations.
• Edit articles for quarterly publication, Utah Economic and Business Review, and lay out in
QuarkXPress.
• Edit Bureau reports and studies, create “house style” for publications.
P U B L I C A T I O N S A N D P R O G R A M C O O R D I N A T O R, Foundation for Research on Economics
and the Environment (FREE), Bozeman, MT, May 2005–December 2006
• Brainstormed with Chairman and Executive Vice President to develop seminar topics and
appropriate speakers for conferences offered to federal judges and law professors. Topics
included biotechnology, climate change, illicit drugs, risk analysis, terrorism, and others.
• Worked with faculty from top universities, government agencies, and think tanks to coordinate
lecture topics and assigned readings.
• Assembled readings and supervised printing and binding; mailed to conference participants.
• Collected and/or generated text and photos for quarterly newsletter with 400+ circulation, laid
out in template, coordinated printing.
• Coordinated production of annual report: edited and generated text, collected artwork,
contracted with designer and printer, supervised from layout, through proofing, to final
product.
• Used FileMaker Pro database to generate mailings and participant lists; compiled and
maintained attendance statistics.
• In-house technical support go-to guy.
R E S E A R C H A S S O C I A T E, FREE, Bozeman, MT, February 2002–April 2005
• Conducted mostly Internet-based research and fact finding to support newspaper columns
using Google, Google Scholar, UN, World Bank, Census, Bureau of Economic Analysis, DoA
Economic Research Service, and other data sources.
• Wrote and edited columns for local paper and various web sites, posted columns to FREE’s
web site.
• Assisted with logistics and operation of seminars for federal judges and law professors.
F R E E L A N C E E D I T O R , 1992–2000
C O P Y E D I T O R , PC Computing, Ziff-Davis, San Francisco, CA, March 1996–October 1998
E D I T O R I A L A S S I S T A N T , MicroTimes, BAM Media, Pleasant Hill, CA, April 1994–March 1996
P R O O F R E A D E R , BAM Media, Pleasant Hill, CA, March 1991–March 1994
T E C H N I C A L E D I T O R , Parsons Brinckerhoff, San Francisco, CA, April 1990–January 1991
MAJOR PUBLICATIONS
Jan Elise Stambro, Paul M. Jakus, John C. Downen, Therese C. Grijalva, Michael Hogue and Levi
Pace, An Analysis of a Transfer of Federal Lands to the State of Utah, prepared for the Governor’s
Public Lands Policy Coordination Office, November 2014, 784 pp.
James Wood and John C. Downen, Regional Analysis of Impediments: Salt Lake County and Entitlement
Cities, prepared for HUD Sustainable Communities grant, March 2012, 152 pp.
John C. Downen, The Economic Impacts of Utah’s International Exports, 2007–2010, prepared for Zion’s
Bank 10th Annual Trade & Business Conference, May 2011, 8 pp.
John C. Downen and Pamela S. Perlich, Salt Lake City Census 2000 Atlas, prepared for Salt Lake City
Housing and Neighborhood Development, March 2011, 167 pp.
James A. Wood and John C. Downen, Housing Market Assessments, conducted for the Mountainlands
Association of Governments for Summit, Utah and Wasatch counties and selected cities,
November 2010 to January 2012, varying lengths.
James A. Wood, Jan E. Crispin, John C. Downen, An Historical and Prospective Analysis of the
Construction Industry, Demographics, and Economics of Utah and the Wasatch Front, prepared for Summit
Materials, May 2010, 114 pp.
Pamela S. Perlich, Michael T. Hogue, and John C. Downen, The Structure and Economic Impact of Utah’s
Coal Industry, prepared for the Utah Governor’s Public Lands Policy Coordination Office, May
2010, 212 pp. Received 2010 Award of Excellence in Publications from the Association for
University Business and Economic Research.
John C. Downen, “Average Attendee Spending, Total Purchases, and Economic Impacts of Salt
Lake County Conventions by Market Segment,” summary report and spreadsheet model for
calculating prospective impacts prepared for Salt Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau,
December 2010.
Pamela S. Perlich, Michael T. Hogue, and John C. Downen, “Utah’s Coal Industry: Economic
Contributions and Future Prospects,” Utah Economic and Business Review, Vol. 69, No. 4, 2009.
John C. Downen, “Utah’s Urban Farmers: Agricultural Activity on the Wasatch Front,” Utah
Economic and Business Review, Vol. 69, No. 3, 2009.
John C. Downen, Pamela S. Perlich, Jan E. Crispin, and Alan Isaacson, The Structure and Economic
Impact of Utah’s Oil and Gas Industry, prepared for the Utah Governor’s Public Lands Policy
Coordination Office, July 2009, 335 pp.
John C. Downen, “The Changing Economic Structure and Current Baseline of South Salt Lake,”
Utah Economic and Business Review, Vol. 68, No. 4, 2008.
John C. Downen, “Southwestern Utah’s Broader Regional Ties,” Utah Economic and Business Review,
Vol. 68, No. 2, 2008.
Jan E. Crispin, John C. Downen, Pamela S. Perlich, and James A. Wood, An Analysis of Long-Term
Economic Growth in Southwestern Utah: Past and Future Conditions, prepared for the Southwestern
Utah Economic Consortium, June 2008, 190 pp.
John C. Downen, The Changing Economic Structure and Current Baseline of South Salt Lake, prepared for
Lotus Community Development Institute, June 2008, 68 pp.
Jan E. Crispin, John C. Downen, and Francis X. Lilly, Neighborhood Change and Economic Impacts of
Large-Format Retail in Salt Lake County: A Baseline Study of a Wal-Mart Supercenter and a Home Depot
Store, Phase III: Changes Since 2004, prepared for Salt Lake County, July 2007, 39 pp.
John C. Downen and James A. Wood, “The Changing Economic Structure and Current Baseline of
Davis County,” Utah Economic and Business Review, Vol. 67, No. 2, 2007.
James A. Wood, John C. Downen, and Jan E. Crispin, The Changing Economic Structure and Current
Baseline of Davis County and Municipalities, prepared for the Davis County Department of
Community and Economic Development, June 2007, 376 pp.