OREM, UTAH – March 16, 2006 –“There’s never been a better time to build a business in Utah,” entrepreneur and investor Ralph Yarro maintains. “However, if the challenges of the economy have left you playing defense for the past few years, it’s time to develop aggressive plans for an offense.”

Yarro addressed leading Utah executives at a Utah Information Technology Association (UITA) presentation this morning at the Canyon Park Technology Center in Orem. Formerly the president of Utah’s Canopy Group venture capital firm, Ralph Yarro is now president and Chief Executive Officer of ThinkAtomic, Inc., a high-tech incubator and venture accelerator.

In one of his first public speeches since the formation of ThinkAtomic, Yarro shared perspective from years of selection and investment in early-stage technology firms.

Yarro notes that as a region, Utah is remarkably rich in ideas, energy and expertise. In early-stage companies, he notes that investors are happy to invest in the local “idea guys” that typically have the energy and experience to take a company successfully through several layers of growth. In later stages, Yarro likens growing companies to “adolescents” and notes that investors watch a company carefully through those early formative years. Yarro advises companies to be “malleable, be flexible and be loyal” in working with your investment partners, as their management experience and relationships may be especially critical as a company goes to seek additional funds.

Yarro also advises business people to be relentless and fearless in their creativity, and to continually increase their ability to tap the “right brain” and “think outside of the box.”

As an example of the kind of creativity Yarro espouses, he discussed another of his new ventures, The CP80 Foundation, a nonprofit organization working to solve the growing problem of internet pornography. While Yarro acknowledges the role and the importance of internet filtering products such as ContentWatch, he envisions a future in which adult content can be relegated to a new range of ports, allowing consumers and businesses to decide for themselves whether they want to subscribe by simply calling their Internet Service Provider (ISP) and requesting that the adult ports or channels be turned off or on.

Yarro is proposing new legislation similar to the laws that govern unsolicited fax. New laws could penalize offenders as much as $15,000 per day, per incident for sending illegal adult content over the internet.

“In this new model, internet filters become the mechanism for tracking and tracing the people who violate these laws,” Yarro said. “In this way, we’re protecting free speech and freedom of speech—but we’re also protecting our children, our families and businesses from unsolicited pornography.”

For more information about The CP80 Foundation, readers can visit www.cp80.org.

In other news, UITA and the Utah Life Science Association, ULSA, have agreed in principal that the two organizations will merge to become the Utah Technology Council (UTC). That merger has achieved preliminary approval and is expected to be final by the end of March.

About UITA
As the premier professional organization for Utah’s more than 3,100 technology companies, the Utah Information Technology Association (UITA) exists to form closer relationships with industry and community leaders, develop superior management talent, sharpen professional skills and help gain access to capital. For more information on UITA, please visit www.uita.org.

About ULSA
The Utah Life Science Association is committed to developing and promoting life science industries by bringing members together in partnership to foster education at all levels; facilitate innovation, excellence and international competitiveness in our products and services; gain consensus for action; and be proactive in matters relating to policy formation, legislation and regulations that impact our industries. For more information on ULSA, readers can visit www.utahlifescience.com.

About Canyon Park Technology Center
TCU Properties, established in 2000, created the Canyon Park Technology Center (the former Word Perfect / Novell campus, 1501 North Technology Way, Bldg L, Orem) as a premiere destination for technology companies and data centers in Utah. Located in the heart of “Software Valley” along the Wasatch Front, Canyon Park offers an unprecedented set of on-site amenities, a dramatic and beautiful setting, competitive rates, and access to a well-educated work force. Canyon Park has expanded their occupancy to currently house 85 companies and more than 4,100 employees in Utah County, “Where Companies Come to Grow.” For more information on Canyon Park Technology Center, please visit www.canyonparkutah.com or e-mail info@canyonparkutah.com.

Agency Contact:
Cheryl Snapp Conner
Snapp Norris Group
T) 801 208-1100

UITA:
Richard Nelson
T) 801.568.3500