Of the five National Leadership Awards handed down by the National Association of Women Business Owners earlier this month, two went to Utah women.

And for the second year in a row, the national Center for Women's Business Research in its latest study named the Salt Lake-Ogden region the nation's top metropolitan area for percentage growth in women-owned businesses.

More Utah women are working, and working for themselves, than ever before, according to advocates here. They're making a name for themselves on the national and international playing field.

But, they say, there is still much to be done.

"I think the statistics show that Utah is doing a fine job in providing a climate that allows women business owners to feel that they can branch out and begin their own businesses and maintain them over time," said Cindy Collins, president of the National Association of Women Business Owners' Salt Lake chapter. "But I don't think we should ever get complacent, because I think there's still a lot of literature that says that glass ceilings still exist and that we can always do better."

NAWBO's Salt Lake group has had a big month as two of its member-officers were recognized at the organization's annual meeting in Orlando, Fla. Janet Kay Hemming, owner of JKH Associates, received the BridgeBuilder Award for her ability to build alliances and coalitions. And Kathleen Reddy, co-owner of corporate communication firm McKinnon-Mulherin Inc., received the organization's Unsung Hero Award, which recognizes entrepreneurs who "are critical to the growth and health of an organization but may not always be visible."

"I applaud Kathleen Reddy and Janet Kay Hemming for their leadership and success in their businesses," said Gayle Watson, NAWBO president and president of Performance Solutions in Dallas. "These awards demonstrate the receptive climate of women-owned businesses in Utah, with more than 102,195 women-owned firms in the state."

What makes the state's business climate so "receptive" to women business owners?

Hemming, who started her own public relations firm in 1996, said the answer is . . . tentacled.

"We keep asking the question," she said. "We could talk about everything from our pioneer heritage to a critical and combustive mass of exceptional women. We could talk about our tax structure, our environment and living conditions. I think these are all factors that lend themselves to this kind of growth.

"But part of it might also be necessity. Let's be realistic. We do have larger families here. And the idea of one breadwinner in the home is, I guess you'd say, getting harder and harder to do. There are more families headed by single parents. Single moms. And to their credit, many single moms are taking initiative and starting their own businesses."