SANDY — People throughout the state — not just economic development and government types — can help Utah's economic development push, an official with the Economic Development Corp. of Utah said Thursday.

Stephanie Frohman, vice president of business development at EDCU, said the same qualities Utahns displayed during the 2002 Winter Olympics can help bring businesses to the state.

"The unfortunate part about the Olympics in 2002 was that Utah got really high on the national profile when the economy was in the tank, so nobody was really moving businesses during that time. So there was a little bit of a gap between Utah being high on the radar screen and people starting to move," Frohman said during the Utah Women in Technology spring luncheon.

But business recruiters still hear outside companies talk about the Olympics.

"We do get a bump from that, and we also enhanced our reputation as being an extremely friendly state," she said. "The 2002 Olympics were an example of people from all backgrounds, all over the state of Utah, coming together and volunteering together and opening our doors to the world, and that's the same kind of spirit that we need to have when we're recruiting businesses."

Utahns also can help by encouraging talent, technology and tolerance, she said.

As for talent, people can encourage more college students to graduate. She cited statistics that indicate that 64 percent of Utahns start college, but only 29 percent of men and 23 percent of women finish with a bachelor's degree or higher. Talent also can be boosted through support of the U-STAR program, designed to increase university research funding.

Technology can be supported by backing the state's identification of economic "clusters," or types of industries where Utah has demonstrated world-class expertise. Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. wants business recruitment and existing business development targeted in these groups and wants to develop cooperation among competing companies in the individual clusters.

Frohman said the Napa Valley in California has done that, with competing vineyards finding ways to cooperate as a way to boost the entire industry. Utah's identified clusters will be announced June 24.

Technology also can be supported, she said, through participation in organizations such as the Utah Information Technology Association and the Utah Life Science Association.

Tolerance can be boosted, Frohman said, by celebrating diversity, encouraging new ideas and creativity, supporting the arts and culture and welcoming tourists and in-migration. But Utahns also should find ways to retain the state's uniqueness, including its quality-of-life advantages, she said.