Perceptions about Utah remain the state's biggest barrier when dealing with outside companies, she said.

"When companies are looking to hire locally, there aren't any issues because Utah has a reputation for being hard-working, dependable, solid, loyal. When they're looking to relocate professionals from Manhattan or San Francisco, it gets a little scarier," she said.

"But we find that once we get them out here, people can be really comfortable here. And once we show them that we're all people and we all want to develop our economy and there are lots of opportunities for different ideas, people seem to come around."

The state's economy is "pretty hot" right now, with job creation, interest in the state by outside companies and the Huntsman administration's economic development emphasis all on the rise, she said. State officials and others nonetheless are working to improve Utah's incentives programs and the speed at which they respond to companies' desires to expand operations in the state, she said. One example is a program to identify and certify "shovel-ready" sites in the state, letting companies know where expansion could occur quickly.

"With any luck, by January, we'll have a program to start getting some sites more ready for development," Frohman said.

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