Governors to talk industry

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. will make his debut at the Western Governors' Association this week at a conference devoted to his chief campaign issue — economic development.

The three-day session, set in the Colorado ski resort of Breckenridge, begins today and features several members of President Bush's Cabinet as well as experts on economic growth, energy and other issues key to development in the Western states.

The governors "would like to make sure the West is a player in the global economy," said Pam Inmann, executive director of the Denver-based association. "They'd like to find out what are some of the impediments and what are some of the opportunities."

The 18 states that make up the WGA — a group that includes economic powerhouses California and Texas — represent the fifth-largest economy in the world, Inmann said. "We should be able to leverage that."

Huntsman, a former U.S. ambassador to Singapore and a government trade representative to Asia, has been tapped to serve as a moderator of a conference panel on international trade and the region.

He said the panel will focus on "the growing awareness about the level of engagement we as Western states have with key emerging economies of the world and what we're doing about it."

Utah, of course, hopes to take advantage of those trade opportunities. Under Huntsman, the state is in the midst of overhauling its economic development efforts. Since he took office in January, the governor brought the former state department into his office.

Other changes will include privatizing the recruitment of new businesses to Utah. Later this month, Huntsman will ask for feedback from the chief executive officers of some of the state's largest companies at his first economic development seminar.

The state, though, faces plenty of competition from its neighbors.

"You can do business anywhere these days, and I think all the governors are mindful of that," Huntsman said. "You have to remember that even though we're competitors, we're also each other's best friends."

Best friends, he said, "in the sense that you're always looking to pick best practices from somebody who might be next door. We're not all direct competitors. I think regionally, we do share a common economy, but we also have different niches we fill."