Mika said he enjoyed the uniqueness of the companies.

"These aren't, in most cases, me-too businesses," he said. "They're very innovative. They're competing in niches that they themselves have created, and therefore that's one of the reasons they're thriving. But it also shows a good entrepreneurial bent."

Huntsman said she expected more biotechnology and high-technology companies to be in the pool of 49 nominations from which the 23 finalists were selected. Mika and Brittain also said they think the state's technology sector has a way to go before it fully recovers from the bursting of the tech bubble, but they see reasons for hope on the horizon.

"When you look at that pool (of nominees), there are a lot of technology businesses that were founded in the last two to three years that are starting to take off," Brittain said. "They didn't make the finals, but they are really interesting businesses, and two to three years out, they're going to be recognized as important companies in our community."

Huntsman said she also was disappointed by a lack of women in the running, "which is always extremely disappointing, but I hope that we are on a trajectory to change that. I think Utah's a difficult place for a woman entrepreneur."

All of the judges said choosing finalists was difficult, and they think the quality of the nominees bodes well for the state's economy.

"Utah has a very entrepreneurial spirit, but they don't have a lot of mentors or a lot of solid training grounds, like large corporations that are headquartered here," Huntsman said. "So a lot of times you see these guys that are very scrappy and just kind of shoot from the hip and end up taking something that nobody would have thought of before, and they really have a lot of drive and dedication . . . to pull things together and build companies."

Mika said he is glad the Entrepreneur of the Year program is around to recognize successful players in the Utah economy.

"I think it gives the employees a good charge and some good recognition, and it obviously gives the entrepreneur some good recognition," he said. "And I think it's encouraging to some other entrepreneurs (to see that) this is a community that supports growth."

Even though he was the senior judge on this year's panel, Brittain said he remains astounded by the tales Utah's entrepreneurs have to tell.

"Every year you think, 'Who else is left?' And every year there are just these great stories that come out," he said.

Utah award recipients will be eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur of the Year 2005 national program. Winners in several national categories will be announced at an awards gala in November in Palm Springs, Calif.