On a scale of 1 to 10 ("very pessimistic" to "very optimistic"), 83 percent of respondents assigned values of 7 or higher. The most optimistic companies were those with 26 to 250 full-time employees

Half of panelists predicted that their companies' health will be better in the next three months than it was in the past three months.

Fifty-one percent of panelists predicted that their capital expenditures will remain level in the next quarter as they were during the previous one.

Fifty-one percent of respondents said they expected to "somewhat" or "greatly" grow their work force, while 40 percent said they expect their staffing levels will stay the same.

Top concerns for Utah business executives are gas prices, health insurance costs and finding good employees.

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Source: Zions Bank/Dan Jones & Associates