Utah has been insulated from many of the nation's economic woes of late, and the theme of the upcoming Governor's Utah Economic Summit reflects that.

This year's daylong event, set for Thursday at the Grand America Hotel, has the theme "Managing the Growth."

"Things are going well here," said Jason Perry, executive director of the Governor's Office of Economic Development, which is presenting the event with MediaOne of Utah.

"Things are slowing nationally, and we've had some of those effects felt here," he said. "But we're the third-fastest-growing state in the country, and when you have that kind of growth and the kind of businesses that have relocated and expanded here, the next question is, how do you manage that growth in a very thoughtful way and a very sustainable way?"

The morning will include economist Kelly Matthews discussing Utah's economy and a keynote address by Josh James, chief executive officer of Omniture. Midday presentations are by Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and a panel of company executives discussing why their firms decided to put operations in Utah, and work-force issues.

Breakout sessions throughout the day include tracks about entrepreneurship, as well as business law, development, promotion and tools.

"This year you're going to see many breakouts that will be very educational and are real tools for business, whether it be legal tools, marketing tools, some of the new online opportunities for companies to take advantage of the global market," Perry said. "This will be a real how-to summit for businesses."

The cost is $150. Details and registration are available at www.utaheconomicsummit.com. Registration also can be completed on-site.

Huntsman's first summit was in Park City in June 2005, when more than 100 invited top executives in Utah shared their concerns with the governor. The first conference with the current format was last year in Salt Lake City. As of Monday, more than 800 people were registered for Thursday's summit..

"You will see experts in their field tackling some of the really difficult issues we're facing in the state. Gov. Huntsman will have a 'state of the economy' speech — where we are headed and what his priorities are going to be for the coming year, which will be quite significant, and those in attendance will be excited about what the governor's plans are, because economic development will remain one of his top priorities," Perry said.

"He will talk to our business community about our future and how they can be very much involved in that future and how we can maintain our preeminence in the world economy."

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