Huntsman and his advisers may be overhauling how the state handles economic development, but the Industrial Assistance Fund "will continue to work the same way it has in the past," Roybal said.

Each month, the Board of Business and Economic Development, made up of Utah businesspeople, reviews applications from companies seeking incentives to expand in Utah and decides how much those companies ultimately receive.

Huntsman had contemplated making the board simply an advisory organization that recommended to the Governor's Office which companies should get money. While the Governor's Office will provide administrative support to the board, members will have final say.

Board member Jerry Oldroyd said leaving the board's decision-making powers intact will ensure that the state makes the best decisions about spending limited corporate incentive money.

However, the state will outsource the work of convincing companies to expand in or relocate to Utah, he said. A request for proposals will be issued, but the state will probably end up hiring The Economic Development Corp. of Utah (EDCU), Roybal said.

"It's an open bid process but our sense is that they [have] the most comprehensive plan," he said. "They are the only fully integrated recruiting agency [in Utah]."

EDCU, which Roybal managed before joining Huntsman's executive team, has for years handled recruitment by working with economic developers employed by the state.

That all changed in January when Huntsman surprised many with the abrupt firings of nearly all the state's economic development leadership. Since then, EDCU alone has handled any inquiries from out-of state companies while the state has decided how best to handle corporate recruitment, Roybal said.

Roybal said the state's efforts to help existing companies and create new companies will be handled by Huntsman's office through Martin Frey and Ladd Christensen, hired by Huntsman as co-directors of the state Division of Business and Economic Development.

Starting July 1, that division and the Division of Travel and Tourism will combine to create a new Governor's Office of Economic Development.

Roybal said the state plans to outsource the task of deciding how best to spend the $18 million the Legislature allocated toward tourism promotion.

The state is soliciting bids from research marketing companies that will be asked to analyze Utah's tourism industry and identify the state's most important tourism assets.

Once that research has been conducted, the state will solicit bids from a marketing company to best determine how to market Utah.

Roybal said he and other advisers continue to look for aspects of economic development that can be handled more effectively by outside companies.

"If there's a way for us to be more productive and efficient by contracting with or partnering with outside companies, we'll do it," he said.

lesley@sltrib.com