Chamber leader: Goal is to improve, not simply change

Brice Wallace 

While Utah is constantly changing, the leader of the state’s largest business association is calling for the community to “do more than change.”

Derek Miller, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber and Downtown Alliance, said the goal should be to “improve.” His remarks came during the chamber’s 135th annual meeting in Salt Lake City.{mprestriction ids="1,3"}

“Simply changing risks throwing out the good while trying to correct the bad,” he told the crowd. “Improving requires recognizing the good that already exists, recognizing the principles and values that created our best-in-class business environment, and being able to discern between what needs keeping and what needs fixing requires being involved.”

Miller’s presentation represented a balance between being proud of Utah’s strong economy and bringing the business community together to address the state’s challenges. He said the chamber “remains clear-eyed about the challenges that are facing our state and our nation.”

“Utah is not an island unto itself, and our success correlates with how well the country is doing,” he said. “This means we must stay focused on peering over the horizon, to mitigate challenges before they become systemic. We recognize that political gridlock seeks to divide us, inflation is taxing Utahns who can least afford it, interest rates continue to spike, and geopolitical events continue to disrupt supply chains globally. Despite these headwinds, Utah’s economy is faring better than most.”

Utah continues to garner accolades for its economic successes, resilience, growing communities and successful companies, he said.

“From startups to unicorns to blue chips that dot our landscape, we remain fortunate to live and to work in Utah. As an organization, we’ve doubled down on our strategic vision and we remain committed to bring together the right people to address whatever the challenges of the day demand.

“Some challenges will be unexpected, like a pandemic. Some are constant, like the work of educating and leading a rising generation. And other challenges are timely, such as the current drought or the energy transition that is underway.”

Among other challenges he listed are housing affordability, issues related to childcare, a growing mental health crisis, and fostering upward mobility.

“The Salt Lake Chamber and our partner organizations are aligned to maintain Utah’s top-of-the-mountain business environment,” Miller said. “We must always be grateful that we live in a state that is regularly recognized as the best place for business, but we must never become complacent or take it for granted.”

Miller listed several chamber accomplishments during the past year, including a 100-percent success rate for its nine priority bills in the Legislature; having its Utah Community Builders social impact foundation address several matters with “the implicit goal of helping our workforce move up the economic ladder and broadening our community’s prosperity”; hosting the first-ever Business Diversity Summit “because we know that enhancing diversity and fostering inclusion makes our community and our workforce stronger”; and with Tech Buzz creating the Wasatch Innovation Network to advance and enhance Utah’s innovation economy.

“Embedding this spirit of being involved for the next generation of business leaders is a key purpose of the Wasatch Innovation Network, so that the vibrancy of Utah’s entrepreneurial ecosystem is matched by a vibrant culture of giving back,” Miller said. “This mixture of rugged individualism, coupled with community-building, is what makes Utah so special, and it is our responsibility to make sure it keeps that culture alive.”

Miller noted that the chamber and Bank of America will launch a program this year to help minority and underserved business owners strength their business operations and increase their profitability, and the Downtown Alliance is working to develop Salt Lake City’s cultural core by starting a year-round public market, furthering high-quality urban living, and building a future entertainment district near the Vivint Arena.

The chamber also is developing a business vision for Utah’s energy future. “That future, we envision, is one where environmental and economic progress work in harmony to ensure a low-carbon future that balances affordability with reliability and sustainability,” he said.

During the meeting, the chamber also honored several organization and individuals with awards:

• President’s Award for Excellence: The Larry H. Miller Co.

• Legacy Award, honoring a long-standing business: Clyde Companies.

• Fortitude Award, honoring a corporate business: Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah.

• Beehive Award (honoring a business dedicated to bolstering the community): Mountain America Credit Union.

• Opportunity Award (honoring a small business): Penna Powers.

• Icon Award (honoring a woman-owned business: Minky Couture.

• Trailblazer Awards (honoring “rising stars” in the community): Michael Squires, director of government affairs, Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS); and Tamara Stevenson, vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion and chief diversity officer, Westminster College.{/mprestriction}