Executive Chair Gary Herbert Chamber Board of Directors The former leader of the State of Utah has recently taken on a new role guiding the future of both the Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce and Utah Valley business and community development. Utah Gov. Gary Herbert was named executive chair of the Chamber’s Board of Directors last May and brings an exciting amount of experience in both business and government to the organization. Born and raised in Utah County where he worked as a realtor and businessman, Herbert served for 14 years as a Utah County commissioner, four years as Utah’s lieutenant governor and 12 years as Utah’s governor. “The intent of the Utah Valley Chamber is to have a strong, united voice for business, to make sure that what we do in government, for example, is conducive to helping the entrepreneur be successful, to help businesses be successful, and to have a strong, healthy economy,” Herbert said. Herbert has a long history with the Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce. Initially called the Provo Chamber of Commerce, the Chamber merged with the Orem Chamber of Commerce in the 1980s to become the Provo/Orem Chamber of Commerce. Herbert’s father, Duane B. Herbert, was chairman of the board of the Orem chamber at the time and a motivator behind the merge, he said. Herbert was also good friends with former Utah Valley Chamber President Steve Densley, competing against him in high school sports and serving with him in the Eastern Atlantic States Mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 14 • Utah Valley Chamber • www.thechamber.org
During his career as a businessman and later as he entered public service, Herbert was involved with the Chamber, filling a seat on its board of directors for many years. “I saw the importance of the Chamber being a voice for local business,” Herbert said. As executive chair, he believes a major role of the Utah Valley Chamber is promoting a healthy, diverse economy in the valley, something he was able to do as governor. “Utah is in a unique position of being the fastest-growing state in America, and Utah Valley is the fastest-growing part of the state,” Herbert said. “We went from the Great Recession as a state and the worst economic times we’ve had in Utah since the Great Depression … to the point where we now are the most healthy, diverse economy in America …. So we want to see if we can keep that going for Utah Valley.” He also believes the Chamber
