YOUR CHAMBER AT WORK Chamber President & CEO Curtis Blair With more than 25 years of experience in marketing, consulting and negotiation, Curtis Blair has taken on the role of president and CEO of the Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce as it looks to grow its role as a regional chamber representing the interests of businesses throughout Utah Valley. “The future is so amazingly bright,” said Blair, who took over his new position in September of 2020, replacing former Chamber President and CEO Rona Rahlf. “I stand on the shoulders of some great people and I feel their presence here,” Blair said. “I feel their legacy and their passion for the valley.” Originally from Denver, Colorado, Blair has spent time living on both the east and west sides of the Mississippi River. He came to Utah to attend Brigham Young University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree from the College of Humanities. “I love to read,” Blair said, adding that he has started a book club for Chamber staff and board members. Blair and his wife stayed in Utah Valley after he finished his schooling because they loved it here; he turned down job offers that would have taken his family away from the area. During his career as a businessman, he started six different businesses in a variety of fields. He sold two of the businesses, including one that was purchased just before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. An avid golfer, Blair had volunteered to help with the Chamber Classic Golf Tournament in 2020, and while he was working on that project, Lockhart approached him about taking on the role of Chamber president and CEO. With extra time due to the sale of his business, Blair decided to apply for the job. Through conducting business in Utah Valley, he had seen first-hand the value the Chamber brought to its members through networking opportunities and building relationships. He also recognizes the role that the Chamber, as a representative of the entire valley, can play in encouraging strategic planning in the area as the population continues to grow. “Being a regional chamber with a very specific focus on valley-wide issues is where we are different” from local, city-specific chambers of commerce, Blair said. At the same time, he added, the Utah Valley Chamber needs local chambers to be wildly successful. They meet the local needs of the businesses that reside on the corner of Center and Main, while the Utah Valley Chamber can more effectively focus on the overall needs along the Wasatch Front in Utah County. Going forward, Blair said the Chamber has set several goals, including: • Establishing Utah Valley as a leading place to do business in the country. • Strengthening the Chamber’s position as a leader in legislative initiatives based on data-backed, principle-based public policy. • Bringing Chamber members together and providing leadership. • Increasing Chamber membership, with a goal of doubling the number of members within the next 12 months. “It’s about getting our Chamber membership together to solve the valley’s most complex problems, and it’s going to take businesses of all sizes, private and public partnerships, and increased collaboration with government and civic groups. I believe that one organization that can convene all of those disparate organizations is the Utah Valley Chamber,” Blair said. 30 • Utah Valley Chamber • www.thechamber.org
Curtis Blair
