Executive Chair Gary Herbert

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.

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

needs to keep businesses informed about economic conditions so they can make wise business decisions. In today’s world, this includes global issues, which can have a large impact locally.

“With transportation and communication what they are today, the world’s become a lot smaller,” Herbert said. “We do business with a lot of people outside of our country …. So the Chamber’s responsibility is not just local downtown anymore. It’s beyond the borders of our town and our state and our country.”

One of his top priorities is to build membership and increase value for chamber members. “I’d like to get to the point where people would say if I want to be successful, if I want to have my business be the best it can be, one of the things I should do is be a member of the Utah Valley Chamber,” he said.

Through it all, he believes the Chamber should work with other chambers of commerce, cities and legislators and act as a united voice for businesses while planning ahead for Utah Valley’s future.

“My kids and grandkids occasionally ask me, grandpa, tell me about the good old days,” Herbert said. “I am quick to remind them that today is the good old days. There’s never been a better time for us to be alive on this earth with a good quality of life, with opportunities .… Life is a lot easier today, and the shining example, and probably the best example, of a state having success is, in fact, Utah. We are a leader in virtually every way and every positive way, and we want to maintain that.”

If trends continue, Utah Valley will eventually exceed Salt Lake County in population, making it the epicenter of the state. “So it’s really a very exciting time. I think we should all be very hopeful and optimistic about the future,” Herbert said. “We just need to make sure that that continues and things continue to get better and better. And the Chamber can help that happen.”

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