When it comes to philanthropy and giving, the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation has built a solid relationship with UVU slowly. We first provided a gift around the Roots of Knowledge, and then we later gave a pretty sizable gift for the Noorda Center for the Performing Arts. We began making smaller gifts to the business school, and then a larger gift with the capital campaign. We were happy to donate to the new business school because UVU had their ducks in a row. Their ask was really well done — they had other donors lined up, they had state money that they were going to be asking for but needed private donors to commit before they could get the state money, but they weren’t putting it all on the backs of donors. At the time we started to get involved, President Matthew S. Holland had done a lot to turn the UVU campus into a jewel. UVU transformed to become a really competitive campus, and our relationship has been a progression of smaller gifts up to a major gift to the business building.

I’ve had a chance to work with all the universities and colleges in the state, and we’ve given to all of them, and I can’t say anything bad about any of them. One thing that is fun about UVU and being able to support UVU is that every student is invited, every student is accepted, and they get a chance. It’s almost like an incubator for a student who otherwise might not have an opportunity to be able to go to a full-fledged university and be able to enhance his or her life.

We wanted a presence in the business building because the whole business-entrepreneurial spirit is what the Larry H. Miller Group is all about. We’re all about the freedom to go to school and have students from a collection of disciplines be able to participate in the business school. Larry has probably done more for education in Utah than almost any other individual, and yet he spent only a few hours on a college campus himself. He was blessed and talented, and, through the scholarships that he funded and his commitment to universities, to be able to have new facilities is amazing. The Miller family and the Miller Family Foundation are committed to education and providing students with a leg up to do something better tomorrow than you could today without that education.

The Larry H. Miller Group was started in 1979 when Larry and Gail Miller bought a Toyota dealership from Larry’s uncle. They did the deal on a napkin and purchased one dealership. They never thought that they would be more than that. Larry worked hard and took care of people, and soon, other opportunities came along to buy a few more dealerships. The thing that really seemed to propel the Miller Group was the purchase of the Jazz. If you would’ve looked at his balance sheet or his net worth, he shouldn’t have been able to do that, and he did it twice: the first half of the Jazz and then the second half. That propelled Larry’s entrepreneurial spirit, and it was almost like there was something in the cosmic atmosphere that was paying him back. He purchased the Jazz for the community. He knew that if Utah lost the team, they would never have one back.

Today, the empire is nearly 10,000 employees strong. We recently did two more dealerships, so we’re now at 66 dealerships. From humble beginnings, and we hear that so many times from people, but it really came from humble beginnings. I encourage every student to read Larry’s book Driven. If I were a business professor, that would be required reading in my class. You can learn all the book smarts that you want, but if you can learn how this man did things and how he interacted, you’ll be just fine.

I was employed by the Utah Jazz when Larry bought the team. At that time, I was vice president of marketing. I later became vice president of marketing and public relations, and later I had some other opportunities to get promoted. Larry and I became close friends; we just seemed to hit it off even though I wasn’t his CEO at the Jazz. Larry was an entrepreneur, so he didn’t work through corporate organizational charts. If he wanted to call me, he called me directly — he didn’t go through my boss. That’s how he operated with everyone. Because of our relationship, I had some opportunities. The Jazz were playing in the Salt Palace at the time, and we built the arena that provided suites and clubs that we didn’t have before, so things were always changing, and it provided a new landscape for me. It was like starting at a new job in the same organization. Then Larry and I started an advertising agency together to do all the work for the company. Over time I got more involved with philanthropy, giving, and scholarships, so things have just seemed to change, which fits my DNA of not doing the same thing this month that I did the previous month. I recently reached 35 years with the Larry H. Miller Group.

Nothing replaces hard work. I’m not necessarily talking about throwing a pick and digging with a shovel; it’s putting in the time and doing more than what’s expected of you. I always felt like I had to work harder and put in a little more just to be equal with other colleagues — I was down on myself a little bit, I guess. I was always the first in and usually the last to leave. Even if HR rules are in place that don’t allow you to work overtime, don’t let that stop you from doing some things on your own time at home, whether it’s reading or research or following up on some stuff.

Mixed with that would be loyalty. Larry talks about that in his book. It’s two ways. For me, I was completely loyal to Larry and to the organization, and that got paid back when I was asked to serve as a mission president for three years. He said, “You should go do that.” And if I can say this without choking up, “As an organization, we’ll be blessed because you go do that. I’m going to hold a job for you. I don’t know what it’ll be — I can’t promise you’ll be back at the Jazz.” And he paid me a little bit, and during that time I was Larry’s consultant, so that’s how I kept my tenure. We would talk quarterly, and I would consult, I would fulfill my contract while I was driving to zone conference or something, but that was the flip side. I was loyal, he was loyal, and then I was welcomed back. I know others who didn’t have that opportunity when they left their employment to go be a mission president.

Students often ask me how they can land a job like mine. Working for the Jazz was just pure dumb luck. A key I’ve noticed about how people are able to get their start with organizations like the Jazz are internships. A lot of internships don’t pay well, but you gain hands-on experience. In my 22 years with the Jazz, we had dozens of interns, and about 50% of them stayed with us and got promoted through the ranks. One became vice president of public relations, one became vice president of game operations. One interned with us, then went to the league, and then she ended up at the Philadelphia 76ers as vice president of public relations. That doesn’t just happen in professional sports — that happens everywhere. If you want to work in venture capital, then approach a firm and ask if you can empty their wastebaskets. It’s about getting experience and rubbing shoulders with people so they can see how hard you work. With that said, you have to work hard. I get nervous when I hear younger generations talk about wanting to earn big bucks right away. You must work hard — unless you’re able to find your pot of gold or grandpa leaves you something. Otherwise, the key is hard work.