Utah's Dixie has a not-so-secret benefactor.
One of the state's premiere entrepreneurial businessmen has adopted the red desert terrain of Washington County as his home.Hyrum W. Smith, chief executive officer of Franklin Quest Co., isn't the type of person who needs his name on every building he pays for. He often gives money anonymously. He frequently waives a $20,000 speaking fee and lectures free of charge.
He's bankrolled old and new development in Washington County. He rescued a landmark building in one community and is developing one of the state's most exclusive subdivisions in another.
Although he has bailed out projects large and small throughout Utah, the Centerville native admits he has a special affinity for Washington County.
"You couldn't duplicate the quality of life there anywhere in the world," Smith said from his West Valley City office.
"I love it. It's my home."
His wife, Gail Cooper Smith, was reared under sunny southern Utah skies in Washington, Washington County. That introduction captured Smith's heart. Now he's channeled his appreciation through support to the arts, history and development in the community and around St. George.
"Every county needs a Hyrum Smith," said Scott Hirschi, director of the Economic Development Council in Washington County. "He's been great for the economy - the things he and his family have done have had significant influence on the community."
Driven by the wish to spotlight Utah's history and a forum for what he calls "decent art," Smith has single-handedly supported the Tuacahn Center for the Arts outside of St. George.
He and Franklin Quest purchased the former National Institute of Fitness at the mouth of Snow Canyon, changed its name and pumped $5 million into the nationally recognized facility.
Several miles away, Smith owns the Stone Ridge development, a 350-acre project on Schmutz Hill that overlooks the Virgin River. Homes have five-car garages, 6,000 square feet of space and million-dollar price tags.
In Washington, someone planned to tear down the old Cotton Mill, built in 1865 when Brigham Young sent settlers to the area to grow cotton. A developer was going to raze the building and put in a storage facility, which didn't seem right, Smith said. "So we rescued it."
The building, for sale now, still stands and is used as a reception center.
Most notable may be the quiet donations to Dixie College, other businesses and private individuals. He once gave his Tuacahn concert tickets to a young couple who couldn't afford their own.
"If we could clone him and have 29 of him, one for every (Utah) county . . . ," Hirschi said.
Born in Centerville, Smith moved to Hawaii when he was 2 years old and moved back to the
Beehive State in 1982. Shortly thereafter, he started Franklin Quest in his basement.
But several years ago, Smith claimed St. George as his adopted home town. With Smith's travel schedule as top executive of the Franklin business, his wife had one request: If she was going to be home alone so much, she told her husband, her home should be in her favorite place on Earth.
The couple has a residence on the Wasatch Front, and Hyrum Smith commutes upstate to work. But they spend most of their time in a St. George home located two blocks north of Main Street on a hill.
It's not a super fancy home. The common spaces are full of mementos, photographs and knick-knacks, just like at your house or mine, said Joan Peterson, who has worked in marketing at Tuacahn since the facility opened.
The Smiths also own a ranch in Gunlock, about 22 miles northwest of St. George. Surrounded by acres of white wooden fence, the ranch lies on grassy, rolling terrain and houses the horses that provide Smith his greatest past-time.
The Smiths own about 4,100 acres in Washington County, including 360 acres adjacent to Tuacahn.
Located in a box canyon 10 miles northwest of St. George, Tuacahn has been Smith's baby and nemesis. Without Smith, the facility wouldn't exist, said Peterson. "Absolutely not. It would've been abandoned by now because it's been so enormously expensive."
There have been financial difficulties from the beginning. It cost double what founders thought to build - about $24 million - and the last of $13 million in debt is being paid off now. Costs skyrocketed because of construction prices and protections for the desert tortoises, which inhabit the surrounding areas.
"We did pour a ton of money into that thing," Smith said.
He has remained committed. He once said publicly he'd lose everything he owned before he let Tua-cahn go under. It's critical to have a place to showcase Utah history and music, Smith says.
Tuacahn also has a school that brings music, arts, drama and dance to about 2,500 Washington County students each year.
"I have a strong feeling about what young people learn from music," Smith said. It teaches discipline and an appreciation for good art, he said. "Decent art has an impact on the human spirit."
Tuacahn is getting back on its financial feet and beginning to pay back dividends to the community. Visitors who see "Utah!", Tua-cahn's premiere summer musical, will spend $6 million during their stay in Washington County, said Mark Wade, Tuacahn marketing director.
Nearby, the new and improved Franklin Quest Institute of Fitness draws people from all over the world to burn extra pounds and calories. Gov. Mike Leavitt visits the facility, as did his predecessor, Norm Bangerter.
Mark Sorenson and his wife, Vicki, founded the institute and sold it to Franklin Quest in 1994. One of the top six spas in the country, it fits in with the Franklin Plan.
"Franklin helps people control their lives by controlling their time. We help people control their lives by taking control of their health," said Sorenson, who still lectures and counsels at the institute.
It is telling that Smith frequently speaks for free, Sorenson says. "It tells me his heart is in the right place, that he's not caught up in himself and his riches."