Ellis Ivory and Roger Boyer produced thriving businesses that left a legacy on Utah development despite wars and changing economic times, and they stood proudly Thursday night to receive awards honoring their commitment and hard work.
More than 30 years after constructing thousands of Utah homes and the Gateway shopping center, Ivory, founder of Ivory Homes and Boyer, chairman of Boyer Company, were named "Giants in Our City" — following the ranks of 26 previous community leaders to receive the Giant Leadership in Business awards.
"The wonderful thing is it honors the men and women who have given the most to the community," said Lane Beattie, president of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce, which has sponsored and organized the fundraising event since inception in 1969. "(Ivory and Boyer) truly are giants in the city."
Years after their initial meeting as Sigma Chi fraternity pledges, in which they became fast friends through fraternity mischief and by later marrying sisters, Ivory and Boyer founded their first company as business partners. They later went on to develop separate enterprises but remained friends.
Thousands of Utahns live in homes Ivory has built over the years, and those same citizens shop at the Gateway, which keynote speaker and CEO of Denver-based MediaNews Group, Inc. Dean Singleton said has become the downtown of Salt Lake City through Boyer's effort. To a packed ballroom at the Grand America Hotel Thursday night, Singleton praised the hard work of Ivory, Boyer and past city "giants" who contributed to a growing Salt Lake City.
"(Visitors) came and they continue to come, and like me they fall in love with a place that is coming out of its shell … that is more comfortable in its own skin," Singleton said. "And we owe (this success) to the giants in our city."
The award honors Ivory and Boyers' devotion to the community through business development and leadership positions they both committed time to over the years. Besides military work and serving multiple missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ivory is a former chairman on the Deseret News Board of Trustees and currently serves as the chairman of the This Is the Place Heritage Park. Boyer also served multiple LDS Church missions and is currently a trustee board member for the University of Utah.
And years after their hard work and effort, both business leaders consider the tough economic times developing businesses face now, confident that Utah will surpass expectations and succeed better than other states.
"I think that Utah will continue to do better than the rest of the country … because of our diversified community," Ivory said. "The number one lesson everyone's learning now is stay out of debt."
Boyer said he remembers periods of time when the prime rate was below 8 percent, but they worked through it.
The business leaders are "truly pillars" that have strengthened Salt Lake City through their work, said Jon M. Huntsman Sr., founder and chairman of Huntsman Corp.
"As we honor them, a question comes to mind: who will fill their shoes?" Huntsman asked. "Who will assume the often thankless jobs? Roger and Ellis bring people together. They make the community stronger."
E-MAIL: lgroves@desnews.com