Message from Steve Miller, Vice Chairman, LHM Board of Directors
Basketball and Automobiles
A
s fall approaches and the beginning
of a new NBA season appears on the
doorstep, my thoughts always return to
my childhood and the events surrounding my
parents purchasing the Utah Jazz franchise.
I was only eight years old when my father
bought a Toyota dealership in Murray, Utah,
in 1979. I’d seen him make other career moves,
but when this one happened, I could tell
something was different. It might have been
the first time I’d seen my parents have even the
slightest bit of anxiety over a career decision.
But they were also excited because it meant
they’d be moving our family back to Utah
from Colorado, where I had spent my entire
childhood.
Life was more or less normal for us
during our first years in Utah as the family’s
car business rapidly expanded from that first
dealership to owning seven stores by 1985. He
was always working; that wasn’t anything new.
But nothing accelerated things more than when
my parents purchased the first half of the Utah
Jazz. At first, I didn’t understand his interest.
Selling cars and owning a basketball team had
next to nothing in common—at least in my
teenage mind.
Before the purchase of the team, my father
didn’t know much about NBA basketball. He
enjoyed going to games, but more important
to him was keeping the team in Utah. Even
when it came time to build a larger arena to
house the Jazz, my parents knew the cost would
be significant, but they recognized that the
reward of enriching the community would far
outweigh it. And how right they were. When
I see the newly renovated Vivint Smart Home
Arena, I get excited about how their dreams
for this building will continue for future
generations to enjoy.
Looking back some 32 years later, basketball
and automobiles have a lot in common—more
than I could have imagined. Both are very
competitive, and the desire to win validates
our competitive nature and rewards hard work.
Athletes, whether they are basketball players or
professional cyclists, inspire us to put our hearts
into our work, however challenging the obstacles
or however steep the climb. It’s no different in
business: our hard work is a commitment to
excellence, to making good things happen by
giving our best effort every day.
Our sports franchises, which include
the Tour of Utah, Salt Lake Bees, Utah Jazz,
and Salt Lake City Stars, serve as powerful
vehicles to entertain, inspire, assist, and
connect people. We can see our core values of
integrity, hard work, stewardship, and service
equally displayed on the court as we can in
the showroom. And like every great athlete or
business, we should never give up pursuing our
goals and realizing our full potential. ◆
Our hard work is a commitment
to excellence, to making good
things happen by giving our
best effort every day.
LHM Group Value #2: Hard Work.
ON, VISION,
&
GUIDING
NCIPLES
The Larry H. Miller Group of Companies
Steve Miller, LHM Board of Directors.
Events like the Tour of Utah, the LHM 1000, an NBA or SL Bees
season, or even completing a college degree don’t just “happen.”
They take commitment and hard work, all while facing constant
challenges and surprises along the way. The best kind of
hard work happens when you put your heart into it—when it
transcends being a task and turns into a passion. Satisfaction
comes not just in finishing the project or reaching the goal, but
in exerting a sincere effort to get there.
Discussion ideas for managers, leaders, and teams:
1. What do hard work and excellence have in
common? How do you (individually and as a group)
measure hard work and excellence?
2. How do you stay motivated to give your best every
day without becoming burned out? What’s the best
way to get/stay excited about the work?
3. What goals do you have (individually and as a group),
and what steps are you taking to make them a reality?
LHMWSM.com
1