Gail Miller (businesswoman)

Gail Miller (born October 14, 1943) is an American billionaire businesswoman, the wealthiest person in Utah, the widow of Larry H. Miller, chairwoman of the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies, and chairwoman of the Salt Lake Community College. She also is the owner of the Utah Jazz, a National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Gail Miller
Born
Karen Gail Saxton

(1943-10-14) October 14, 1943[1]
NationalityAmerican
OccupationChairwoman and owner, Utah Jazz
Chairwoman and owner, Larry H. Miller Group of Companies (LHM Group)
Net worthUS$1.75 billion (March 2017)[1]
Spouse(s)Larry H. Miller (1965–2009)
Kim Wilson (2013–present)
Children5 (one deceased)

She was born Karen Gail Saxton in Sandy, Utah, on October 14, 1943.[2] In 2009, when Larry H. Miller died, Gail Miller assumed 100% ownership of their businesses, consisting of 54 car dealers, a movie theater chain and the Utah Jazz basketball team.[1] In 2018, Gail Miller ranked #1867 on the Forbes World's Billionaires list, with wealth listed at US $1.2 billion [3]

Utah Jazz

Miller's husband originally became part-owner of the Utah Jazz in 1985 and purchased complete control in 1986. Gail Miller assumed ownership upon her husband's death. In 2017 she announced ownership of the Utah Jazz and Vivint Smart Home Arena had been transferred into a Legacy Trust in order to keep the franchise in Utah for generations.[4] Miller was drawn into racial controversy in 2019 when a fan verbally abused NBA player Russell Westbrook. Miller later addressed the home crowd to speak out against the boorish behavior and proclaimed, ‘This should never happen. We are not a racist community.’ [5]

Philanthropy

In 2000, Brigham Young University announced that the Millers had made a significant financial contribution towards the new 4,000-seat, $7 million baseball and softball complex. Built on campus the project was named Miller Park and the softball field was christened Gail Miller Field and the baseball field is called Larry H. Miller Field. [6] In 2011 the Joint Leadership Commission of the Congressional Award Foundation and its board of directors presented Miller the Horizon Award in a ceremony on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. recognizing her work in the community and with young people. [7]

In 2013, Miller partnered with former Utah Governor Mike Leavitt and former First Lady Norma Matheson to create "Count My Vote", a bipartisan effort to push for state electoral reform.[8][9]

Personal life

Miller is married to Kim Wilson. She has five children from her first husband, Larry H. Miller, whom she married on March 25, 1965.[2] Miller is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

References
  1. "Gail Miller". forbes. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  2. "Larry H. Miller Obituary". familysearch. 19 August 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  3. https://www.forbes.com/billionaires/list/3/#version:static_header:source
  4. "Miller family transfers ownership of Utah Jazz". NBA.com. 2017-01-23. Retrieved 2019-07-30.
  5. Jones, Tony (2019-03-15). "Jazz owner Gail Miller to The Athletic". The Athletic. Retrieved 2019-07-30.
  6. Call, Jeff (2000-02-09). "Y. names ballparks after Larry, Gail Miller". Deseret News. Retrieved 2019-07-30.
  7. Romboy, Dennis (2019-06-20). "Utah Jazz owner Gail Miller honored in D.C. for contributions to community, young people". Deseret News. Retrieved 2019-07-30.
  8. Gehrke, Robert (2019-07-29). "Norma Matheson, the 'godmother' of the Utah Democratic Party, dies at 89". Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on 2019-07-29. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
  9. Gehrke, Robert (2013-09-13). "Norma Matheson, Leavitt to help lead Count My Vote". Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on 2020-01-28. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
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