Partners in marriage and business, Larry and Gail Miller followed a simple philosophy that the communities where they had businesses should be better because they were there. This belief and an incredibly strong work ethic propelled them to create one of the largest privately-owned companies in the western United States.
Larry H. Miller was born in 1944 and grew up in the Capitol Hill area of Salt Lake City, Utah, just a few blocks away from his schoolmate, Gail Saxton. They first met in the seventh grade and continued to date into their college years. Following his graduation from West High, Larry began working construction until 1964 when he went to work for American Auto Parts. Larry and Gail married on March 25, 1965, beginning their unique family and business partnership.
In 1966, Larry became the parts manager at a Utah auto dealer and later moved his family to Denver, Colorado, to work as the parts manager for two Denver Toyota dealerships. His talents and drive to be the best were rewarded with his promotion to operations manager over five Toyota stores where he continued to excel. In 1979, Larry and Gail went into business for themselves with the purchase of the Toyota of Murray (Utah) dealership which was the first of many businesses that would comprise the Larry H. Miller Company.
Among his many accomplishments, Larry received awards from the American Import Auto Dealers Association and Sports Illustrated for his work in the automobile industry. In 1992, he was honored by the International Softball Congress with his induction into the ISC Hall of Fame as one of the top pitchers in the country. He was awarded honorary doctorate degrees from the University of Utah, Weber State University, Salt Lake Community College and Utah Valley State College. Larry was named Utah’s 1997 Master Entrepreneur of the Year and received numerous other honors from business, civic, and non-profit organizations. In 2006, he received the prestigious “Giant In Our City” Award from the Salt Lake City Chamber of Commerce.
On February 20, 2009, Larry Miller passed away at the age of 64 from complications associated with type 2 diabetes. The story of the amazing partnership of Larry and Gail, as well as his life and contributions to business and community, are detailed in two books: Driven: An Autobiography; and Behind the Drive: 99 Inspiring Stories from the Life of an American Entrepreneur.
Today, Gail Miller is the owner of the Larry H. Miller Company and is the immediate past chair of the Board of Directors. Gail also presides over the Larry H. Miller Education Foundation and the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation which support a wide range of charitable, educational, and humanitarian causes. In 2018, Gail authored Courage to Be You: Inspiring Lessons from An Unexpected Journey.
