Opinion: Rallying behind ‘The Miller Way’ makes major league baseball a reality for Utahns

For years, many Utahns have dreamed about having a professional baseball team call Utah home. As we’ve seen over the past several months, the prospect of Major League Baseball finding a home in Utah is not just a pipe dream, but an emerging reality. Establishing MLB in Utah brings economic and cultural benefits: creating jobs, enhancing quality of life, increasing tourism, Utah pride and more. The business community is behind this effort and the Salt Lake Chamber is committed to joining with other stakeholders to make it a reality.

Leading the way to make Salt Lake City the next home for Major League Baseball is the Larry H. Miller Company; and they are doing it “The Utah Way,” through community engagement and collaboration. From surveying the public about their interest in an MLB team, to engaging Westside civic leaders on how to be a catalyst for good, the Larry H. Miller Company continues to involve community members throughout the process.

This community involvement is a part of the broad coalition efforts, appropriately named “Big League Utah.” Larry H. Miller and the organization that bears his name always dreamed big; he always worked with a league; and he always cared about Utah.

The Larry H. Miller Company wants this project to be done in a way that benefits the community in which it resides, by finding ways to involve people from all walks of life and effectively communicate what is happening. This collaborative approach is a testament to their dedication to creating a space that not only hosts baseball games, but also becomes an integral part of our city and state’s identity.

In many ways, “The Utah Way” is also “The Miller Way.” The Larry H. Miller Company has always taken care of their own and their employees. We see the fingerprints of their community and philanthropic focus all around the state, from the Utah Jazz, the Gail Miller Resource Shelter, Driven to Assist, Miller Enrichment Scholarship, and so much more.

The good that comes from “The Miller Way” is more than just action, it is the attitude and the approach. As one example, of the hundreds of Jazz games Gail Miller has attended, the only time I ever saw her take center stage on the Larry H. Miller court at the Delta Center was to softly and resolutely talk to fans about the importance of showing civility and respect.

The proactive involvement of the Larry H. Miller Company assures us that this endeavor will accomplish more than bring another professional sports team to Utah. Let’s rally around the Larry H. Miller Company and its efforts, because this is about more than just baseball, especially when you do it “The Miller Way.” It has a cumulative impact — bringing vibrancy, opportunity and a legacy to the capital city and our state.

Derek Miller is the president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber, Utah’s largest and longest-serving business association.