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Larry H. Miller is a prominent Utah businessman and philanthropist. He is well-known as the owner of the NBA's Utah Jazz. Miller is also the owner of the Larry H. Miller Auto Group, one of the largest collections of automotive dealerships in the United States, and a variety of other business ventures including Prestige Financial, Jordan Commons, Larry H. Miller Megaplex Theatres, KJZZ 14 Television, Miller Motorsports Park, the FANZZ and arena the Delta Center.
Biography
Lawrence H. Miller was born on April 26, 1944, to Mary Lorille Horne and Howard Hanley West. His parents divorced in 1946, and in June 1948 his mother married Frank Soren Miller. Larry was legally adopted by his stepfather in September 1949.
Following his high school graduation, Miller was employed in construction by his uncle William Reid Horne until 1964, when he went to work for American Auto Parts. Softball and drag racing, two of his interests, helped launch his careers in sports and automobiles. From 1963 to 1970, Miller raced cars, and from 1962 to 1985 he was an outstanding fast-pitch softball player, pitching in the Salt Lake City Metro League and the Denver Metro League.
In 1966, he became a parts manager and later manager of the parts and service departments for a Utah auto dealer. In 1970, he moved to Denver to play softball and work as a parts manager for two Denver Toyota dealerships. In 1978, he was promoted to operations manager over five Toyota stores.
Miller married his high school sweetheart, Karen Gail Saxon, on March 25, 1965. Their marriage has produced five children: Gregory Scott, Roger Lawrence, Stephen Frank, Karen Rebecca, and Bryan Joseph.
Business Accomplishments
Miller formed a business partnership with Horne to purchase a Toyota dealership in the Salt Lake City suburb of Murray, Utah. It opened on May 1, 1979 as Larry H. Miller Toyota. In October 1981, Miller bought out his uncle's share in the business. Throughout the 1980's and early 1990's, he acquired a number of automobile dealerships in Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico, creating the Larry H. Miller Automotive Group. In 1993, Automotive Age listed him as the fifteenth largest U.S. automotive dealer, with nineteen dealerships.
After a failed attempt to start a television outlet on the last remaining VHF frequency in the Utah market, Miller purchased Salt Lake City independent station KXIV in February 1993. He later changed the call letters to KJZZ as a reference to the Jazz, whose games are televised on the channel. The station, once in debt, now turns a comfortable profit and broadcasts to parts or all of six states. For six years, it was a charter UPN affiliate, but lost the affiliation when Miller demanded the right to break its network contract if the network increased its "urban programming" to more than two hours per week. This is probably due to the Salt Lake City market's less than 1% of viewers being African-American, rather than a racist agenda.
Miller also owns the Larry H. Miller Megaplex, Prestige Financial, Miller Motorsports Park (currently under construction), Fanzz (a chain of sports clothing & memorabilia outlets), and the successful Jordan Commons cinema/restaurant complex in Sandy, Utah.
Sports Involvement
Miller became a co-owner of the Utah Jazz when he purchased a 50% interest in the team on April 11, 1985 for $8 million. On June 16, 1986, he purchased the remaining 50% from Sam Battistone for $14 million.
Miller built the Delta Center in Downtown Salt Lake City to house the Jazz.
Miller was an unpaid consultant in the project to construct Franklin Covey Field, now the home of the Los Angeles Angels' AAA affiliate Salt Lake Bees. He purchased the team in 2005, changing the name from the Salt Lake Stingers to the Bees.
He also owned the Salt Lake Golden Eagles ice hockey team, which he purchased in September 1989.
Public Service
Miller has contributed to a variety of causes and organizations, including a significant investment towards a campus for Salt Lake Community College, which is now named in his honor.
In November 1995, he formed Larry H. Miller Charities, whose mission statement is, "We give back to our communities by focusing our united service and corporate giving on youth and children with an emphasis on health and education." Since its inception, the foundation has raised more than $1 million, distributing those funds to charitable organizations in the communities where the Larry H. Miller Group does business.
His public service has been recognized by numerous awards, including the Utah Minuteman Award from the Utah National Guard in 1990, an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Utah in 1991, and the Tourist Achievement Award from the Salt Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau in 1992.
Controversy
On January 6, 2006, Miller pulled the film Brokeback Mountain from his Megaplex 17 theater at the last minute after learning that the film involved a gay romance. Other R-rated films, such as the pot-smoking comedy Grandma's Boy and the violent horror film Hostel were still allowed to be shown.