Q&A with Derek Miller, President and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber Derek Miller is the president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber and is a native Utahn. He earned an undergraduate degree from BYU in international relations. In addition to graduating from BYU’s J. Reuben Clark Law School, he also holds a joint degree, Master of Public Administration, from the Romney Institute of Public Management. After graduation, Derek was a management consultant with Arthur Andersen in Washington, D.C., for its public sector clients. He then practiced law as legal counsel in the U.S. House of Representatives. Derek and his family came home again eight years after leaving the state, but he continued his public service. Derek worked for Gov. Huntsman in the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and then as chief of staff for Gov. Herbert. He returned to the private sector after an additional four years. Before the Salt Lake Chamber, Derek was the CEO of the World Trade Center Utah. This nonprofit group helps companies expand their global market and is the Salt Lake Chamber’s sister organization. For more information, refer to 2021 Legislative Priorities: Salt Lake Chamber 2021 Public Policy Guide by the Salt Lake Chamber. An online copy is available at https://slchamber.com. Select the Public Policy tab for the 2021 and upcoming 2022 Legislative Priorities guide, which will be released in early January. The 2021 policy guide lists many subjects such as the business climate, labor and employment and education. All of themmattered, but did some matter more than others in 2021? The short answer is yes. Although many industries are doing quite well, some industries have been impacted much harder by the pandemic. They include travel, tourism and hospitality industries. We are grateful Utah had the highest uptake for businesses receiving PPP loans because those loans kept businesses alive, and most are forgivable under most circumstances. But loans are not a long-term solution. No amount of money the federal government can spend would replace a fully functioning economy. For many businesses that are suffering, the only long-term answer is to become fully and safely functioning again. Downtown Salt Lake City is an excellent example of this. We need people back in downtown offices. We also need people to go to cultural events and art venues at places like Symphony Hall and Eccles Theater. Workforce development has a short-term goal and a longterm purpose. Having an available workforce of trained, skilled workers was a concern even before the pandemic; any business owner would tell you that their No. 1 challenge is 12
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTIyNDg2OA==