Salt Lake Chamber Celebrates Utah Leaders at “Under One Sky” America250 Utah Awards Gala

Honoring individuals, organizations and century-old businesses that have shaped Utah

SALT LAKE CITY (May 21, 2026) — The Salt Lake Chamber honored Utah’s most influential leaders, organizations and century-old businesses Thursday evening at Under One Sky: America250 Utah Awards Gala. Tied to the 250th anniversary of the United States, the gala recognized those who build bridges across sectors, steward opportunity with integrity and create networks that drive lasting progress for generations to come.

“Tonight, we honored the people who kept the American Dream alive in Utah. We celebrated the businesses and organizations that have stood for generations. And we recommitted ourselves to ensuring Utah’s prosperity reaches every corner of this state and every person who calls Utah home,” said Derek Miller, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber. “These leaders’ legacy isn’t what they built for themselves; it’s what they made possible for everyone else. Because everything Utah has built, we’ve built together. And everything Utah will become, we will become together. Under one sky.”

Honorees

The Salt Lake Chamber recognized the following honorees during the evening’s program, see the end of this release for award and honoree details:

• Under One Sky Award: The Larry H. Miller Company
• Steward of the Sky Award: Intermountain Health
• Milky Way Award: Huntsman Family Foundation

• United Star Award: Natalie Gochnour, Director, Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute and Associate Dean, David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah
• Constellation of Connection Award: Christian Gardner, CEO and Chairman, Gardner Group
• North Star Award: Fred Lampropoulos, Founder, Merit Medical Systems, Inc.
• North Star Award: Lavanya Mahate, Founder, Saffron Valley and RISE Culinary Institute
• Guiding Light Award: Wayne Niederhauser, Utah Homeless Coordinator (retired), State of Utah

The gala also included a special recognition of Utah businesses and organizations that have operated for more than 100 years. 

Under One Sky was made possible by the generous support of America First Credit Union, Deloitte and WCF Insurance as premier sponsors. Clyde Companies, Gardner Group, George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, Huntsman Family Foundation, The Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation, Merit Medical Systems, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Foundation and Zions Bank served as the presenting sponsors. Campbell Companies, Colliers, Intermountain Health, Mountain America Credit Union, PNC Bank and Western Governors University served as event sponsors. Executive sponsors included Aspen Peak Productions, Avalanche Studios, Dinesh and Kalpana Patel Foundation, Enbridge, GBS, Goldman Sachs, Jacobsen Construction, RC Willey, Robert H. & Katharine B. Garff Foundation, Swire Coca-Cola, The Buckner Company and the University of Utah.

For more information, visit slchamber.com/underonesky.

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About the Salt Lake Chamber

The Salt Lake Chamber is Utah’s largest and longest-serving business association. It represents the broad interests of the Salt Lake metropolitan area, its employers, chamber members and employees. With roots that date back to 1887, the Chamber stands as the voice of business, supports its members’ success and champions community prosperity.

About the Under One Sky Awards

Under One Sky Award: Honors an organization with a proven track record of bringing people together, whose leadership advances a shared vision for the community. Through collaboration, inclusion and trust, this organization strengthens the whole, recognizing that progress is greatest when we move forward together, under one sky. In recognition of America’s 250th anniversary, this award reflects the enduring ideal that a diverse nation is strongest when united by shared purpose.

Steward of the Sky Award: Honors an organization that leads with integrity, responsibility and a sustained commitment to our community. This award celebrates an organization that unites people, inspires action and creates lasting impact for generations to come. As the nation marks 250 years, this honor celebrates leadership that safeguards the future while honoring the responsibilities passed down through generations.

Milky Way Award: Honors a nonprofit organization whose work brings together many efforts, partners and initiatives to create a constellation of service across the community. Like the Milky Way, a vast collection of lights that shine brighter together, this organization strengthens the region by connecting people, amplifying missions and expanding opportunity. In recognition of America’s 250th anniversary, this award celebrates the spirit of collaboration and generosity that has long helped communities across our nation thrive.

United Star Award: Honors an individual who brings people together to discuss challenges with balance, fairness and respect. By listening to all voices, building consensus and prioritizing the greater good, this leader strengthens the community and advances shared solutions. As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, this award honors those who embody civic unity and leadership that bridges divides.

Constellation of Connection Award: Honors a leader whose greatest strength is connection. This award recognizes an individual who builds trusted relationships across industries and communities, linking people and ideas in ways that drive innovation, opportunity and lasting impact. In celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, this award reflects the power of collaboration that has driven innovation and opportunity across generations.

North Star Awards: Honors visionary founders who have transformed an idea into lasting impact, creating opportunity not only for themselves, but for others along the way. This award recognizes leadership that inspires, guides and continues to shape the future through innovation and inclusion. As the nation marks 250 years, this honor celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit that has long guided America’s growth and possibility.

Guiding Light Award: Honors an inspirational leader who has gone above and beyond the call of duty to address critical community needs. Through hands-on service, mentorship and consistent action, this individual serves as a steady guiding light — strengthening communities and creating opportunity for others. In the spirit of the 250th anniversary, this award recognizes the everyday leadership that has always been the foundation of American communities.

Methuselah Stars: Named after one of the oldest known stars in the Milky Way, the Methuselah Star honors Utah businesses and organizations that have reached an extraordinary milestone — 100 years or more of operation. Their longevity reflects not only endurance, but leadership, resilience and a lasting contribution to our communities and our state. 

About the Honorees

Under One Sky Award: The Larry H. Miller Company

The Larry H. Miller Company is a family investment firm built on the Miller family’s legacy of business leadership, community building and philanthropic giving. It oversees the organization’s portfolio of business platforms and companies spanning real estate, health care, sports+entertainment and investments. 

Steward of the Sky Award: Intermountain Health

Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a nonprofit system of 34 hospitals, approximately 400 clinics, medical groups with over 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plan called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming health care by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. 

Milky Way Award: Huntsman Family Foundation

Jon and Karen Huntsman established a legacy of giving that continues today through the Huntsman Family Foundation. With the mission to provide hope and dignity to all who suffer, the Foundation focuses primarily on researching, treating and eradicating cancer and mental health challenges — as well as ending homelessness, stopping domestic violence and supporting education and scholarship.

United Star Award: Natalie Gochnour, Director, Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, and Associate Dean, David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah

Natalie Gochnour directs the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute and serves as an Associate Dean of the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah. She is one of Utah’s most respected voices in public policy and economics, known for her ability to bridge divides and foster collaboration across business, government, academia and community sectors. Her distinguished career includes service to three Utah governors and leadership roles as a political appointee in Washington, D.C. during the George W. Bush administration. With undergraduate and graduate degrees in economics, Gochnour fiercely supports market economies but believes the government can, under the right circumstances, improve market outcomes. She champions limited government, free enterprise, fiscal restraint and balanced federalism. In politics, she is naturally drawn to the productive middle, recognizing the best public policies originate from multiple perspectives. She shares her views frequently in published columns and as a co-host of “Both Sides of the Aisle” on Utah Public Radio. Known for her ability to build alliances through the practical application of sound data paired with superb communications, Gochnour applauds robust, but civil and dignified public discourse. She advances a practical and get-it-done conservatism that seeks to unify rather than divide, listen rather than grandstand and find common and higher ground rather than opposing ground. Her love of place, coupled with her love for her amazing family — Chris, Rosie, Theo, Mike and Jethro — motivates her each day to contribute to the betterment of Utah. 

Constellation of Connection Award: Christian Gardner, CEO and Chairman, Gardner Group

Christian Gardner is CEO and Chairman of the Gardner Group, a privately-owned collective of companies driven by his commitment to sustainability, innovation, quality real estate development and re-investing back into communities through philanthropy. He has spent a large part of his career focused on the Gardner family’s 40-year-old, full-service commercial real estate company specializing in the development of corporate office, retail, industrial and medical buildings. In 2018, Gardner co-founded rPlus Energies, a subsidiary of the Gardner Group, dedicated to building robust utility-scale renewable energy infrastructure across America. Most recently, he co-founded Philo Ventures, a startup studio investing in and supporting early-stage companies with a sustainability focus. Gardner is actively engaged in the leadership of his companies and is deeply committed to causes spanning education, the arts, mental health, homelessness, sports and the environment. He embodies his family legacy of dedicating time and resources to build stronger communities. He is married to Marie Gochnour and has six children.

North Star Award: Fred Lampropoulos, Founder, Merit Medical Systems, Inc.

Fred Lampropoulos has been in the medical device industry for more than 40 years. After serving as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Utah Medical, Lampropoulos founded Merit Medical Systems Inc. in 1987, where he recently served as Chairman and CEO until stepping down at the end of 2025. Merit has grown from a startup to a publicly traded company with revenues of more than $1.5 billion in 2025 and over 7,000 employees. He founded Sentir Semiconductors in 1991, which was later merged into Merit Medical. Lampropoulos has invented and holds more than 240 patents on devices used in the diagnostic and therapeutic treatment of cardiovascular disease. 

Lampropoulos served as a commissioned officer in the United States Army Special Forces (Airborne) from 1969-1978. He is extremely involved in his community and serves on many boards. He is the recipient of several awards, including the Salt Lake Chamber’s Giant in Our City, the Mountain West Capital Network Entrepreneur of the Year, the Utah Governor’s Medal for Science and Technology, the Utah National Guard Bronze Minuteman Award, the Utah Genius Lifetime Achievement Award, the American Heart Association’s Heart of Utah Award, the Boy Scouts of America Silver Beaver Award and the 2025 Bio Utah Executive of the Year Award. Lampropoulos was inducted into the Business Hall of Fame, the Utah Technology Hall of Fame and the University of Utah College of Science Hall of Fame. Most recently, he is organizing The Bank of St. George, where he will serve as Chairman and is the principal shareholder. 

North Star Award: Lavanya Mahate, Founder, Saffron Valley and RISE Culinary Institute

Lavanya Mahate is a visionary entrepreneur who has transformed Utah’s culinary landscape, founding and scaling 12 restaurants and ventures that celebrate culinary diversity. A James Beard semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurateur in 2025 and named Utah Business Person of the Year by Governor Cox, she also founded the nonprofit RISE Culinary Institute, empowering women from diverse backgrounds. Through her Power of Ownership transformational leadership platform and Own Your Shift events, she fosters personal and community transformation. Mahate continues to shape the future, building an ecosystem around food, leadership and inclusion.

Guiding Light Award: Wayne Niederhauser, Utah Homeless Coordinator (retired), State of Utah

Wayne Niederhauser is a seasoned public servant and business leader with a distinguished career in Utah state government. He served in the Utah State Senate for twelve and a half years, including six years as Senate President, where he was recognized for a measured, collaborative approach to leadership. During his tenure, he played a pivotal role in guiding Utah out of the Great Recession and spearheaded the landmark 2007 tax reform. His legislative legacy is defined by a commitment to government transparency and modernizing policy to meet the demands of Utah’s rapid growth.

Most recently, Niederhauser served as the Utah Homelessness Coordinator under Governor Spencer Cox. As Executive Director of the Office of Homeless Services, he led a transformative period for the state’s response system, securing unprecedented funding for deeply affordable housing and public safety while championing innovative solutions like microshelters. His work was deeply informed by his direct engagement with those experiencing homelessness — a practice he and his wife, Melissa, continue weekly.

A Certified Public Accountant and Real Estate Broker, Niederhauser is a graduate of Utah State University, where he earned a Master of Accounting. Today, he is a partner and broker at CW Management Corporation and continues to serve on several non-profit boards. Niederhauser and Melissa have been married for 43 years; they have five children and two grandchildren.

Methuselah Stars