Gail Miller took a more direct role in overseeing the Larry H. Miller family business after her husband and business partner died in 2009. She had co-owned the Toyota dealership they acquired in Murray, Utah, in 1979, which became the foundation of an enterprise spanning automotive retail, sports, entertainment, finance and real estate.
The company’s subsequent history included a formal board established in 2015, changes in Utah Jazz ownership in 2020 and Asbury Automotive Group’s acquisition of the dealership business in 2021. Miller’s involvement also encompassed philanthropy and employee programs focused on the family’s stated business values.
Partnership and business oversight
Gail and Larry Miller married in 1965. Gail worked as a telephone operator early in their marriage and later raised their five children while Larry developed his automotive career in Colorado. They returned to Utah to acquire their first dealership in 1979.
In her account of the purchase, Miller said the couple used $88,000 in savings and borrowed the remaining money. Although Larry managed the dealership, she shared ownership and stayed involved through discussions about its operations and decisions.
After Larry’s death, their son Greg served as chief executive. Miller said she began attending his departmental meetings to stay informed and participate in major decisions, including whether to buy or sell businesses.
Describing her oversight role in 2017, she said, “I have responsibility for making sure those that do run it do a good job.”
The group established a 12-member board in 2015 comprising independent business executives, company officials and family members. Longtime executive Clark Whitworth became chief executive, the first person outside the Miller family to hold the position.
Jazz ownership and major transactions
The Millers bought 50 percent of the Utah Jazz in May 1985 and acquired the remaining half in 1986. Gail Miller said their purpose was to keep the franchise in Utah.
In January 2017, Miller announced that ownership of the Jazz and its arena, then called Vivint Smart Home Arena, had been transferred into a legacy trust. She described the arrangement as a way to keep the team in Utah for future generations, with the family continuing its management and oversight.
On October 28, 2020, the family announced an agreement to sell a majority interest in the Jazz and associated sports and entertainment properties to Ryan Smith, co-founder of Qualtrics. Miller said the family would retain a minority interest and that the buyers had committed to keeping the team in Utah. She also said she believed the transaction would honor the trust’s objectives.
The NBA announced its board’s approval of the sale on December 18, 2020, while stating that closing was expected shortly. In a separate announcement dated that day, the Jazz identified Ryan and Ashley Smith as the new majority owners and said the Miller family had retained a minority interest.
Asbury Automotive Group stated in a regulatory filing that its subsidiary completed the acquisition of Larry H. Miller Dealerships and Total Care Auto, Powered by Landcar, on December 17, 2021. In the accompanying announcement, Miller said the family looked forward to reinvesting in new business opportunities and continuing its philanthropy.
Employee programs and philanthropy
By 2017, Miller had worked with her son Bryan to establish Miller Inspiration, an internal organization intended to teach employees about the values she and Larry associated with the business: hard work, integrity, stewardship and service.
Her community involvement included serving as co-chairwoman of Salt Lake City’s homeless shelter siting committee. On August 17, 2017, Miller and her family announced a pledge to match donations dollar for dollar, up to $10 million, for programs and services at three planned homeless shelters in Salt Lake County.
The matching pledge was designated for services rather than shelter construction. It also excluded funding for Operation Rio Grande, the law enforcement initiative underway around the downtown shelter area.
