Salt Lake City—Today, the Salt Lake Chamber announced that Clary D. Ivory, CEO of Ivory Homes, will be honored as the 45th Giant in our City. The award recognizes those with exceptional and distinguished service, as well as extraordinary professional achievement, and is widely known as the most prestigious business award given in Utah.
“As a business leader and philanthropist, Clark Ivory has made a lasting mark on our community,” said Derek Miller, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber. “From excellence in home building, to his leadership and hands-on service finding solutions to some of our biggest challenges, Clark is always finding ways to help our community prosper. We are thrilled to recognize Clark with this award and cannot wait to see what he will do next.”
Clark D. Ivory leads Ivory Homes, Utah’s Number One Homebuilder since 1988. Ivory was ProBuilder’s National Home Builder of the Year in 2021. Clark’s business accomplishments, leadership acumen, community spirit, and family focus distinguish him as a prominent business leader, philanthropist, statesperson, husband and father.
Upon learning about the award, Ivory said, “While I am honored to receive this special recognition, I have to point out that any accomplishments that we may have had are a result of a great number of community partners and Ivory team members working together to contribute to and uplift our broader community.”
The award will be presented at the 45th Giant in our City celebration on April 25, 2024, at the Grand America Hotel.
For more information: click here.
Honoree bio below:
Clark D. Ivory leads Ivory Homes, Utah’s Number One Homebuilder since 1988. Ivory was ProBuilder’s National Home Builder of the Year in 2021. Clark’s business accomplishments, leadership acumen, community spirit, and family focus distinguish him as a prominent business leader, philanthropist, statesperson, and father.
Clark grew up in the shadows of the Wasatch Mountains in Millcreek, Utah. As a slightly above average student with a passion for tennis, football, and selling innovative new products, he cultivated the art of selling at the young age of 14. He traveled door to door to sell Paper Mate erasable pens and Nike athletic shoes to various teams with their team logos stenciled on the back.
After one year of college, Clark served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Rome, Italy. While studying Italian in the Mission Training Center, he met Christine Cahoon who served in Milan, Italy. They married a year after his mission and built an inspiring life together.
Clark graduated from the University of Utah in 1988 and received an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1992.
Clark purchased Ivory Homes in 2000 and built upon his father’s legacy of principled leadership. Ivory Homes has built more than 25,000 single family homes and 3,000 apartment homes for customers throughout Utah.
For nearly 20 years Ivory Homes focused on building semi-custom homes for move-up buyers in Utah. Recognizing the changing needs in Utah, the company’s focus shifted to building housing at every price point. As of January 1, 2024, Ivory had 1,917 homes under construction — 667 traditional Ivory homes and 1,250 apartment homes, student housing or affordable townhomes for its non-profit.
Clark served as a director of the Salt Lake City Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco from 2006 to 2011, including three years as chair. He also served on the University of Utah’s Board of Trustees from 2007 to 2014, serving five years as chair. In 2005 he chaired the Salt Lake Chamber Board of Governors and more recently co-chairs Utah Community Builders — the Chamber’s non-profit entity that focuses on employee mental health and family- friendly workplaces. Clark helped found the Utah Impact Partnership (utahcf.org), advancing impact solutions for homelessness. He also helped start the Utah Housing Preservation Fund (uhpf.org). In 2018 Clark and his daughter Abby launched the non-profit Ivory Innovations (ivoryinnovations.org), which showcases the most promising innovators in housing affordability.
Clark and Christine believe in the power of education to improve lives and support civil society. Their philanthropic spirit and commitment to education includes gifting more than 4,100 scholarships to students at Utah universities and colleges. They recently opened Ivory University House (ivoryuniversityhouse.com), providing housing for 624 students next to the University of Utah. All proceeds from this project accrue to student scholarships, internships, and housing stipends.
Clark, Christine, and their son Ellis lived in Bucharest from 2014 to 2017 where they served as mission leaders of the Romania-Moldova Mission. This experience heightened their awareness of human suffering and increased their commitment to helping those in need.
Clark and Christine are the parents of four daughters and one son. They have four grandchildren and hope for many more.
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ABOUT THE SALT LAKE CHAMBER
The Salt Lake Chamber is Utah’s largest and longest-standing business association. A statewide chamber of commerce with members in all 29 Utah counties, the Chamber represents the broad interests of the state’s 63,000-plus employers, which employ more than 1.4 million Utahns. This includes thousands of Chamber members and their employees. With roots that date back to 1887, the Chamber stands as the voice of business, supports its members’ success and champion’s community prosperity.
About the Chamber
The Salt Lake Chamber is Utah’s largest business association and Utah’s business leader. A statewide chamber of commerce with members in all 29 Utah counties, the Chamber represents 8,000 businesses and approximately 500,000 Utah jobs—nearly half the workforce of our state. With roots that date back to 1887, the Chamber stands as the voice of business, supports its members’ success and champions community prosperity.
About A Giant In Our City
The Salt Lake Chamber Board of Governors established the Giant In Our City award in 1969. The award was created to honor exceptional and distinguished public service and extraordinary professional achievement. It is considered the Chamber’s most prestigious award and is given periodically by the Chamber Board of Governors.
Past Giant In Our City Recipients