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SALT LAKE CITY — Ivory Homes CEO Clark Ivory on Thursday night was honored with the 45th annual Giant in our City award.
The Salt Lake Chamber's annual award — given to a person who showcases exceptional and distinguished service and who has reached extraordinary professional achievement — is widely regarded as the most prestigious business award given in the Beehive State.
"As a business leader and philanthropist, Clark Ivory has made a lasting mark on our community. From excellence in homebuilding, 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," Derek Miller, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber, said in a statement.
A Utah native who grew up in Millcreek, Ivory runs point for Ivory Homes — the Beehive State's top homebuilder since 1998. The latest award joins a long list of accolades for Ivory, including being named ProBuilder's National Home Builder of the Year in 2021.
Before purchasing Ivory Homes from his father in 2000, Ivory graduated from the University of Utah in 1988 and received an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1992.
To date, Ivory Homes has built over 25,000 single-family homes and 3,000 apartment homes for customers throughout Utah.
Cognizant of Utah's changing rental and homeownership landscape, the company has shifted its focus to building houses at varying price points. As of Jan. 1, 2024, Ivory had 1,917 homes under construction — 667 traditional Ivory homes and 1,250 apartment homes, student housing or affordable town houses for its nonprofit arm, Ivory Innovations.
Ivory and his wife, Christine Ivory, have also shown their philanthropic spirit by gifting over 4,100 scholarships to students at Utah's various higher education institutions.
But Ivory's fingerprints on Utah's higher education landscape doesn't stop there. Opened in October 2023, the Ivory University House at the University of Utah is a student housing project with a twist.
Not only does it provide 624 students with a place to live, the project is unique from other university housing projects in that all rent paid to Ivory University House will be reinvested in the form of student scholarships, internships and housing stipends, to the tune of nearly $1 billion over 99 years.
"I think this is the eighth best day of my life," Ivory said upon receiving the reward. "The only reason I say eighth is because the first was when I married this amazing Christine and then each of our five kids and then, of course, when the Utes beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl."
During the ceremony, Ivory — who has a deep appreciation for the country of Italy and its culture — was serenaded by a rousing opera performance from singer Ben Gully and was gifted a painted portrait of himself, his father Ellis Ivory and his son, Ellis Ivory.
Ivory receiving the award was also unique in the sense that his father won the award back in 2009 — the first time a father and son have been recognized in the history of the Giant in our City award.
"This is an amazing community because so many of you serve in such remarkable ways. Together, we have a giant impact, and I think that's what tonight is all about. We, together, have a giant impact," Ivory said.
