Cox Automotive presented its annual Barbara Cox Woman of the Year Award to Gail Miller, owner and chairman of Larry H. Miller Group of Companies.
This honor is awarded to women who demonstrate business leadership and community advocacy, as well as a commitment to advancing the automotive industry. The award was presented by Cox Automotive President Sandy Schwartz during the Northwood University Dealer Education Award annual breakfast on Jan. 26 at NADA 2019. The award is named after the late Barbara Cox, a Cox Automotive owner and the mother of chairman Jim Kennedy.
“Gail exemplifies this award by sharing many of the qualities and values that we admire in Mrs. Cox,” said Schwartz. “In addition to growing from one Toyota dealership to more than 60 dealerships today, Gail is a renaissance woman with her business influence spanning multiple industries including professional sports. I am honored to present this award to Gail in recognition of not only her business acumen but also her strong support of charitable giving and community service.”
Gail Miller and her late husband, Larry, started their business with a single Toyota dealership in 1979. The Larry H. Miller Group of Companies has grown to include more than 60 car dealerships throughout the West, the Utah Jazz, the Salt Lake City Stars, the Salt Lake Bees, theatre complexes, and a variety of other automotive, financial and real estate companies. Today, the privately owned Larry H. Miller Group of Companies employs more than 10,000 people.
The Millers created a strong legacy of giving back to the communities in which they do business. Miller presides over the Larry H. Miller Education Foundation and the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation, which support a wide range of charitable, educational and humanitarian causes.
Miller gives freely of her time and is actively involved in many business, civic and educational activities. She serves on the National Advisory Council at the University of Utah and the President’s Leadership Council at Brigham Young University. Miller also serves as the chair of Intermountain Healthcare’s Board of Trustees, on the Shelter the Homeless Board, and the Zions Bank Advisory Board.
Miller has been recognized with honors including Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Utah and Salt Lake Community College, an honorary Doctor of Humanities from Weber State University, and the Salt Lake Chamber’s highest award “A Giant in Our City.” She is also the recipient of the internationally recognized ATHENA Award.
In addition to presenting the award to Miller, Cox Automotive presented a $10,000 Barbara Cox scholarship to Katelyn Demarse, a Northwood University junior studying Automotive Retail Management. Demarse has participated in Northwood University’s International Auto Show for three consecutive years, serving as both captain and co-captain, her most recent team winning the Best European Display Award.
Demarse is a Dean’s List student, a member of the national Honors Society and has been invited to participate in the National Society of Leadership and Success. As the first member of her family to enter the automotive industry, Demarse aspires to become a general manager of a dealership one day and is also exploring opportunities on the corporate side of the industry.
For more information on the Barbara Cox Woman of the Year Award, visit https://www.coxautoinc.com/barbara-cox-woman-year-award/
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