Long-time Utah state Sen. Wayne Harper was inducted into the ChamberWest Hall of Fame during its annual awards gala Aug. 27. The event at the Viridian Event Center in West Jordan served as celebration of the chamber's 65th anniversary.
Harper was saluted for his many years of service in the Legislature, first in the House of Representatives for 16 years before his election as a state senator in 2012. He currently represents Senate District 16 that includes West Jordan and Taylorsville, and is also president pro tempore in the Utah Senate. He is the 10th inductee into the Hall of Fame since its inception in 2017.
State Sen. Luz Escamilla was honored as Legislator of the Year. She has served in the Senate since 2008 and is minority leader. She represents Senate District 10 that includes West Valley City and Magna.
The chamber also presented a number of awards. Business of the Year went to Granger Medical Center. The Small Business of Year award was presented to Good Day Catering of West Jordan. Embassy Suites West Valley was named the Best Place to Work. The Volunteer of the Year award was given to Stephen Smith, associate vice president of regional project area development at the Utah Inland Port Authority.
Former KUTV meteorologist Sterling Poulson served as the event's master of ceremonies, with music provided by ensemble Sapphire After Dark and vocalist B Murphy.
The organization was founded in 1961 as the Granger-Hunter Chamber of Commerce. It was created to serve the agricultural and rapidly growing suburban communities west of the Jordan River. As unincorporated county areas transformed into formalized municipalities, the chamber expanded its geographic scope. It was eventually renamed the West Valley-Taylorsville-Kearns Chamber of Commerce to mirror regional growth. It changed its name to ChamberWest in 2001. Today it represents over 5,000 businesses in West Valley City, West Jordan, Taylorsville, Kearns and Magna.
