The Salt Lake Chamber honored Clark D. Ivory, CEO of Ivory Homes, as the 45th Giant in our City on April 25, 2024. This award, widely recognized as the most prestigious business award in Utah, honors those with exceptional and distinguished service, as well as extraordinary professional achievement.
In partnership with the Utah Community Builders, the Salt Lake Chamber also recognized Carol Hollowell, executive director of Switchpoint, with the 6th annual Lane Beattie Utah Community Builder Award. This award recognizes an inspirational individual who has gone above and beyond the call of duty to address critical community needs.
“Clark Ivory and Carol Hollowell are both remarkable examples of dedication and commitment,” said Derek Miller, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber. “Clark’s impressive work in the housing industry, as well as his other philanthropic endeavors, has led to lasting economic growth for Utah. Carol’s incredible commitment to addressing the needs of community members experiencing homelessness is a noteworthy testament to the impact people can make.”
Below are just some of Clark Ivory’s monumental accomplishments:
- Ivory Homes has led the Utah housing market since 1988, and under Clark’s leadership, diversified the company’s product offering, completing more than 25,000 single-family homes, townhomes and apartments.
- Clark created the Ivory Institute in 1996, for valued trade partners, employees and team members to gather and share goals and insights.
- Clark’s leadership helped develop the Ivory University House, a residential community for students at the University of Utah to have a substance-free, safety-oriented amenity-packed living situation.
- Clark is involved in several nonprofit organizations, one being Ivory Innovations, whose mission is to catalyze innovation in housing affordability.
- As the Executive Sponsor of the Utah Housing Preservation Fund, he has helped preserve thousands of safe and affordable rental units and increase health outcomes for low- and moderate-income Utahns.
- Clark is Chair of the Utah Impact Partnership, which strives to improve decision-making to solutions for homelessness and housing instability, social mobility, civil discourse, economic prosperity, community development and preparing for growth in Utah.
- Clark and his wife, Christine, provide support to individuals through the Clark and Christine Ivory Foundation, which improves access to education, creates affordable housing and builds sustainable communities.
Presenting sponsors of the Giant in the City event included: Clyde Companies, Deseret Management Corporation, Gardner Group, George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, Hadco Construction, Ivory Homes, Kilgore Companies, Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation, Merit Medical Systems, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Foundation, WCF Insurance and Zions Bank. The Buckner Company, Dominion Energy, FOCUS Engineering & Surveying, Intermountain Health, Ivory Commercial, O.C. Tanner and Woodbury Corporation were event sponsors. Executive Sponsors were ABC Supply Co., Beesley Family Foundation, Big-D Construction, Boyer Company, Builders FirstSource, Cottonwood Title, Gold Stream Retirement Communities, Ivory Innovations, LKL Associates, Momentum Loans, Oakland Construction, Perry Homes, Plumb Holdings, RC Willey, SME Industries, The University of Utah and Utah Design Center.
For more information and a full list of sponsors, click here.
Giant in our City Honoree Bio:
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.
Utah Community Builder Award Honoree Bio:
Carol Hollowell was inspired to embark on a career dedicated to serving those experiencing homelessness after encountering Ray, a wheelchair-bound individual, on the streets in 2013. Ray had been homeless for five years simply due to a lost wallet. After helping him obtain an ID and secure stable housing, Hollowell knew she found her purpose. Thus, Switchpoint was born.
Switchpoint’s model combines Carol’s years of business experience with her innovative problem-solving skills. As a serial entrepreneur, Carol developed Switchpoint to lift and empower individuals in their resolve to become self-sufficient.
In 2020, Carol received the Ernst Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Social Impact for creating a new standard and best practices in homeless services. In 2023, Carol received the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute Informed Decision Maker of the Year Award. Knowing that temporary shelters were not enough, she continued to adapt in order to meet the ever-changing needs of Utah’s most vulnerable. Switchpoint addresses the layers that keep people stuck, offering a wide array of services to set them on a new path.
Carol also understood that homelessness can’t be solved without a place to relocate, and so she began tackling the extreme lack of affordable housing. In 2020, Switchpoint opened Riverwalk Apartments which became home to 172 residents. In addition, Switchpoint purchased 3 hotels and converted them to studio apartments to house vulnerable seniors, veterans, and those with disabilities housing over 400 individuals.
Carol’s vision is to create 1,000 units of deeply affordable housing in Utah this year!
