The Utah Chamber and the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah announced that the former U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan will keynote the 2027 Utah Economic Outlook & Public Policy Summit, the state’s premier economic forecasting and public policy event attended by policy, business and academic thought leaders from across the state.
Ryan will lead a keynote address titled “Free Enterprise in a Changing America: The Policies That Make Prosperity Possible.” These remarks draw on Ryan’s two decades of policymaking and congressional leadership as he examines the principles and policy choices that sustain a strong free enterprise economy. From taxes, regulation and trade to fiscal responsibility, competitive markets and the proper role of government, Ryan will explore what it takes to preserve the conditions that allow businesses, workers and communities to prosper in a rapidly changing landscape. He will highlight Utah’s model of fiscal discipline, limited government, a business-friendly environment and public-private collaboration, and explore how Utah can preserve these foundations amid shifting political and economic pressures.
“We are honored to welcome Paul Ryan to this year’s summit,” said Derek Miller, president and CEO of the Utah Chamber. “Throughout his career in public service and in the work he leads today, he has focused on key principles for strengthening the economy and expanding opportunity. Those are the same efforts that drive Utah’s employers, and his insights will greatly enrich the important conversations we’re having about the decade ahead.”
Ryan has a long track record of public service, having served as the 54th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and representing the people of Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District for two decades. The youngest speaker in nearly 150 years, he led efforts to reform the nation’s tax code for the first time in a generation, rebuild national defense, expand domestic energy production and advance economic opportunity. As chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Budget Committee, he worked to strengthen the economy, advance free trade and chart a path toward balancing the federal budget, and in 2012, he was selected to serve as Governor Mitt Romney’s vice presidential nominee. Since leaving Congress, Ryan has founded the American Idea Foundation to advance evidence-based policies that expand economic opportunity; today, he teaches as a professor of the practice at the University of Notre Dame and serves as a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. See full bio below.
“A strong free enterprise system doesn’t happen by accident. It depends on getting the policies and incentives right so people can work, invest, innovate and move up the economic ladder,” Ryan said. “Utah has built a strong foundation by embracing fiscal discipline, economic freedom and collaboration between the public and private sectors. I’m looking forward to discussing how Utah can build on that success and how we can preserve the conditions for prosperity in a changing economy.”
The 2027 summit theme is “Utah’s Foundation of Free Enterprise.” Attendees will hear directly from skilled leaders on how a thriving free enterprise economy remains the surest foundation for Utah’s continued prosperity. Remarks will delve into how Utah’s business community is paving the way on workforce, housing, transportation and other priorities critical to defining Utah’s future.
The Utah Chamber and Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute will host the Utah Economic Outlook & Public Policy Summit on January 14, 2027, at The Grand America Hotel. The Summit presents an unrivaled opportunity for attendees to gain insights into the future of Utah’s economy and the business community’s policy priorities for the upcoming legislative session.
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