Gardner to leave Boyer Co.

After more than 30 years, Kem Gardner will leave The Boyer Co., a Salt Lake-based commercial development firm founded by Roger Boyer in 1973.

Gardner is expected to leave the privately held company in September, handing control of the company to the Boyer family.

The Gardner/Boyer partnership is responsible for more than 120 projects over the past three decades. About half of those have been completed in the past 10 to 12 years as the state has experienced accelerated growth.

"We were trying to look at the future of the company, and it became apparent to both of them that the company ought to be owned by one family going forward," said Steve Ostler, president and chief executive officer of The Boyer Co. "It could be difficult to have second generations from two families trying to run a company."

The Boyer Co. is probably best known for its development of The Gateway shopping center in downtown Salt Lake City, one of its most expensive and largest projects. The company also developed the One Utah Center office tower and Business Depot Ogden, a 1,118-acre military installation transformed into a master-planned business park.

"When they started the company they envisioned it as being a fairly small partnership, boutique real estate company," Ostler said. "I think 10 or 15 years ago that perspective kind of changed when we saw we had opportunities throughout the Intermountain West and the ability to do more projects and bigger projects."

While the emphasis of the company has centered on office buildings, shopping centers and industrial buildings, the company is probably one of the state's largest single-family lot developers. A number of The Boyer Co's. developments can be found outside of the Wasatch Front in as many as 30 other states.

Gardner, who holds a law degree from the University of Utah, has largely been the public face of the company.

"They've both been very actively involved in the community," Ostler said, "but I think a lot of times people think of Kem being more actively involved. Roger has liked to structure deals and do the finances of the company."

Gardner will continue to co-own properties developed with Boyer and keep an office with the company.

"It's been one of the great partnerships in Salt Lake for a number of years," Ostler said. "I still consider them to be partners, because they are going to own all of these assets together. They're neighbors. They're great friends, and all of that will continue."

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E-mail: danderton@desnews.com