No. 5 — Larry Miller

Larry Miller — owner of the Utah Jazz, Jordan Commons, 38 car dealerships and dozens of loud T-shirts — says he doesn't understand why people would consider him a powerful person.

A dealmaker — yes — Miller can understand that. But a powerful person?

Miller, 57, is listed in a Deseret News study as in the top 10 of influential Utahns. The 30 people the Deseret News surveyed on insider-powerful people also listed Miller as one of the leading dealmakers in the state.

Miller said some of his high-profile deals in the community — buying half of the Jazz to keep the NBA team in Utah, then buying all of it; the Delta Center; Franklin-Covey Field; and Jordan Commons — have led some people to look at him as a successful, can-do person.

And perhaps that's why he's considered an influential person.

"In the last 15 years, many of the things I've done, by their nature, have been very high profile," Miller said.

And while that's brought opportunities, it's come with problems, as well.

For example, a month ago it so happened that he had to tell three friends all on the same day that he couldn't help them out in trying to save their businesses.

"It was one of the toughest days I've had for a while. Because three people, I love them, all have struggling businesses. And they are very different businesses than I'm in. It didn't fit. That was a hard day for me. But there is another side of it — a lot of good ideas come to you" because you're seen as a leading businessman in town willing to take on tough projects.

"But there just isn't time" to do all he'd like," Miller said. "I guess the time resource and the energy resource are the two tough ones."

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