Early Life
Karen Gail Miller, born on October 14, 1943, in Salt Lake City, Utah, experienced financial hardships during her childhood. Her father was a shoemaker, and her mother a homemaker. Despite these challenges, she developed a strong work ethic and community responsibility. Miller dropped out of the University of Utah to care for her family.
Rise to Success
In 1979, Gail and her husband, Larry H. Miller, purchased their first Toyota dealership in Murray, Utah. Through strategic business practices, they expanded their enterprise into the eighth-largest auto dealer group in America. In 1986, they acquired the Utah Jazz NBA team.
Key Business Strategies
After her husband's death in 2009, Miller assumed control of the Larry H. Miller Company, steering it through growth and diversification. Key decisions included selling the auto dealership group to Asbury Automotive in 2021 for $3.2 billion and selling a majority stake in the Utah Jazz in 2020 for $1.66 billion while retaining a minority stake. She currently focuses on the company's culture, growth, and diversification of its operations.
Philanthropy
Gail Miller is actively involved in philanthropy through the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation. The foundation supports health and medicine, shelter and food security, education and skill development, jobs and economic self-reliance, and cultural and spiritual enrichment. Donations include $3.5 million to the Huntsman Mental Health Foundation (2023), $1 million to the Museum of Utah (2025), and a $22 million donation to Salt Lake City's Ballpark NEXT fund (2024).
