Thousands of volunteers roll up their sleeves for Larry H. Miller Week of Service
by Debbie Worthen ksl · KSL.comKEY TAKEAWAYS
- Hundreds of volunteers from the Larry H. Miller Company cleaned the Jordan River on Tuesday.
- Grandson Bryce Miller said tradition traces back to his grandfather, whose legacy of community involvement still guides the company's culture.
- The single day of service has evolved into a weeklong effort across multiple states.
SALT LAKE CITY — Hundreds of volunteers from the Larry H. Miller Company worked in and along the Jordan River in the Power District Tuesday morning.
Paddles in hand and trash bags at the ready, what began years ago as a single day of service has grown into a full week of hands‑on projects across multiple states — and today, the focus was the stretch of river just west of downtown Salt Lake City.
Canoes scraped the pavement as teams launched into the water.
"All right, there we go," one volunteer said as a full canoe slid back onto shore.
Once on the river, it didn't take long to see why they were there.
"There was certainly no shortage of trash," said Eric Stonehill, participating in the week of service for the first time. "This is the farthest thing from a clean river."
For many, the project was a chance to work side‑by‑side with colleagues they rarely see outside the office.
Ann Marie Gunther, the company's director of corporate events, said that's part of what makes the week special.
"You've got your intern picking up trash next to the CEO," she said. "There's no titles in service. That's one thing about this week that is so meaningful."
Gunther estimated about 100 people joined the Jordan River cleanup alone.
Among them was Bryce Miller, CEO of TaylorMed and a third‑generation member of the Miller family.
"This is the second year running we've pulled a shopping cart out of the river," he said with a laugh — though the problem, he noted, is no joke.
Bryce said the tradition traces back to his grandfather, the late Larry H. Miller, whose legacy of community involvement still guides the company's culture.
"It started as a day of service, generally trying to fall on Larry's birthday," he said. "It's evolved into a week because we've got so many employees across so many states."
Volunteers said the work is about more than trash bags and canoes — it's about connection, stewardship and carrying forward a philosophy Larry Miller repeated often.
"Go about doing good until there's too much good in the world," Gunther recalled.
On that spring morning, that motto echoed across the riverbanks as volunteers hauled debris, sorted recyclables and pushed off for another pass down the waterway.
"Let's hit it again," one team member called out as they paddled away.
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OutdoorsEnvironmentUpliftingSalt Lake CountyUtah
Debbie Worthen