ARENA RISEN: UTAH JAZZ AND OWNERSHIP UNVEIL NEW J-NOTE STATUE, OPEN ARENA DOORS.

• Author: Biton, Adva
• Position: Around Utah

Salt Lake City -- Twenty-six years ago, Larry and Gail Miller waited anxiously to open the doors of what was then the new Delta Center to the Utah community.

"Larry and I kind of held our breath thinking: What will they think? Will they like it? Will they approve? Will they support us?" reminisced Gail Miller, chairwoman of the LARRY H. MILLER GROUP OF COMPANIES. She detailed the relief she and Larry felt as the community fully embraced the arena and the UTAH JAZZ, and the sense of responsibility she has carried from that moment forward.

"We, as a family, are stewards of this important community resource We knew then that we would need to ensure that the arena would continually exceed the expectations and serve the purpose of enriching our community," she said.

It was that sense of responsibility that saw Miller and her family filled again with that same sort of anxiety 26 years later, as they welcomed the Utah community into the newly renovated VIVINT SMARTHOME ARENA once more.

The home of the Utah Jazz underwent a $125 million renovation this past summer that includes a new 12,000-square-foot atrium, a new team store, redesigned upper and lower concourses, new local dining options, a refurbished locker room and expanded social gathering spaces. The well-known bright green plastic chairs are now a thing of the past, as new "Jazz-blue" cushioned seats line the arena instead. All six of the floors, from the event floor to the nosebleeds, have felt the renovation love.

A different local restaurant anchors each of the four corners of the lower bowl concourse: Maxwell's East Coast Eatery, El Chubasco, Cubby's and R&R Barbecue, Other local favorites, like CupBop and J. Dawgs, have fronts along the lower bowl as well, alongside mainstays like Farr's Ice Cream and Iceberg Drive Inn.

The premium seats and club options have also been shored up, with a brand-new Toyota Club area that will encompass the former Jazz premium clubs, including the former VIP Club and the Champions Club. The new area--which Toyota Club members will be able to access via seat-level entrances slotted neatly into the lower bowl--has the feeling of a comfortable lounge with a see-through fireplace, expanded seating, a carving station and live cooking stations. The Utah...