CEO OF THE YEAR.

• Author: Malan, Mekenna
• Position: AWARDS

Each year, we celebrate Utah's most accomplished professionals--the CEOs who have led their organizations with strength, courage, and endurance and have made it their mission to change the way we do business in Utah.

ROY BANKS CEO | WEAVE in /IN/ROYBANKS/

What challenges have you overcome to get here today?

While I'm a bit reluctant to share this knowing its potential for controversy, I know it's important and will help others. I have had to overcome racism, discrimination, and the inequitable treatment by those that judged me as being inferior, incapable, or unqualified simply because of how I looked. While everyone's journey and challenges are different, my challenges represent hundreds of years of ongoing racial injustice and discriminatory practices that have denied individuals, and even the world, of the contributions and impact of diverse people everywhere. Thankfully, I have had a wonderful association with people who believed in me and saw what I often did not see in myself.

JOSH BAXTER CEO | NETDOCUMENTS in /IN/JOSHBAXTER/

What does success look like to you?

My dad recently asked me this question while we sat on his back patio overlooking a giant hayfleld and the Pahvant mountains. My initial response to him was, "This feels a lot like success to me.'1 More seriously, success is a constant desire for growth and progress toward your own potential. Having a willingness to try new things, fail, and grow from them is a big part of our progress. I really believe that when we find comfort in our own skin to pursue our goals, benchmark against personal bests, and push for the next level personally, we find success in ways most of us never imagined.

DOUG DEFRIES PRESIDENT & CEO | BANK OF UTAH in /IN/DOUG-DEFRIES

If you weren't a CEO, what would you do?

I'd drive a big truck and deliver needed supplies to others. On the farm at an early age, I got to drive one of our two-ton sugar beet trucks to the sugar beet dump. It was fairly close to our farm, so It wasn't a long drive, but I loved the feeling of satisfaction by successfully delivering the load and contributing to success for the family.

MILES HANSEN PRESIDENT & CEO | WORLD TRADE CENTER UTAH In /IN/HANSENMILES

What is your go-to business strategy? Why?

See the vision--the highest impact, long-term outcome of the business, determine the mission that is necessary to achieve that vision, and organize teams around specific goals, activities, and metrics that work synergistically and align everyone with the mission and vision. Surround yourself with people smarter and more talented than yourself. Get to work with grit, good humor, and humility, and then enjoy the adventurous path to fulfilling the mission and achieving the vision.

BEN HODSON CO-FOUNDER & CEO | JOBNIMBUS In /IN/BENLANEHODSON/

What does success look like to you?

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