Pillar of the Valley

LaVell and Patti Edwards and
 Stephen R. Covey

Honored by Chamber with Pillar of the Valley Awards

For more information, contact: Val Hale, 801-372-0977

For tickets click here!

Provo, UT--The Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce has selected LaVell and Patti Edwards and Stephen R. Covey as its Pillar of the Valley Award recipients for 2013.  They will be honored March 29 at a gala to be held at the new Utah Valley Convention Center.

            “There are no bigger names in Utah Valley than LaVell and Patti Edwards and Stephen R. Covey,” said Val Hale, President of the Utah Valley Chamber.  “They have been pillars in our community for many, many years.  The Chamber is pleased and excited to honor them at our showcase event.”

            The Edwardses and Covey will join Blake Roney (2011) and Alan and Karen Ashton (2012) as recipients of the prestigious Pillar of the Valley Award.  A permanent recognition wall featuring each of the recipients will be unveiled in the new Convention Center the night of the gala.

            Edwards was head football coach at Brigham Young University from 1972-2000.  During that time, he won 257 games, sixth-best all-time among NCAA coaches at the time of his retirement.  He led his teams to numerous conference championships and the National Championship in 1984.  USA Today once called Edwards a “national treasure.”

            Players he coached won a Heisman Trophy, a Maxwell Award, two Outland Trophies, the Doak Walker Award, four Davie O’Brien Awards, seven Sammy Baugh awards and 31 first team All-America citations.  Eleven of Edwards’ players received consensus All-American recognition.

            Patti Edwards was LaVell’s wingman throughout his career.  She has been active in the community and even wrote a sports column for the local newspaper.  Together, LaVell and Patti have helped raise millions of dollars for charitable causes throughout the country.

            Stephen R. Covey passed away last July.  He is the first person to receive the Pillar of the Valley Award posthumously.  He was a world-famous educator, author, businessman and speaker.  He is perhaps best known as the author of the mega-best-selling book “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.”  He also founded Stephen R. Covey Associates, which later merged with Franklin Quest to form FranklinCovey.  He and his wife, Sandra, were the primary benefactors to the Covey Center for the Arts in downtown Provo.

            This will be the third annual Pillar of the Valley Gala.  The award was created in 2011 to honor an individual or individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the business, civic, social, educational, and cultural climate of Utah Valley.  The gala is one of the premier social events in Utah Valley, attracting many key Utah business, civic and church leaders.  Attendance at the event has grown significantly in each of its first two years.  The gala will make its debut in the new Utah Valley Convention Center this year.

            Tickets for the gala may be purchased at the Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce office by calling 801-851-2558 or by clicking here.