Sequel - Fall 2007 - (Page 27) news ALUMNI PROFILE: Wolverine is Building Big with his UVSC Education Cleaning parking lots for his father’s asphalt business, Gary Maxwell ’97 knew what he wanted to do from the time he was a kid: work in construction. While some may wonder at the appeal of long hours, hot days and manual labor, what was appealing to young Maxwell was the sense of accomplishment that came from seeing the results of a hard day’s work. “I had a lot of freedom,” he said, “but knew I had to perform.” With those principles in mind, Maxwell started the regional real estate finance and development firm Silver Peak Capital and enlisted a partner. And though his work has expanded both in size and scope since his days paving parking lots, he continues today to enjoy the autonomy, expectation and sense of responsibility that result in a feeling of satisfaction that comes with seeing a project through to completion – even if it means getting his hands a little dirty. At Silver Peak Capital, Maxwell and affiliates have managed development projects throughout the state. His work can be seen in many Utah communities including American Fork, Cedar City, Eden, Heber City, Herriman, Park City, Pleasant Grove, Provo, Salt Lake City, Springville and St. George. Not only has he established a prosperous career, but he attributes his success to his UVSC training. “I started at BYU on scholarship,” Maxwell said. “But after returning from a two-year mission [for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints], a friend suggested I transfer to UVSC.” Maxwell’s goals were specific: he knew he wanted to earn a degree and gain experience to help him start a small business, and for him, UVSC was the perfect fit. “I enrolled in a couple of classes and loved it. I knew this is where I would find the type of education and training I was looking for,” he said. For Maxwell, the most appealing aspect of his experience was the method of engaging students in classroom instruction. “Each instructor was very open to classroom discussion – a dynamic I really admire about UVSC.” Maxwell says he benefited greatly from part-time (or adjunct) faculty – those who had realworld experience to bring to the classroom. “Research is one thing, but I went to UVSC to gain practical knowledge about starting a company and managing my own small business,” he said. “The part-time teachers would say, ‘Okay, this is what the book says, and it’s right, but in the real world, you can also expect this.’” “I loved UVSC – I can’t imagine why anyone would choose not to go there.” Equipped with the knowledge and experience he gained from his instructors and a UVSC degree, Maxwell entered the workforce ready to succeed. And without question, one could easily say Maxwell may well have found the perfect formula for success. “There’s no question that you must have excitement and enthusiasm to be a successful entrepreneur or a small-business owner,” he said. “For me, success comes down to focusing on a goal, then utilizing my education, training and personal philosophies to do the things that will only move me closer to that goal.” The results of his approach to business speak for themselves. “When you reach your goal of completing a $40 million project, you can say to yourself, ‘Wow!’ And you feel again that very sense of accomplishment that motivates you to be in this career.” Today, when Maxwell is not busy working, he enjoys spending time with his wife of 10 years and their four children. He supports his two daughters who study art and music, while his sons involve dad as a coach for their soccer and baseball teams. utah valley state college alumni magazine FA L L 2 0 0 7 27 PHOTO BY MATT CHAMBERS
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.