Timing matters. And now is the time for deliberate, specific leadership in the Utah Valley business community.

Over the past several years, community members have done extensive work to understand the growth trajectory of Utah Valley. We have looked at key areas that will impact growth, such as transportation, affordable housing or workforce development.

The Utah Valley business community cannot just be a stakeholder in managing this growth. In partnership with civic leaders, we must lead to ensure a prosperous and healthy community for years to come.

What happens when growth is not purposefully managed? We can look to examples of urban sprawl on both the East and West coasts. This sprawl occurs when business and civic leadership only focus on what is happening today, not what is to come.

As a result, quality of life deteriorates. Transportation bottlenecks. Regional and national businesses start looking for new communities to put down roots.

Utah Valley’s current business boom has benefited from uncontrolled, mismanaged urban sprawl in other communities. Let’s not make the same mistakes. This is why timing matters and critical work today will lead to a prosperous tomorrow.

The time is also right for the next strategic leader to take the Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce’s helm as President/CEO to help fuel and manage our valley’s future economic prosperity. The Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce is now accepting nominations and applications to find this next leader — someone who can successfully bring together business, government, educational and community leaders to lock arms and shape our future. We need this leadership to ensure our quality of life and economic prosperity now and over the next 30 years.

The Utah Valley Chamber Board of Directors calls on business and civic leaders to nominate candidates for this critical position. We also call on interested candidates to self-nominate. These nominations can be submitted to info@thechamber.org.

The position posting can be found HERE.

Chris Yadon is chairman of the board for Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce, and executive director of The Younique Foundation in Lehi.