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SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Lane Beattie has been named to the board of directors of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Beattie is one of 13 new members elected to the 129-member board, which consists of the top executives from some of the country’s most successful companies.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations.
“I look forward to serving with Lane,” said John Ruan III, chairman of the U.S. Chamber’s board of directors. “He possesses strong business acumen along with state government experience and a local chamber track record of success. Lane is a pragmatic leader and emphatically supports pro-business policies.”
Beattie has been elected to a two-year term. Board members may serve up to three such terms, unless they are also elected to a leadership position, which could extend the length of service.
"This is an honor for me, and it is a great opportunity for the Utah business community to influence national economic policy,” Beattie said. “Like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Salt Lake Chamber understands the relationship between good policy and a strong economy. … Now Utah’s business leader has an even larger megaphone for issues that impact our state and the entire nation.”
Beattie, a real estate broker and developer, has served as president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber since 2003. Previously, he served in the state Legislature as senate president and was the chief state Olympic officer for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.
This is an honor for me, and it is a great opportunity for the Utah business community to influence national economic policy.
–- Lane Beattie
During his tenure with the Salt Lake Chamber, membership has grown to 7,700 businesses. The chamber is Utah’s largest business association with members in all 29 counties.
Beattie said he hopes to work on various issues during his tenure on the U.S. Chamber board, including immigration reform and government debt management.
"Number one is the national budget," he said. "We have got to get control of spending … and quit having these absolutely untenable deficits (or) we will never dig ourselves out," he said.
He also said he wanted to add as much "reasonableness" as he could to the nation's immigration debate.
"This is an issue (the federal government) has to address," Beattie said. "As much as we try to do it on a local basis, we have major limits. It can only be done on a federal basis."
Over the years, Beattie has gained a reputation as a leader and strong advocate for the state in its efforts to bolster its economic and business base. He said he looked forward to showing his national colleagues the strong work ethic and creative ideas that the Beehive State has to offer.
"This is a wonderful opportunity … I'm so proud to be from Utah," he said.
Email:jlee@ksl.com
