Ellis Ivory

Ellis R. Ivory is the founder and retired CEO of Ivory Homes, Utah's top homebuilder for 22 consecutive years. Ivory began his real estate business in 1964, after earning a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Utah. In 1967, he formed the Ivory and Boyer Company with Roger Boyer (his Sigma Chi fraternity brother and later brother-in-law). The company developed the community of Bloomington, situated south of St. George.

In the 1970s, Ivory founded Ivory and Company and concentrated primarily on real estate brokerage and home site development. In the 1980s, Ivory and Company became Ivory Homes. In 2000, he sold the business to his son, Clark D. Ivory, and retired in 2001.

Ivory has served as the chairman of the Deseret News Publishing Company Board of Directors, vice chairman for the Newspaper Agency Corporation, chairman of the This Is the Place Foundation and a member of the Hale Centre Theatre National Advisory Board. At the University of Utah, he has served on the Health Sciences Council, the Diabetes Advocacy Board, and the Alumni Association Board of Directors.

He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and, along with his wife, Kathryn, served as mission president in Manchester, England, from 1979 to 1982. They are the parents of seven children.

Ivory has also been active politically, serving as finance manager for Jake Garn’s campaign, and in other capacities. He also ran for Salt Lake County Mayor in 2004.

Ivory was named a Junior Achievement of Utah Laureate in 2006, and on May 21, 2009 he received the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce's "Giant in Our City" award.