The Salt Lake Chamber named Merit Medical founder Fred Lampropoulos the city’s 40th Giant in our City, it announced Friday in a news release.
The award recognizes his contributions to the local business community and the state, the chamber said in the release. The Giant in our City award, established in 1969, honors one’s public service and professional achievement. Longtime Utah Sen. Orrin G. Hatch won the award in 2018.
Lampropoulos founded Merit Medical, a health care company that manufactures disposable medical devices, in 1987. It now operates manufacturing facilities in the U.S., the Netherlands, France, Ireland, Mexico, Brazil, Singapore and Australia, and generates nearly $1 billion in global revenues, the release states.
“When you consider that Utah’s life sciences sector accounts for almost 8% of the state’s GDP, about $13 billion annually, you see just how big of an impact Fred Lampropoulos and Merit Medical have on Utah’s economy,” said chamber president and CEO Derek Miller. “It’s not just Fred’s business acumen that has earned him his success, but also his leadership style, his drive and determination, which he credits to his time as a Special Forces Officer in the U.S. Army, that have helped make Merit Medical what it is today.
“This is a man who has not only built a billion-dollar company with the goal of saving people’s lives, but a leader who has also made it his mission to build people up.”
Before he started Merit Medical, Lampropoulos was the chairman and CEO of Utah Medical, another medical device manufacturer.
In the release, Lampropoulos said he was humbled and honored to receive the Giant in our City award, and that he was grateful to his business partners and board members who helped he and his company grow.
“I feel fortunate to have been able to improve people’s lives with medical products and to help provide jobs for many of our citizens. I look forward to continuing my work in this great community that has been so good to me,” he said in the release.
The chamber also recognized Pamela Atkinson on Friday, giving her the new Lane Beattie Utah Community Builder Award for her advocacy working with refugees and people experiencing homelessness. The award honors exceptional community leaders, according to the release.