Shown L-R are: Vest Pocket Vice President Rebecca Yates, Richard M. Wirick Lifetime Achievement Award honoree Babs De Lay, Independent Business Advocate Award honoree Derek Kitchen, and Vest Pocket President Doug Burton.

Each year, Vest Pocket Business Coalition honors two people in our community who have been exemplary advocates for local, independent business. This year’s honorees are Babs De Lay for the Richard M. Wirick Lifetime Achievement Award and Derek Kitchen for the Independent Business Advocate Award.  Babs is owner of Urban Utah Homes & Estates and also serves as a member of the UTA Board of Trustees.  Derek is co-owner of Laziz Foods and is Council Member of Salt Lake City District Four.

Local business leaders gathered at Pierpont Place in downtown Salt Lake on May 11th to honor Kitchen and De Lay.

ABOUT THE AWARDS

The Independent Business Advocate Award honors a community or educational leader who has worked diligently to promote and strengthen the position of local, independent business in Utah. Previous award recipients include Kim Angeli, former director of the Downtown Farmers’ Market (2016) and Jessica Thesing, Salt Lake City (2015).

The Richard M. Wirick Lifetime Achievement Award honors a local entrepreneur or business leader who has contributed to our economy and our community through their efforts of focusing on local independent business issues and supporting the vitality of the local business community. Previous recipients include Scott Anderson, President and CEO of Zions Bank Corporation (2016) and Lucy Cardenas and the Cardenas family, Red Iguana (2015).