Brad Wilson, the former Utah House speaker who now helps lead the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games organizing committee, has been named the 2026 Davis Chamber Legacy Award recipient.

The award is the Davis Chamber of Commerce's highest honor, recognizing leaders whose service has shaped Davis County and the state, the Davis Journal reported Monday, Sept. 14.

Wilson, a Bountiful resident, credited his early Chamber involvement for launching a public career he never planned. He said he would not have become speaker or taken his current Olympic role without being asked to serve the Davis Chamber in the late 2000s.

"Nor would I probably be in the role that I'm in if I hadn't been asked to help serve the Davis Chamber back in the late 2000s," Wilson said.

Wilson built a career in real estate development and home building before becoming chairman of the Chamber board in 2010. Shortly after finishing that term, he received calls urging him to run for the Utah House of Representatives. He had less than 24 hours to decide because it was the last day to file. He consulted his wife, business partner, friends and parents and filed before the deadline.

He won the seat in 2011. By 2019 he was elected speaker, running unopposed for the post all three times.

The job tested him fast. During a special session in mid-April 2020, Wilson was the only lawmaker physically present in the chamber as legislators cut $1 billion from the state budget, with every other member appearing on two large screens via remote connection.

Wilson left the legislature in 2023 to run for Congress. He lost. Within a month or two, he said, he was asked to help with the Olympic and Paralympic Games. He now serves as CEO and vice chair of Utah 2034, the organizing committee for the 2034 Winter Games.

"In hindsight, I actually think I won by losing," Wilson said of the congressional race.

Davis Chamber President and CEO Angie Osguthorpe said Wilson's influence started in Davis County as a business leader and Chamber chairman and expanded to shape the state.

The chamber's annual Business Awards Banquet is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 24, at the Davis Conference Center in Layton. The event runs 6 to 9 p.m. Last year's Legacy Award went to Davis County Commissioner Bob Stevenson.