MWCN names Layton Construction leader 2024 Entrepreneur of the Year

Salt Lake City-based business networking organization MountainWest Capital Network (MWCN) has announced it has selected David S. Layton, president and CEO of Layton Construction, as its 2024 Entrepreneur of the Year.

“Each year, MWCN recognizes entrepreneurs who create industry-shaping businesses in Utah, inspire others with their entrepreneurial vision and give back to the community,” MWCN said in describing the award.

Since taking the helm of the family’s construction business in 2004, Layton has transformed the firm his father founded 70 years ago into a nationally recognized construction leader. With 1,300 employees in 12 offices throughout the United States, Layton Construction has built some of the most prominent spaces in Utah, including Rice-Eccles Stadium, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Eccles Theater, Tuacahn Center for the Arts and numerous projects for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Under Layton’s leadership, the company has grown beyond the Intermountain Region and diversified into virtually every sector of commercial construction. It has completed projects in 42 states and perennially ranks among the nation’s top five healthcare builders. Since 2004, its annual revenue has increased 10-fold to more than $3.5 billion in 2022, earning the No. 1 ranking on MWCN’s list of top revenue growth companies for the past four years in a row.

“I am grateful to MountainWest Capital Network for this recognition,” Layton said. “This award is about the legacy of my father and brother that went before me as well as many long-time employees. The same core values of honesty, safety, quality and unity my father instilled in the company in the early years continue to guide us today. As a result, we’ve expanded our business to become one of the largest builders in the nation. And wherever we go, we remember our roots and strive to make Utah proud of Layton Construction.”

Layton has also led philanthropic efforts in numerous communities, including support for cancer research and promoting higher education institutions and their athletic programs. As an early partner of “5 for the Fight,” the Julie M. and David S. Layton Foundation combined with hundreds of Layton Construction employees to contribute nearly $1 million since 2018 to fund cancer research.

Layton has served on several community boards, including the Huntsman Cancer Foundation, the University Healthcare Foundation and the University Healthcare Board of Trustees. An avid sports fan, Layton is also a member of the Salt Lake City Committee for the Olympic Games, as well as the Utah Sports Commission board of trustees, where he helps lead the efforts to attract a broad range of sporting events to the state.

“Under David S. Layton’s leadership, Layton Construction has grown to become a vital, wide-reaching business that represents the best of Utah industry,” said Steve Wilson, chair of the Entrepreneur of the Year event for MWCN. “Layton’s extraordinary business acumen, philanthropic spirit and passion for Utah and its communities make him the perfect choice to be our 2024 Entrepreneur of the Year.”

The MWCN Entrepreneur of the Year event honoring Layton will be held on Jan. 31 at the Little America Hotel.