Jeff Burningham, Candidate for Governor of Utah 2020

It’s a good bet if Jeff Burningham, a Republican declared 2020 candidate for Utah’s governor, is elected there aren’t going to be any sweet pickles served at his inauguration if hamburgers are part of the fare. Although, dill pickles will be welcome along with cheese to quickly transformer anyone’s burger into cheeseburger in a flash.

Yes, these are a couple of the life and world changing things I was able to discuss with candidate Burningham in his office on Thursday, December 5, 2019 at Peak Capital Partners in Provo, Utah the company he founded, is CEO and has a record of being Utah County’s first institutional venture fund that with $40 million invested in startup companies created 4,000 jobs in the state’s Silicon Slopes.

(Should be noted Peak is also a $2 Billion firm that owns thousands of apartments nationwide.)

On being shown into Burningham’s post-modern, retro, floor to ceiling wood and floor to ceiling wall of windows facing east and almost giving the impression the snow covered mountains of the Wasatch Range are a mural in the office is the almost fly-away wooden desk he is standing at working with his computers… yes, standing.

In all of my interviews and meetings of a career that has taken me from metal desks and spin around chairs; a period of pressed wooden made to look like the tree of your choice; and now post-modern of any material you chose so long as it doesn’t harm the nearest crustacean… I have never had opportunity to see the stand-up, sit-down, fight-fight-fight (excuse the late afternoon levity), type of desk a new generation of executives swear by.

Clark H. Caras, Candidates.vote – So you stand at your desk while you do your work… I’ve heard about it but never seen it done anywhere before. Obviously, it works for you.

Candidate Burningham – Yes, I do stand (he says as he literally with the ease of a magician fold the desk down into place not bothering any of the huge screen computers, nor bothering the notepads and booklets on the different tears of the desk). Go ahead and take a seat, he said, ( Motioning to beautiful yellow, yes yellow, leather modern office chairs it seemed were there to get lost in; or there was the standard black and gray hard padded standard we all know from college. I went with what years of habit had taught me what to take… the black and grey.)

Candidate Burningham – Yes, I stand most of the time. It seems to help with the back and muscles in the legs. Sometimes the new ways are the best ways to go.

Candidates.vote – Where exactly did you grow up?

Candidate Burningham – In Spokane, Washington. A beautiful place. In fact, Spokane and Utah County are about exact – I mean, very much like the same place with the population, type of people, mountains and surrounded by the forests.

But I’ve lived here in Utah and Utah County my entire adult life. I came here to BYU, went on my mission and came back and found my wife Sally and we’ve raised our four children here. And now as I’ve gotten ready to run I’ve been to all 29 counties, held more than 300 meetings around the state and met thousands of people. I have to admit though, I haven’t been to Manila, Utah. That’s still one place I need to get to.

Candidates.vote – I know you just recently sent your oldest son on a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Where did you spend you two years proselyting?

Candidate Burningham – In North Carolina. The Buckle of the Bible-Belt. We were teaching a very sweet older lady about the LDS faith and she pulled up really close to my face and said, ‘Son. Do you know where you are? This is the Buckle of the Bible Belt!”

I spent two very wonderful years there. The people were amazingly friendly, but she was very correct in what she said; it most certainly is the Buckle of the Bible-Belt.

Candidates.vote – What book, or books, is Jeff Burningham reading listening to right now?

Candidate Burningham – I typically try and read a lot of books, but with everything else going on lately it’s been a bit hard. I just finished Arthur Brooks, The Conservative Heart that I was given by the Sutherland Institute several weeks ago. And another one I’ve read and I go back to a lot is Saul for Happiness. It has a lot to do with existentialism and really has a lot to do with why I’m doing this.

Candidates.vote – You mean running for governor?

Candidate Burningham – You can never be afraid to DO. I I’d gotten afraid I wouldn’t be running for governor. I’m an outsider, not from the political establishment who has been kicking the can down the road. I’m here because I want to do the right things.

I’m here to serve. I’m not afraid to lose, but I feel good where we are right now. I’m the right person for the right moment.

Candidates.vote – On your website I know there is a statement of, “Game Changing Leadership.”

Candidate Burningham – We talked as a family and a team for more than one year about whether to do this or not. It wasn’t an easy decision but this message of game changing, it came to me. I’m not chasing this. I’m not going charging to war.

If I am elected though people can be assured of an administration that will bring them problem solving, leadership and a season of service.

You can learn more by going to jeffburningham.com