Former Denver Mayor Wellington E. Webb on Monday was named the interim president and chief executive of the Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce, a move that brings star power to an organization that has at times disappointed some black business owners.
His term begins immediately.
“I’m pleased to take on this new challenge,” Webb, 65, said in a statement.
Webb is in New Orleans on behalf of the Democratic National Committee.
“It fits perfectly with my interest in wealth-building and strengthening small-business owners,” Webb said.
A report from the U.S. Census Bureau last week showed that the number of Colorado black- owned businesses rose 43 percent, to 7,066, from 1997 to 2002, the most recent period for which figures are available.
Webb, who served as mayor for three terms – from 1991 to 2003 – takes over the chamber following what group officials categorized as a period of growth under predecessor Robert Willis, who resigned last year after 2 1/2 years.
Willis, a banker by profession, is an executive at the University of Colorado Foundation.
Some members of Denver’s black business community became disenchanted with the chamber after the 2005 NBA All-Star Weekend. They criticized the chamber for failing to bring a windfall to black businesses and Denver businesses in general.
Ron Springer, Denver entrepreneur and owner of Akente Express, an African-heritage store in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood, left the chamber this year. He said Webb’s involvement could bring him back.
“It’s huge,” Springer said. “He is politically savvy, and he knows the area.”
Since 2003, membership at the chamber has grown from 400 to more than 800, said board member Odell Barry.
The nonprofit chamber, as of last year, had an annual budget of $500,000, up from $150,000 in 2003, according to previous statements from Willis.
Barry, a former Denver Bronco and Northglenn mayor, said the chamber’s budget and membership could double under Webb’s leadership. He would not confirm current budget numbers.
He said Webb would likely hold the post for six months.
“We know we can’t keep him long, but we will have a strong foundation laid,” Barry said.
Webb, already a member of the chamber’s board, is the founder of Webb Group International, a Denver-based consulting firm. He is helping redevelop the former Dahlia Square Shopping Center.
Webb was born in Chicago and graduated from Denver’s Manual High School, where he excelled at sports.
Before becoming Denver’s first black mayor, Webb was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives in 1972, served as regional director of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, and was a Denver city auditor during the late 1980s.
Staff writer Will Shanley can be reached at 303-820-1260 or wshanley@denverpost.com.
