Colorado's Coalition of Minority and Women Chambers Shows Strength in Numbers and Diversity
In 1989 leaders of the Asian Chamber of Commerce, the Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce, the Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce, the Denver Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Rocky Mountain Indian Chamber of Commerce formed an alliance on behalf of the common business needs of their members. Focusing on members, many of whom are small businesses, the Minority & Women Chambers' Coalition is guided by the principle question, What can we do as a whole for minorities and women in business?The work the coalition has accomplished for Colorado's diverse business populations includes:
- Influencing the formation of the State of Colorado Minority Business Office.
- Working to pass the law establishing the State Purchasing Notification System.
- Setting standards for awarding the T-REX highway and transit contract.
- Working with the State of Colorado Purchasing Department to address goals for minorities and women and ensure businesses are fairly and equitably notified about competitive contract opportunities.
- Honoring businesses with the Diversity Leader Award.
- Advising, among others, Denver Public Schools, Regional Transportation District (RTD), the Denver Broncos and the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD).
For succeeding as a unified entity where similar groups across the nation have failed, President George Bush honored the coalition at the White House in 1992 as the 690th Daily Point of Light. And unity remains at the base of the coalition's success.
Members of the Minority & Women Chambers' Coalition:
Asian Chamber of Commerce
www.asianchambercommerce.org
Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce
www.coloradoblackchamber.org
Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce
www.cwcc.org
Denver Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
www.dhcc.com
Rocky Mountain Indian Chamber of Commerce
www.rmicc.org
