History of the World Trade Center Denver
In 1988 more than 200 public and private sector representatives with an ardent interest in expanding the international base of Colorado's economy met to explore ways in which the Rocky Mountain region could more effectively benefit from the increasing globalization taking place throughout the world. Believing that change brings opportunity, this group began to form a vision of Denver and the region as a model global community, linked to the rest of the world by trade, investment, education, culture, transportation and communication.
That vision led to the formation of the World Trade Center Denver in 1989, a unique partnership designed to serve as a focal point and a resource for Colorado's international business community.
Founding Partners
The Metropolitan State College Foundation had acquired the license for a World Trade Center in Denver in 1987 and saw a unique opportunity to strengthen the college's ties to the international business community by transferring the license to a partnership of interested organizations. That founding partnership consisted of Metro (who developed the World Trade Center's globally recognized international business skills training program); BCE Development (the owners of the facility that became the World Trade Center); the Denver Chamber of Commerce; the Colorado International Trade Office; and the Rocky Mountain District Export Council. These organizations launched the Rocky Mountain World Trade Center Association, the international resource and service organization that has become known as the World Trade Center Denver.
The WTC Denver Today
With a membership of more than 275 companies and individuals, the WTC Denver is a hub for the region's international business community and through its partnerships, a one-stop, international resource for Colorado businesses as well as overseas businesses looking to locate in the U.S. The WTC Denver maintains its focus as a non-profit membership organization concentrating on raising awareness of Denver, and the Rocky Mountain Region, as an international competitor. In addition, the WTC Denver now houses the non-profit Rocky Mountain World Trade Center Institute — the region's leading international business skills training program. Through networking events, seminars, roundtables, educational programs, annual events and advocacy, the WTC Denver is constantly involved in shaping the region's position within the global economy.
