Vidal resigns as head of Hispanic Chamber
Guillermo “Bill” Vidal onWednesday announced he will step down as president andCEOof the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce ofMetro Denver in January, more than two years after taking the reins after the turbulent resignation of his predecessor.
Vidal, who also served as Denver’s mayor for nearly a year after John Hickenlooper was sworn in as Colorado’s governor in 2011, told chamber members hewould leave Jan. 3, “assured that I accomplished the things I set out to do.”
“I’m retired three times now, and each time brought a new challenge,” Vidal told TheDenver Post. “The second one led to being mayor of Denver. I’m 62. You start to realize the window of opportunity gets narrower.”
Aseparate resignation letterwas sent to board members, a staff member at the chamber saidWednesday. Only the general letter was shared publicly.
“Iwasn’t here for a couple of months; I worked at it,” Vidal told The Post about his time at the helm of the state’s second-largest chamber organization. “We’ve taken it in a good direction.”
No one thing led to his decision, Vidal said, but the start of a new board chairman’s tenure in January— the organization chooses a newchairman each year — meant he would have to commit to another year.
“I had been thinking for new things, and if something came along midyear, I might have to take it, and I didn’t want to leave the chamber that way,” he said. “I’m young enough to try new things, even if it’s to take some time off.”
Vidal’s resignation comes as the board prepares for an annual retreat to discuss priorities and issues it faces.
“I leave it better than I inherited it, knowing that our financial position is sound, our membership is growing and our reputation is sky high,” Vidal wrote in the e-mailed letter to members.
Vidal told The Post thatmembership had increased by 10 percent this year— 77 new members while 30 others dropped.
“We needed to grow the number of Hispanic-owned businesses that were members since we felt disconnected to them,” Vidal said.
In his resignation letter, he pointed to an attitude change.
“I am also extremely pleased that ... we elevated ourselves into a more cohesive group of hard-working, ethical professionals,” he wrote.
Vidal’swife of 14 years, Gabriela Cornejo-Vidal, is a cancer survivor, he said, and a desire to spend more time with herwas a contributing factor in his resignation.
He said the announcement now was to ensure a smooth transition for his successor.
Itwas unclearwhowould be the likely candidate.