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Urban Chamber of Commerce President Hannah Brown, left, listens as Gary Loster, mayor of Saginaw, Mich., center, talks Friday about the new partnership between the Ccamber and the World Conference of Mayors, of which Loster is president. Seated to the right is conference founder Johnny Ford. Photo by Gary Thompson.

Saturday, November 04, 2000
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

DIVERSIFIED HIRING: Group will co-host gaming summit

Urban Chamber aligns with

The Urban Chamber of Commerce is touting its new alliance with the World Conference of Mayors as pivotal to its goal of diversifying casino industry management and increasing contracts for minority- and women-owned companies.

Urban Chamber officials announced during a Friday news conference that it will co-host its second gaming summit with the World Conference of Mayor.

The gathering is scheduled for Aug. 9-11 at the MGM Grand.

Officials said the summit, titled "Gaming Venues II, A Report on Inclusion and Growth," will examine the changes made since the group's inaugural event in July.

Urban Chamber President Hannah Brown said progress has been made since the first conference, referring to two business networking workshops hosted by MGM Mirage.

"It's a beginning," she said. "This a slow process. It's a hard nut to crack when you're dealing with the gaming industry."

In May, the Las Vegas branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People criticized MGM Mirage for its record of hiring minority contractors.

The gaming company rejected the NAACP's request for a $100 million commitment for West Las Vegas and black-owned companies, but committed to improving diversity in management and business relationships.

Gary Loster, mayor of Saginaw, Mich., said the mayoral conference adds global punch to the chamber's local call for fairness. The conference represents 5,600 mayors in 38 countries.

Loster said mayors can help create policies similar to those in Detroit, where casinos must hire a percentage of workers from within the city and direct a portion of their contracts to minority- and women-owned businesses.

Loster said such policies could help countries targeted for gambling in their negotiations with casino operators.

"If Steve Wynn goes to a country in Africa, its president can ask about what he's doing in Las Vegas to ensure equality," said Loster, elected conference president in October. "We don't want to be just purchasers. We want to be owners, employers and suppliers."

Urban Chamber Executive Director Louis Overstreet said the new coalition also wants to increase the chamber's national networking contacts.

O.J. Webb, chairman of Blacks in Gaming, said the National Indian Gaming Association has expressed interest in participating in the August gaming summit.

Officials said the National Council of Black State Legislators, the National Black Council of Local Elected Officials and the Congressional Black Caucus are also interested in attending the summit.

Business owner Terrell PrudŽ, an invited guest at the news conference, questioned the chamber's long-term plans on improving diversity and ensuring that skilled minorities and women move up the corporate ladder. He suggested creating a mentor program and urged the coalition to move from talk to action.

That action won't include boycotting or picketing, mayoral conference founder Johnny Ford Said.

"We're not coming in threatening, we're just saying we want our fair share," Ford said. "We want to sit around the table with the Steve Wynns and other decision-makers because we represent power."