Denverite first became aware of budding concerns from Denver Metro Chamber staff in May, when a former employee shared a list of more than 40 women who have left the organization since 2021, along with a handful of men.
We decided to dig into the story to see how one of Denver’s loudest voices in business was faring as downtown vacancies were running high, businesses were calling for change and the economy teetered.
Read the full story and the four key takeaways from our reporting.
Who we spoke to
Denverite contacted current and former employees of the Chamber, including those on the list and others. We found contact information for these sources through a mix of public records and referrals from people whom we had already spoken to. Some came to us.
A number of these sources requested anonymity, fearing that they could lose their jobs or be denied future opportunities for speaking out. While we explained the benefits of going on the record — it lends credibility to their stories — most declined to do so. Some requested that their interviews not be used at all.
We also asked sources for proof. Many provided documentation of emails, text messages and more that they said showed a “toxic” environment at the Chamber, as one former director put it. In contrast, Chamber officials have said that much of the discontent comes from tough but necessary changes that leaders have made, such as a five-day return-to-office mandate.
In total, Denverite interviewed 25 current and former employees. We also interviewed people close to the Chamber and members of its board, including CEO J.J. Ament and the current and past chairs of the board.
At least a dozen others either denied interviews or did not respond to Denverite’s calls or messages.
We also interviewed outside experts and advocates and reviewed letters from a board member and program participants outlining concerns about certain changes at the Chamber.
We dug into public and private documents
Former employees gave Denverite various emails from their time at the Chamber. Those ranged from simple back-and-forth email threads to performance reviews and more.
We also filed public records requests with various state and federal agencies, including the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Colorado Division of Labor Standards and Statistics and the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade.
Our records requests showed how some state officials were talking about the Chamber, which we included in the story. We also reviewed complaints filed against the Chamber with state officials. Some of those complaints, pertaining to allegations of unfair hiring practices, were dismissed due to the statute of limitations, while others were confidential because they remained open.
Denverite also looked at the Chamber’s 990 forms, which nonprofits file with the Internal Revenue Service.
Those tax documents outline an organization’s expenses, revenue, assets and liabilities. They also disclose the compensation of high-ranking officials within an organization, like its CEO and senior vice presidents.
Finally, Denverite compiled archived versions of the Chamber’s staff page using the Wayback Machine, a digital archiving service. Using those documents, Denverite was able to estimate how many employees the Chamber lost each year, though this method may have missed some employees who were hired but quickly departed, since the snapshots were only available on a roughly yearly basis.
Why the story matters
The Chamber is one of the most prominent voices of business and industry in metro Denver and the entire state. Especially in a time of economic uncertainty, this organization is important, and we wanted to understand how it was working.
We found that many current and former employees are unhappy with Ament’s leadership and the direction of the Chamber, saying that harsh criticism and unrelenting pressure were driving out employees. About half the organization departed in a recent one-year period, whether through layoffs, terminations or resignations.
But its leaders say the Chamber is as strong as ever, with revenue and membership growing. Ament and his allies say he is a changemaker with high expectations, but they deny that he is dismissive or hyper-critical.
We aimed to reflect all the perspectives we heard, and also to give the Chamber ample time and space to respond. The organization agreed to hours of interviews with Ament and board members, and also addressed dozens of questions and fact checks prior to publication.
