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Denver business leader Tom Clark dies

By Dennis Huspeni March 22, 2025 | updated 4 months ago

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Denver business leader Tom Clark died Wednesday. He was 75.

Courtesy photo, Metro Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce

Longtime Denver business leader Tom Clark, who was credited for helping bring Major League Baseball to Denver and landing Denver International Airport, died Wednesday. He was 75. 

Often referred to as “The Godfather of Regionalism,” Clark’s consensus-building style ingratiated him to important business and government leaders during a key period of growth for the metro Denver area. 

He served as the CEO for the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp. for almost 15 years before retiring in 2017. He was credited for helping bring the Regional Transportation District’s light rail system to metro Denver.

“With Tom’s passing we lost a true champion of Denver and the entire metro region,” said Denver Mayor Mike Johnston in a news release from the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce. “But we all will forever benefit from his decades of contributions to improve our business climate and economy, and to develop the iconic and special places that define our region. Tom was a unifying leader ahead of his time, and he pioneered a collaborative western spirit that ensured the public and private sectors tackled our biggest challenges together, and that regional communities joined together to collaborate instead of compete.”

As one of the founding members of the group that eventually became the Metro Denver EDC, Clark was a driving force behind regional cooperation and business growth, according to the chamber.

“Tom Clark passed from Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), a progressive degenerative disease that limits a person’s personality, social cues, organizational skills, control over impulses and speech,” said Dr. Aaron Greenstein, Clark’s geriatric psychiatrist, in the release. “Prior to becoming ill, Tom made significant contributions to society utilizing his interpersonal and organizational skills and speech; the very assets that FTD took away from him. There are currently no treatments or cures for FTD. The glimpses of Tom’s persona that remained left an indelible impression, and I am fortunate to have been a part of his care team.”

“Collaboration was at the heart of everything Clark did,” according to the chamber’s release. “He always said, ‘It’s not about who gets credit, it’s about getting it done.’ That philosophy shaped not only his work but also the culture of economic development in Colorado. He believed in partnerships, in breaking down silos, and in ensuring that success was shared.”

Those who worked with him said his relationship-building skills served him, and the region, well. 

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“There are very few people like him who have been in the business as long as he was,” Bill Mosher, Denver’s chief projects officer and a longtime downtown developer, told The Denver Gazette. “He built so many relationships and that was good for everybody. Even with the ups and downs of the economy and politics and changing leaders, Tom was always at the table.”

He was a musician and could connect with anyone at any level, Mosher said. 

“He could be in a coat and tie and speak in front of a group and be very sophisticated,” Mosher said. “He could also roll up his sleeves to get to work and be foul-mouthed and then go into the weekend and play in a band and entertain people on a Saturday night. He was quite a character.”

“He didn’t know a stranger. He connected with everyone he met, from CEOs to small business owners, from elected officials to young professionals just starting their careers,” according to the chamber.

“You can’t talk about Colorado’s economic development without talking about Tom Clark,” said J. J. Ament, president and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, in the release. “Few people have had the kind of lasting impact that Tom Clark has. The model of regional collaboration he built is being replicated to this day, quite literally around the world. We owe so much to his vision, and his legacy continues in our work today.”

“Tom Clark didn’t just shape Colorado’s economy — he shaped my career and my life,” said Metro Denver EDC President Raymond H. Gonzales. “He taught me how to be an economic developer, how to build coalitions, and how to lead with vision and integrity. More than that, he was my mentor and my friend. I wouldn’t be the leader I am today without him, and I know I’m just one of many who can say the same. Tom’s impact on our state — and on all of us who were lucky enough to learn from him — will never fade.”

The Chamber of Commerce and EDC will gather with the business community to celebrate Clark’s legacy from 5-7 p.m. April 8. Details will be available at denverchamber.org.

“Colorado has lost a true pioneer, and his absence will be deeply felt,” according to the chamber. “His legacy, however, will live on in the strong, thriving region he helped build.”

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Dennis Huspeni

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