FORT LAUDERDALE — Broward County will make “an excellent host” for the 2015 annual conference of the National Urban League, slated for July 2015, the organization’s leader has said.
Marc Morial, president/CEO made the comment when he joined national business and local civic leaders at the Urban League of Broward County Sunshine Health Community Empowerment Center, 560 NW 27th Ave., Fort Lauderdale, on Friday for a Business Leadership Breakfast.
Morial said the League has had “great experiences” with the area and “South Florida will help us raise the bar.” The Urban League of Broward County was tapped in February for the week-long conference, the first time it will host the national gathering.
Broward County School Superintendent Robert Runcie, Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner Bobby DuBose, Broward County Commissioner Dale Holness and representatives of Wells Fargo, Wal-Mart, Sunshine Health, TD Bank and other businesses attended the breakfast.
“What we are doing here is being recognized on a national level,” said Germaine Smith-Baugh, president/CEO of the Urban League of Broward County. “To also have local and state officials, that also demonstrates their commitment to the Urban League.”
“It’s huge,” DuBose added. “Not only the economic impact but it spotlights what the Urban League has done for decades.” The Urban League of Broward County provides health, education, housing and employment support to black and other minority groups in the county.
The local Urban League is expecting between 8,000 and 10,000 people will visit the area for the convention. The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates the conference will have an economic impact of between $8 million and $10 million.
“We are working to make this the best Urban League experience ever,” said Nicki Grossman, the bureau’s president/CEO. “We want to showcase this community.”
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