The Greater Washington Board of Trade is a network of business and non-profit leaders in

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The Board of Trade invests in the cultural infrastructure of the area and promotes the construction and maintenance of public venues, including for professional sports, civic meetings, conventions, arts, and cultural events. The organization is composed of membership levels that range from "Business Member" to "Chairman's Council". Notable organizations and companies that are currently a part of the Board of Trade include

KPMG KPMG International Limited (or simply KPMG) is a multinational professional services network, and one of the Big Four accounting organizations. Headquartered in Amstelveen, Netherlands, although incorporated in London, England, KPMG is a net ...

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, and the Calvert Group.

History

Before the creation of the Board of Trade, the

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did not have a cohesive method of organizing and supporting its cultural infrastructure. Therefore, on November 27, 1889, the Greater Washington Board of Trade was founded after the local paper, ''

'', ran an advertisement. The board came into existence as a legal entity on December 2, 1889. Known as the Board of Trade for the District of Columbia at the time of its creation, the organization was referred locally to as the Washington Board of Trade. During the 70th annual meeting on October 20, 1959, the organization welcomed its first female members when 188 businesswomen were added to the 7,200 total enrollment. The name of the organization was changed to the Metropolitan Washington Board of Trade. At the 90th annual meeting in 1979, the members approved a name change to the Greater Washington Board of Trade. During that meeting, the Board adopted the logo that is still being used today: three interlocking circles that symbolize the unity of

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, the District of Columbia, and suburban

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. On November 3, 1992, the Greater Washington Board of Trade challenged the Washington, D.C. law that required employers to provide their at-work employees health insurance to continue to offer the equivalent health insurance coverage for disabled employees who are eligible for workers compensation insurance. On December 14, 1992, the legal decision that the Supreme Court ruled was that states cannot require employers to provide disabled employees the same health insurance with they provide active employees. The archives of the Greater Washington Board of Trade are housed in the Special Collections Research Center of the Estelle and Melvin

Gelman Library The Estelle and Melvin Gelman Library, more commonly known as Gelman Library, is the main library of The George Washington University, and is located on its Foggy Bottom campus. The Gelman Library, the Eckles Library on the Mount Vernon campus a ...

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress, GWU is the largest Higher educat ...

.Guide to the Greater Washington Board of Trade Records, 1889-1996
Special Collections Research Center, Estelle and Melvin Gelman Library, The George Washington University

References

External links

Board of Trade home pageA history of the Washington Board of Trade
from the Center of History and New Media
Greater Washington Initiative
Affiliated research and economic development marketing organization
Guide to the Greater Washington Board of Trade Records, 1889-1996, Special Collections Research Center, Estelle and Melvin Gelman Library, The George Washington University
{{authority control Organizations based in Washington, D.C. Organizations established in 1889 1889 establishments in Washington, D.C.