Banker Beckmann to be inducted into Boulder County Business Hall of Fame

Editor’s note: BizWest is profiling inductees of the Boulder County Business Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024.

BOULDER — Clair Beckmann, whose banking career in Boulder County began in the mid-1970s, is among nine individuals to be inducted into the Boulder County Business Hall of Fame.

The hall’s Class of 2024 will be honored Sept. 18 at the Jewish Community Center, 6007 Oleg Ave. in Boulder. Other inductees include Philip DiStefano, Ann Cooper, Dr. Tom Cech, Andrew Quillen, Daniel Vonalt, Kurt Quillen, and Carol and Harvey Yoakum.

Beckmann began her commercial-banking career in 1975 as a credit manager — an unusual role for a woman at that time — at First National Bank in Boulder. In less than a decade, she was promoted to vice president responsible for commercial and construction lending, and made early loans to local business success stories such as Peppercorn and Kinko’s.

In 1984, Beckmann was named president and CEO of Affiliated First National Bank of Louisville. Over the next seven years, Beckmann led the bank through re-capitalization and successfully established it as one of the most-profitable in Colorado, while also providing banking services to many of the businesses along Main Street in Louisville.

Before her retirement in 2006, Beckmann served as regional president for JPMorgan Chase, with responsibility for the Boulder County market for many years. 

Donatella Scanniello succeeded Beckmann in that role, and told BizWest’s predecessor, the Boulder County Business Report, that, “in my experience, I don’t see a gender difference in career progression. It’s really about who is most capable in a role, who works best with customers and who delivers results.

“As far as women leaders, we’ve been fortunate at JP Morgan Chase to follow Clair’s local lead,” Scanniello said.

Beckmann remains an active volunteer and member of the community.Tickets for the induction ceremony are available at www.halloffamebiz.com.

on Facebook on LinkedIn